LeadershipPartnershipsOperations
Jessenia builds programs in education and healthcare. In 10+ years, she has opened schools in two states. A longtime disability advocate, she champions the rare disease community. The Kenan Center now runs her free childcare model, built from IRB-approved research. She builds the partnerships, wins over the town halls, and models the numbers that make programs work.
In the news
University at Buffalo Center for Leadership & Global Impact
Advises the Center on the student experience, bringing the student perspective to the council. Applies a customer-experience lens to program recruitment, working to simplify the path from first interest to enrollment. Represents the Center as a Global Ambassador for International Business in Europe, after taking part in the program in Italy in 2025.
The Kenan Center, non-voting board member
Created and developed Bringing the Village Back, a free, drop-in childcare model that gets kids off screens and into play while giving parents real support. Ran IRB-approved focus groups and individual interviews, then piloted the model, all in six months. The Kenan Center now runs it as The Village at Kenan, with its own staff and building. 84 families and 120 children took advantage in the first week.
On the web:The Village at KenanBringing the Village BackLockport Union-Sun & Journal, Oct 7Spectrum News 1, Oct 5WNY Papers, Sep 15Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, Sep 5Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, Aug 6
University at Buffalo School of Management, Office of Enrollment
University at Buffalo School of Management
Primer Microschools
Jessenia Leaphart LLC
Private Family Offices
Girls Prep Bronx Middle School
Healthfirst
iMentor
Strong Women Strong Girls
AI travel advisor that finds the smartest way to pay for a flight, using live fares and Claude to explain the pick.
FinBERT scores tone in earnings calls and political press, then tests it against the company's share price.
Power BI dashboard benchmarking 20 years of global energy data against UN Sustainable Development Goal 7.
NPV, IRR, MOIC and payback models comparing two renewable energy portfolios for a Nuveen Infrastructure project.
Education
University at Buffalo School of Management
MBA, Management Science (STEM). AI, analytics and finance. GPA 3.8.
Florida International University
B.A., Psychology, Behavior Analysis
Honors
Social Innovator Award
The White House
Dr. Jerry and Mrs. Dina Wind Award
University at Buffalo, 2026
Irene and Jeffrey Jacobson Fellow
University at Buffalo School of Management, 2024-2026, renewed for a second year
Global Ambassador, International Business in Europe
University at Buffalo Center for Leadership & Global Impact
Research
Community childcare study
Free childcare only works if families can actually use it. This IRB-approved study asked parents, staff and partners what that would take, and their answers shaped what is now The Village at Kenan. Student investigator, with faculty principal investigator Naomi Smith-Perrone.
The Bringing the Village Back model
Employee voice meta-analysis
Whether people speak up at work shapes how fast teams catch problems and act on good ideas. This University of Florida-led meta-analysis brings together roughly 3,800 studies on the question. Graduate research assistant, supervised by Professor Timothy Maynes.
Professor Maynes’s faculty profileHis 2024 Business Horizons article on employee voice
Skills
Tech stack
Languages
English and Spanish (fluent), Italian (conversational, enough to order like a local)
Policy
Published
Community and boards
She’s all about people, possibility and a bit of wonder.
Click a plant. The hoya likes water.