Jessica Lynn Gavora (born 1963) is an American

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

writer on politics and culture, a speechwriter, and a former policy advisor at the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

Early life and education

She was born in

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

, one of nine children of Paul (1931–2018) and Donna Gavora (1931-2017), the owners of shopping centers, beverage stores and other businesses. She grew up in Fairbanks where she played high school basketball against future Governor of Alaska,

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

. She studied political science and journalism at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

, then earned a master's degree in American foreign policy and international economics from the

School of Advanced International Studies The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a graduate school of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., United States, with campuses in Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China. It is consistently ranked one of the ...

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

in 1993.

Career

In the 1990s, she was director of programs at the New Citizenship Project, an organization which initiated the neoconservative

Project for the New American Century The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) was a neoconservativeU.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

John Ashcroft John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, lobbyist and former politician who served as the 79th U.S. Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2005. A former U.S. Senator from Missouri and the 50th ...

's chief speechwriter and was a senior policy adviser at the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

. She worked as a speechwriter and advisor for

Nikki Haley Nimrata Nikki Haley (née Randhawa; born January 20, 1972) is an American diplomat and politician who served as the 116th and first female governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, and as the 29th United States ambassador to the United Na ...

during Haley's time as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She has written speeches for various public figures, including former House speaker

Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U ...

, and former U.S. Attorney General

Alberto Gonzales Alberto R. Gonzales (born August 4, 1955) is an American lawyer who served as the 80th United States Attorney General, appointed in February 2005 by President George W. Bush, becoming the highest-ranking Hispanic American in executive governme ...

. In November 2010, Sarah Palin cited Gavora for her "important work" on Palin's book, '' America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag''. Gavora is the author of the 2001 book ''Tilting the Playing Field: Schools, Sports, Sex, and Title IX'', a critical review of the effect that gender equity policies have had on male and female school sports (). She has written for conservative magazines including ''

The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "red ...

'' and ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief i ...

''.

Personal life

Gavora has been married to conservative commentator

Jonah Goldberg Jonah Jacob Goldberg (born March 21, 1969) is an American conservative syndicated columnist, author, political analyst, and commentator. The founding editor of ''National Review Online'', from 1998 until 2019 he was an editor at ''National Revie ...

since 2001. She and Goldberg have one child and they live in the Washington, D.C., area.

References

External links

Jessica Gavora, Author bio
and overview of her book, ''Tilting the Playing Field'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gavora, Jessica 1963 births American speechwriters 21st-century American women writers Johns Hopkins University alumni Living people Marquette University alumni Writers from Fairbanks, Alaska Writers from Washington, D.C. 21st-century American non-fiction writers American political writers American women non-fiction writers