Jessica Mertz
Associate Director

Jessica will be bringing her passion for gender equality and violence prevention to her new role as Associate Director of the Penn Women's Center. In this position Jessica will continue to coordinate University efforts to educate about and prevent sexual assault, stalking and dating violence while remaining an advocate for students affected by these issues. Jessica is available to host workshops, trainings, and events around campus and throughout the Philadelphia community. Her door is open to students looking to mobilize around these issues and she works closely with student groups such as One in Four and ASAP (Abuse & Sexual Assault Prevention).

Jessica has been in Philadelphia since receiving her undergraduate degree from Saint Joseph's University. More recently she completed an M.A. in Women's and Gender Studies from Rutgers University where she focused on  various topics related to violence against women including how to make domestic violence services more inclusive for the LGBTQ community and how to mobilize men in violence prevention efforts. She is a certified domestic violence advocate in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania and has worked as a domestic violence counselor, a community educator, and, a board member of the Kristin Mitchell Foundation. Her experience includes creating original curricula and working with large groups to educate around issues such as unhealthy relationships, assertiveness, and sexual assault.

Her one regret from college was not exploring the city more, and she encourages all Penn students to enjoy all Philadelphia has to offer! She is a proud mother of 2 kitties, an occasional runner, an avid reader, and a huge fan of reality tv.