Jessica Halem M.B.A.

Jessica Halem is the senior director of The Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania. Eidos is a think tank that collaborates with industry, nonprofits, government and entrepreneurs to improve the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ people. Before joining Penn, Jessica was the inaugural LGBTQ director at Harvard Medical School where she led transformations across the university and its teaching hospitals for six years. When she was a young upstart, Jessica ran the Lesbian Community Cancer Project in Chicago where she implemented the nation’s first cultural competency training for the CDC and served on then-candidate Obama’s first LGBT Advisory Committee. With awards from HERO, GLMA, Howard Brown and The Advocate magazine, Jessica uses her M.B.A., improv theater skills and experience as a community organizer to marshal people and resources to make meaningful change. After a decades-long career as a stand-up comic, she is a sought-after speaker addressing health equity, workplace inclusion and innovation. Jessica serves on the board of the Tegan and Sara Foundation where she is part of the team that launched the revamped LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory with GLMA. Jessica received her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and her M.B.A. from Simmons College. Her partner, Jen Manion, is the author of Female Husbands: A Trans History and professor of history and sexuality, women’s & gender studies at Amherst College. In their downtime, they can be found enjoying the sunsets in Provincetown.