Jessica Howard is a passionate and experienced environmental communications specialist providing multifaceted support for the Permafrost Pathways project, as well as other work related to the local and global impacts of rapid Arctic change. She translates Woodwell’s groundbreaking climate science into engaging content that informs policy, educates the public, and supports frontline communities.
Previously, Howard was a multimedia specialist at the global marine conservation NGO, Oceana, where she supported communications campaigns aimed at protecting and restoring the ocean. She has also provided multimedia support to San Francisco State University’s Estuary and Ocean Science Center as well as participated in digital campaigns defending the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in solidarity with the Gwich’in and Iñupiat people. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Drexel University, where she studied culture, communication and media.
Howard is motivated by her dedication to Indigenous allyship, and her passion for Arctic research, intersectional environmentalism, and the role science communication can play in the fight against climate change. She approaches her work through a lens of collective action, community empowerment, gender equity, radical empathy, humor, and the belief that a better world is possible.
When not working on Arctic and climate issues, Howard enjoys reading, learning new instruments, experimenting with watercolors and ceramics, and serving her local community as a certified master watershed steward.
She also enjoys adventuring and tries to take one solo trip a year, whether that’s hiking in the Scottish Highlands, watching Beluga whales swim out of the Cook Inlet in Alaska, or marveling at bioluminescence off the coast of British Columbia.
