Media and Speaking
Jessica's work has been featured mainstream media outlets both domestically and internationally from the Washington Post to Al Jazeera. She has also as spoken as a guest lecturer and panelist on television, radio, in schools and high level conferences. Below is a sampling of her work as a public speaker and writer. Contact her below for media requests.
Radio, Podcast and Television
Guest on Rethinking Humanitarianism Podcast, November 4, 2020
Guest on Global Dispatches Podcast, October 12, 2020
Guest on Rethinking Development Podcast, September 23, 2020
“The Truth About Humanitarian Work: High Ideals Vs. Hard Realities” National Public Radio, March 15, 2015
BBC World Service, NewsHour November 16, 2013 (Interview about Helping Victims of Typhoon Haiyan)
Humanitarian Aid Worker Offers Critical Look at Charity” NY1, “Road to City Hall,” October 21, 2013
Interview on Morning News about helping victims of Typhoon Haiyan, Al Jazeera America, November 20, 2013
Sample of published articles
Editor: Rethinking Humanitarianism Series, The New Humanitarian
All articles for The New Humanitarian found here
As the Grand Bargain gets a reboot, the limits of aid reform come into focus The New Humanitarian, 15 June, 2023
What’s the ‘Flagship Initiative’, and how might it transform emergency aid? The New Humanitarian, 5 April, 2023
Earthquake funding gap exposes larger fault lines for emergency aid sector The New Humanitarian, 21 March, 2023
What’s on our aid policy radar in 2023, The New Humanitarian, 3 January, 2023
Key takeaways from the UN’s record-breaking tally for 2023 humanitarian needs The New Humanitarian, 1 December 2022
Five international NGOs launch fresh bid to tackle power imbalances in aid The New Humanitarian, 27 October 2022
How the humanitarian sector can learn from its past The New Humanitarian, 6 October 2022
Is Ukraine the next tipping point for humanitarian aid reform? The New Humanitarian, 25 July 2022
There’s a wide gap between aid’s promise and reality, Haitians say The New Humanitarian, 4 April 2022
Is Ukraine’s aid bonanza coming at the expense of other crises? The New Humanitarian, 24 March 2022
Aid policy trends to watch in 2022 The New Humanitarian, 3 January 2022
Can a new charter point the way to a greener future for the aid sector? 23 November, 2021
Renewing the Grand Bargain, Old goals, a new path: Part 1 & Part 2 , The New Humanitarian, June 2021
Then and Now: Aid’s slow pace of change The New Humanitarian, 6 May 2021
Aid policy trends to watch in 2021 The New Humanitarian, 4 January, 2021
A war photographer turns her lens back home: In conversation with Lynsey Addario The New Humanitarian, 8 December, 2020
A report card for aid groups Geneva Solutions, 13 October, 2020
More jobs, more risk: What 25 years of data say about the aid sector 15 September, 2020
Change in the humanitarian sector, in numbers The New Humanitarian, 9 September, 2020
COVID-19 changed the world. Can it change aid, too? The New Humanitarian, 16 July, 2020
Helping small states have a big say in nuclear disarmament Geneva Solutions, 2 October, 2020
How past pandemics and epidemics inform COVID-19 response The New Humanitarian, 3 June, 2020
How One Couple Found Love Among Tragedy Vogue, 4 April, 2016.
Five Ways Aid Agencies Can Better Communicate with Those They Help IRIN News, 20 July, 2015.
Don’t Go to Nepal to Help Slate.com, 27 April, 2015
Five Myths about Helping in the Philippines Washington Post, 6 December, 2013
How to Help Typhoon Haiyan Survivors in the Philippines Slate.com, 11 November, 2013
How Typhoon Haiyan Organizations Spend Your Cash Donations Slate.com, 14 November, 2013
Disaster Control The Pennsylvania Gazette, January 2014
Five Questions for Jessica Alexander Q&A Philanthropy News Digest, 19 November, 2013
Sample of Speaking Engagements
Panelist, The Future State of Humanitarianism, Aid Reimagined Global Summit, World Humanitarian Action Forum, November 24-25, 2020
Facilitator, Transforming uncertainty: Finding opportunities for change and improvement, ALNAP 33rd Annual Meeting, November 18, 2020
Moderator, UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Humanitarian Affairs Segment: Event “Interoperability in Humanitarian Action” June 2014
Presenter, 29th Annual ALNAP Meeting, Addis - Engagement of Communities: Historical Perspective and Remaining Questions, March 2014
Guest Speaker, World Affairs Council of San Francisco, January 2014
Guest Lecturer, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of Berkley, January 2014
Guest Lecturer, Global Health Department, Western Connecticut Health Network, January 2014
Guest Lecturer, Grand Rounds, UC Davis School of Medicine, January 2014
Guest Speaker, Sixth and I, Washington DC, December 2013
Lead Speaker for Humanitarian Effectiveness Panel — Global Policy Forum OCHA, December 2013
Invited Speaker – Interaction Forum - Panel on Humanitarian Standards and Accountability, April 2013
Faculty speaker at Ninth Annual Child Abuse Prevention Conference, "Child Abuse and Exploitation: A Global Perspective," American Academy of Pediatrics, May 2007
Presenter — Mozambique Former Child Soldier Life Outcome Study at the American Public Health Association Conference in Washington, DC, 2005
Academic Lectures
Invited lecturer at numerous universities including Georgetown, Princeton, George Washington University, University of Virginia, Lewis and Clarke College, George Mason, Smith College and more.
Panelist, “Migrations: Movement of People, Ideas and Goods” Waseda University, October 2019
Featured lecturer at Ritsumeikan University’s Graduate School of International Relations (GSIR) and Institute of International Relations and Area Studies (IIRAS), June 2019
Panelist, Sophia University’s UN Week, June 2019
Invited speaker, International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) and Tohoku University, April 2019
Keynote speaker to all incoming Freshman Class at American University, American University’s Writer as Witness program, September 2015