Join us in welcoming Jessica Lee to The LP fam! Jessica recently joined our board of directors—read our short Q&A to get to know her.
The LP: As a supporter of the arts, why does art matter?
Jessica Lee: The arts are at the core of everything—art is activism, art is empowerment, art is inspiration. Art is the medium through which so many express themselves and their experience and the medium through which so many finally understand the experience of others. For me, art is what I turn to at the end of a day or week (or sometimes in the middle of it) to lift me up.
LP: What attracted you to The LP and excited you most about joining the board?
JL: I’ve heard about the work of The Laundromat Project for years and have been looking for ways to get involved. My board service has focused on the intersection of art and education. The LP takes that a few steps further, layering in activism and community empowerment. It’s everything I have been looking for from a board opportunity. I’m excited to be joining at this moment when the new space is opening and I look forward to seeing all of the new opportunities that will create.
LP: What is your neighborhood? What’s your favorite thing about it?
JL: Fort Greene is the neighborhood where my heart lives. Even with all of the gentrification that has taken place, you can still feel the old Brooklyn energy running through it. Fort Greene Park and the Greenmarket are my favorite places to spend a Saturday.
LP: Can you tell us about a project/event/moment that was a particular highlight of your personal or professional work?
JL: One of my proudest moments was a pro bono case I handled many years ago. I won asylum for a person who had been the subject of persecution based on sexual orientation in Jamaica. We were outside of our deadline to file, but she had begun a gender transition in that period and we were able to argue that that created a material change that essentially waived the timeliness issue. There was no precedence for this at the time. The US isn’t perfect, but I knew she was safer here and that win was a career highlight.
LP: What song gets you moving and going when work gets hard?
JL: “Apeshit,” Beyoncé
LP: What’s your favorite home-cooked dish?
JL: None. I am the cook in my house, so my favorite dishes are takeout.
Jessica Lee helps companies in the US and around the world launch, market, and monetize their digital products and content. She advises on everything from interest-based and addressable advertising, data analytics, location-based tracking, smart devices and wearables, to the use of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, VR and AR, and facial recognition. Named one of Crain’s Notable Women in Law for 2019, Jessica is routinely called upon to speak on the privacy and cybersecurity concerns in advertising, media, adtech, and health tech. Jessica contributes her time to a number of community service projects and mentorship initiatives, including the Museum of Modern Art’s Friends of Education Committee.