Jessica Erin Jackley (born October 29, 1977) is an American entrepreneur who co-founded

Kiva A kiva is a space used by Puebloans for rites and political meetings, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, "kiva" means a large room that is circular and underground ...

and later ProFounder, two organizations that promote development through

microloans :''This article is specific to small loans, often provided in a pooled manner. For direct payments to individuals for specific projects, see Micropatronage. For financial services to the poor, see Microfinance. For small payments, see Micropaym ...

Early life

Jackley grew up in

Franklin Park, Pennsylvania Franklin Park is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,470 at the 2010 census. Geography Franklin Park is located at (40.590459, -80.092046). According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough ...

. She graduated from North Allegheny Senior High School in 1996. She received her

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in philosophy and political science from

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering ...

in 2000 and an

M.B.A. A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as account ...

from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, with certificates in Public and Global Management.

Career

Jackley was the co-founder and CEO of ProFounder, a platform that provided tools for small business entrepreneurs in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to access start-up capital through crowdfunding and community involvement. Prior to ProFounder, Jackley was co-founder and

chief marketing officer A chief marketing officer (CMO), also called a global marketing officer or marketing director, or chief brand officer, is a corporate executive responsible for managing marketing activities in an organization. Whilst historically these titles may ...

, the world's first p2p microlending website. Jackley and Matt Flannery (now her ex-husband) founded Kiva Microfunds in October 2005. Jackley is a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, and has taught global entrepreneurship at the

Marshall School of Business The USC Marshall School of Business is the business school of the University of Southern California. It is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In 1997 the school was renamed following a $35 million donation fr ...

at USC. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a 2011 World Economic Forum's Young Global Leader, and serves as an active board member on several organizations championing women, microfinance, tech, and the arts, including Opportunity International, the International Museum of Women, and Allowance for Good. Jackley has worked in

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Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

, and

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

with Village Enterprise and Project Baobab. Jackley also spent three years in the Stanford GSB's Center for Social Innovation and Public Management Program, where she helped launch the inaugural

Global Philanthropy Forum The Global Philanthropy Forum (GPF) is an initiative of the World Affairs Council which acts as a peer-learning network of philanthropists — grant-makers and social investors — committed to advancing equity and opportunity in the d ...

. Jackley is a mentor of The Girl Effect Accelerator, a two-week business accelerator program that aims to scale startups in emerging markets that are best positioned to impact millions of girls in poverty.

Personal life

Jackley was previously married to Matt Flannery, co-founder of Kiva. She currently lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

with her second husband, Associate Professor of Creative Writing and best-selling author

Reza Aslan Reza Aslan ( fa, رضا اصلان, ; born May 3, 1972) is an Iranian-American scholar of sociology of religion, writer, and television host. A convert to evangelical Christianity from Shia Islam as a youth, Aslan eventually reverted to Islam ...

, and their three sons. She is a Christian.

References

External links

* *
Jessica Jackley (TED Community member profile)

"Poverty, money — and love" (TEDGlobal 2010)

''Clay Water Brick: Finding Inspiration from Entrepreneurs Who Do the Most with the Least''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackley, Jessica 1977 births Living people American evangelicals American nonprofit chief executives American nonprofit executives American women chief executives Bucknell University alumni People from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni University of Southern California faculty American women company founders American company founders Women nonprofit executives 21st-century Christians American women academics 21st-century American women