Jessica Rich is a native of New Bern, NC. She has a B. S. in Civil Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University and a M. S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Jessica joined the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2003 as a Safety Engineer in the Professional Development Program in the Kentucky Division. In 2005, she joined the FHWA Tennessee Division as the Safety Engineer where her responsibilities included implementation of the Tennessee Strategic Highway Safety Plan and the Highway Safety Improvement Program focusing on improving crash data, reducing roadway departures, highway-rail grade crossing safety, and improving safety at intersections, in work zones and for bicyclists and pedestrians. Jessica was recognized as FHWA Safety Engineer of the Year in 2021. In August of 2022, Jessica joined the FHWA Office of Safety as a program manager for the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program.