Jesikah Maria Ross has three speeds: listening, making and sharing. She brings residents and decision makers together in artfully designed convenings, creating a path and a plan that changes how we collect, tell and use the stories of our communities. She’s honed her expertise over 25 years of working in newsrooms, universities, community media centers, and development organizations around the globe. She makes storytelling work: for change, for healing, for belonging, for everyone.
Jesikah spent the past decade as the Senior Community Engagement Strategist at Capital Public Radio, Sacramento’s NPR affiliate, co-leading their documentary unit, The View From Here, and directing participatory journalism initiatives, including the award-winning After the Assault podcast.
She recently wrapped up working with America Amplified training journalists across the U.S. on how to put community listening at the heart of their reporting process. She also leads the News Futures Care Collaboratory, an international collective of journalists, artists and facilitators exploring how to build community connection and belonging using care-centered storytelling practices. She’s the author of the Participatory Journalism Playbook and Taking Care: A Guide to Participatory and Trauma-Informed Reporting.
When she’s not knee deep in a storytelling project, you’ll find Jesikah hiking, gardening or throwing dinner parties.
Connect with jesikah on LinkedIn, check out her portfolio to explore her recent publications.