Background & Bio

Jessica Simon is a Systems Change Senior Policy Manager at AMCHP, where she leads projects related to maternal and child health systems strengthening, perinatal behavioral health, and policy change. Her work bridges theory and practice to facilitate cross-sector collaboration, workforce development, and systems-informed solutions to improve health outcomes. Jessica is also an Adjunct Faculty member at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, where she teaches Systems and Design Thinking for Public Health Leaders. She is passionate about equipping current and future public health leaders with the tools they need to analyze and co-design solutions to complex public health challenges.

Jessica comes to AMCHP with experience on a range of maternal and child health and social issues including behavioral health, homelessness, food insecurity, economic development, and intimate partner violence. Jessica holds an MSW, with a concentration in Social and Economic Development and System Dynamics, from Washington University in St. Louis, and a dual BSW/BA in Communications from the University of Pittsburgh.

My Current Work

Jessica leads national initiatives to strengthen public health systems and advance equity. Her current portfolio includes projects on perinatal behavioral health, housing and food insecurity, and birth equity, with the goal of fostering increased cross-sector collaboration and driving policy change. Jessica also serves as the Systems Integration Core Manager for the MCH Workforce Development Center where she provides technical assistance to states, facilitates capacity-building efforts, and designs interactive learning opportunities to support the MCH workforce in creating and sustaining systems change. Throughout her work, Jessica is committed to fostering collaborative, equity-focused strategies that drive meaningful improvements in public health systems and outcomes.

Ask Me About

Systems thinking/mapping, behavioral health, MCH policy, & cross-sector collaboration