Jessica (Mayer) Herthel ’96

Jessica (Mayer) Herthel is co-author of the first mainstream children’s picture book about a transgender girl, “I Am Jazz.” After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2000, Jessica spent several years in private law practice in New York, Los Angeles, and Boca Raton before taking time off to raise her three children and travel abroad in the United Arab Emirates. Upon returning to the U.S., Herthel began working on LGBTQ-inclusive projects in Florida with Broward County’s Office of Diversity, Cultural Outreach & Prevention.  In that position she oversaw the development of inclusive curriculum for K-12 students; additionally she was the editor of Broward County’s “LGBTQ Critical Support Guide,” which is still in use today. From 2012-2015, she served as education director of the Stonewall National Museum & Archives and hosted their annual LGBTQ symposium of school districts. Now living in Orange County, Calif., she concentrates on national speaking engagements and private consulting, and, as part of a continuing effort to impress her 13-year-old daughter, she has a recurring role on the TLC reality program also entitled, “I Am Jazz.”