Jessica Shortall

Jessica Shortall is a top innovation speaker and social entrepreneur, known for her expertise in building impactful coalitions and fostering social change across diverse groups. With a career spanning decades in social impact, she uses human stories, data-driven insights, and sustainable methods to address complex social issues. Shortall has held pivotal roles such as the Managing Director of Texas Competes, where she leads over 1,200 Texas employers and chambers of commerce in advocating for LGBTQ non-discrimination, influencing significant changes in the Texas political landscape.

Shortall's communication skills are evident in her high-profile speaking engagements, including a keynote at SXSW in 2016, which garnered two standing ovations and was highly praised by attendees. She is also a prolific writer, with her articles featured in Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, and Forbes, and has ghostwritten for a variety of leaders. Her first book, "Work. Pump. Repeat.", provides a survival guide for breastfeeding mothers returning to work, drawing from her own experiences as a working mother.

Throughout her career, Shortall has demonstrated a commitment to social innovation and advocacy. Her TEDx talk on the economic and moral case for paid family leave, which has accumulated over a million views, highlights her ability to engage and inspire large audiences. She holds an MBA from the University of Oxford, where she was a Skoll Scholar in Social Entrepreneurship. Shortall's diverse background includes serving in the Peace Corps in Uzbekistan, co-founding The Campus Kitchens Project, and developing TOMS Shoes' One for One giving mission. She resides in the Twin Cities with her family, continuing to advocate for social change and equality.