Jessica McWade
Jessica directs the company’s consulting practices as well as its marketing and business development initiatives. She previously led the firm’s KnowledgeWorkspractices, which include its predictive modeling and quantitative and qualitative research portfolios. Jessica led McWade Group for 10 years prior to joining Maguire Associates, providing strategy, leadership, and message development services to higher education, corporate, and non-profit clients. She was previously Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Communications for Raytheon; Director, Corporate Communications for Textron; and Director, Corporate Affairs for BankBoston. She was a senior officer in all three corporations and a member of Raytheon’s Global Executive Management Team. She also served as Deputy Press Secretary to the Mayor of Boston and photographer to the Governor of Massachusetts. Jessica has done business in over 20 nations including Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, and the former Soviet Union. She is a doctoral-degree candidate (ABD status) in leadership and organizational development at The George Washington University. She is past president of the World Affairs Council of Boston and a member of The Council on Foreign Relations, overseer at Sea Education Association (SEA), founder of the Creative Economy Council of New England, and has served on many boards. Jessica was appointed a Fellow to the Salzburg Seminar (Austria), served as a British-American Fellow (Northern Ireland), and is an alumna of the LEADBoston Program. She has studied at the Aspen Institute, Omega Institute, St. John’s College in Santa Fe, University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop, and University of Wisconsin Writers’ Institute. She is also a Commander (Retired) in the U.S. Naval Reserve, having undertaken many military and diplomatic assignments in diverse locations such as The White House, Pentagon, Greenland/North Pole, Buckingham Palace, NATO Headquarters, and U.S. embassies around the world. Jessica was graduated from Boston University (B.S.), New York University (M.B.A.), and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government (M.P.A.). She also attended The Stockholm School of Economics on an International Management Fellowship. At Maguire Associates, she has worked on projects for Capital University, the College of Mount St. Joseph, Cornell University, LIM College, MCLA (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts), Metropolitan State University, Saint Louis University, Simmons College, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the University of Michigan, and the University of Puget Sound. She has also delivered major presentations to the ACT Enrollment Planners Conference, AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education, The College Board Forum, and The College Board Middle States Forum. You can reach Jessica at jmcwade@maguireassoc.com.