Chicago, Illinois | US Army Veteran

Jessica Klinge is the veteran program specialist for Brushwood Center’s Veteran At Ease program, an innovative approach for empowering military veteran wellbeing through nature-based art, music, and photography. Jessica is also a Senior Paralegal Noncommissioned Officer and a Sergeant First Class in the US Army Reserve. Over her twenty-year career with the US Army Reserve, she has been activated to Germany and within the United States.

In addition to her career in the military and her current position, she has worked and volunteered in the areas of environmental education, youth education, and voter turnout. In 2019, Jessica became the lead volunteer in organizing Illinois Green Veterans, a program that promotes professional development in green industries and sustainable living for Illinois veterans.

Jessica has an MS in sustainable management from University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. Her capstone project focused on how to advance sustainability-driven careers for military veterans. She also has a BA in history (US and Early Modern World) and geography (People-Environment Interactions) from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.