Jessica Brown

Co-founder and Executive Director

Jess co-founded the Global Lehrhaus in 2020 with her advisor, mentor, and friend Paul Mendes-Flohr. Their collaboration was guided by a belief in learning as a shared, ethical, and deeply human practice, and in the power of serious conversation to cross disciplines, cultures, and communities.

Her background spans nonprofit development, fundraising, programming, and content creation, with a focus on building mission-driven organizations and translating rigorous scholarship into accessible public learning. Most recently, Jess worked at The Workers Circle, an historic Jewish social justice organization whose dedication to democracy building, cultural celebration, and collective responsibility she deeply shares.

Jess holds an M.A. in Religious and Political Study from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a B.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

She currently lives in New York with her dog, Richard.

“Paul believed that learning begins in listening. He taught that education is not only the pursuit of knowledge, but a practice of presence, dignity, and meeting one another as though the encounter itself were sacred.”

— Jessica Brown

Jessica Brown

“Paul believed that learning begins in listening. He taught that education is not only the pursuit of knowledge, but a practice of presence, dignity, and meeting one another as though the encounter itself were sacred.”

The Global Lehrhaus