Our Team

Partners

ACOS Alliance

A global coalition of 160+ news organizations, journalist associations and press freedom NGOs setting safety standards for the industry and creating a culture of safety through training, resources, and coordination.

Elisabet Cantenys Executive Director, ACOS Alliance

Journalism Protection Initiative

A journalist safety and press freedom initiative at CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, producing research, building tools, and supporting journalists facing risk.

Joel Simon Executive Director, Journalism Protection Initiative

Supported By

Patrick J. McGovern Foundation

JESS is funded by the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, which advances AI and data solutions for social good.

mcgovern.org →

Too many newsrooms around the world operate without access to even the most basic safety resources. JESS changes this.

— Elisabet Cantenys, Executive Director, ACOS Alliance

The Team

Michael Christie

Safety Advisor

Shapes the safety guidance that powers JESS, drawing on decades of experience protecting journalists in the field.

Nikita Roy, Newsroom Robots Lab

Product Management

JESS product development is led by Newsroom Robots Lab, bringing together expertise in AI, data science, and journalism.

BotsCrew

Development Team

Built JESS's conversational AI, bringing nearly a decade of experience developing chatbots and AI assistants since 2016.

Advisory Board

Gina Chua

Executive Director, Tow-Knight Center for Journalism Futures

Jeremy D. Gilbert

Knight Professor in Digital Media Strategy, Northwestern

Graciela Mochkofsky

Dean, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism

Marina Walker Guevara

Executive Editor, Pulitzer Center