Jessica Harris

Jessica Harris is director of public affairs and partnerships at AIR. She leads the Public Affairs & Partnerships team, overseeing government relations, charitable giving, institutional partnerships, and strategic communications. Her team engages policymakers, funders, and community partners to share AIR’s research and expertise and support its use in policy and practice. Harris also directs communications for the AIR Opportunity Fund, AIR’s $225 million philanthropic commitment to improving education, workforce development, public safety, and health.

Harris has more than 15 years of experience in communications, philanthropy, and public policy, including senior roles at the Brookings Institution and Democracy Fund. At Brookings, she led the media relations team, built partnerships across sectors, and worked with scholars to bring research into national and global conversations through publications, events, and digital platforms. At Democracy Fund, she oversaw communications across programs supporting journalism, governance, and civic engagement, and helped launch NewsMatch, now the largest grassroots fundraising campaign for nonprofit news in the U.S.