Jess K. Lewis

Executive Director

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Jess K. Lewis brings over 25 years of transformative experience in the public and nonprofit sectors, with a proven track record of driving impact, equity, strategic innovation, and systems integration.

Jess’ experience spans organizational strategy, equity, leadership development, communications, coaching, mission alignment, and systems change. Throughout their career, they have worked at the intersection of people, purpose, and institutional practice—helping organizations confront the policies, habits, and power dynamics that either strengthen or diminish hope.

Jess is the founder of Manifesting Hope, LLC—a sister organization of CHL. At Manifesting Hope, Jess established themselves as a consultant and coach specializing in organizational strategy, leadership development, and mission alignment. Their work has supports leaders and organizations in navigating complexity, centering equity, and building cultures of courage and authentic engagement.

Under Jess’s leadership, the Center for Hopeful Leadership operates as a national think-and-do tank dedicated to advancing the science and practice of hopeful leadership. The Center partners with leaders, organizations, and communities to build capacity for navigating complexity, fostering agency, and creating sustainable pathways toward collective impact.

Expertise & Leadership Focus

Jess operates at the executive level with deep expertise across:

• Strategy Execution & Mission Alignment: Translating vision into actionable, measurable outcomes
• Equity & Systems Integration: Embedding equity principles into organizational DNA and cross-system collaboration
• Talent Strategy & Leadership Coaching: Developing leaders who lead with courage, authenticity, and purpose
• Board Liaison & Governance: Bridging executive leadership and governance to drive accountability and impact
• Enterprise Revenue & Operations: Building sustainable financial and operational models aligned with mission
• Communications & Stakeholder Engagement: Crafting narratives that inspire, mobilize, and create shared accountability

LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY

At the heart of Jess’ work is a fundamental belief: leadership means finding the potential in people and creating the courage to let it emerge—empowering individuals and organizations to move from aspiration to action with clarity, resilience, and hope.