20 Under 40 | JESSICA DORSEY
Photo by JOHN BURNS
Jessica Dorsey’s career has been dedicated to public service within the State of Kansas. In her role, Jessica manages a portfolio of $5 million, oversees all day-to-day activities at the Kansas Volunteer Commission, supervises a staff of five, engages a board of Governor-Appointed Commissioners, expands volunteerism, leads the KSDE Civic Engagement wor kgroup and oversees the Civic Advocacy Network Awards.
Jessica serves as a board member for Osage Parks and Recreation. She earned her doctorate in Education Leadership and Policy Studies from KU in 2022.
Jessica and her husband, Bo, have a blended family that includes seven children ranging in age from four to fifteen.
What are you passionate about?
I am very passionate and knowledgeable about high school dropout prevention. Early in my career, I developed a statewide dropout prevention partnership called Kansas DropINs. The goal of this partnership was to bring stakeholders together to collectively identify solutions. In 2010, I served on the Kansas Commission on Graduation and Dropout Prevention and Recovery and authored its final report, and I was the Kansas State Department of Education consultant responsible for graduation and alternative schooling for six years. Collectively, these experiences influenced my recent doctoral dissertation on The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Academic Attainment.
What advice do you wish someone had shared with you early in your career?
I wish I had known sooner that being a leader doesn’t mean knowing exactly what to do in every situation. I spent many years feeling like an impostor because I didn’t have all the answers. I saw my gap in knowledge and experience as a critical flaw and felt overwhelmed making all the decisions. Now I realize that great leaders surround themselves with great people. They value the input of others, seek out different perspectives, collaborate on projects and share the decision making.
What's a typical weekend for you?
You’ll likely see us doing something as a family. Our children are active in boy scouts, football, dance, soccer, volleyball, theatre, forensics, basketball, band, choir, baseball and softball. It seems there is always an activity to attend or host. During football season, we watch EVERY Chiefs game, either at the stadium or at home.
Click here to go to the full list of 2022 20 Under 40 Honorees.
