Jess was born and raised in rural Iowa in an outdoorsy and landed in Kansas via her role as an Army spouse to her husband, Brad. Though her family is no longer affiliated with the military, they've decided to stay in Kansas to raise their family, which includes two sons. Jess developed her love of birds slowly over the course of her life, but it was her first experience with American Avocets and a trip to Cheyenne Bottoms that really cemented birding firmly as a major hobby. She also loves exploring new places in Kansas and meeting new people. For nine months out of the year, she works as a 6th grade technology teacher at Tonganoxie Middle School.
