Jessica Seitz

Jessica Seitz, Executive Director

Jessica Seitz was named Missouri Network Against Child Abuse Executive Director on August 1, 2021 after serving as the agency’s Director of Public Policy for four years. As Executive Director, Jessica is responsible for implementing the overall mission and policies set by the Board of Directors, including overseeing operations of the organization, developing and maintaining a strong funding base, increasing public and private awareness of the organization, developing and maintaining relationships of partner agencies and representing the organization on a local, state and national level.

As Policy Director, Jessica successfully advocated for an improved response to child abuse across the state including services from Child Advocacy Centers and the SAFE-CARE network and for policies promoting the prevention of child abuse. Among her legislative achievements are the passage of a requirement to provide trauma-informed, developmentally-appropriate sexual abuse prevention education in schools and the historic “Residential Care Facility Notification Act” which created safeguards for children living in unlicensed boarding schools. She also spearheaded the #Essential4Kids campaign to educate adults on how to recognize and respond to child abuse and neglect during the COVID-19 pandemic, a campaign which reached thousands of people across the country.

Jessica joined Missouri Network Against Child Abuse after spending more than six years in federal government relations in Washington, DC with YMCA of the USA and the National PTA. She began her career in politics at the state-level as a lobbyist for the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Jessica has BA in Politics from Brandeis University and is finishing a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs with a focus on nonprofit management from the Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri. She lives in St. Louis with her husband, Ryan, an attorney and native Missourian, and her daughter Rosalyn. In her free time, she is a devoted baseball fan.