Jessica Benton Cooney

Jessica Benton Cooney is a strategic communications leader with nearly two decades of experience advancing democracy, human rights, and global development through impactful storytelling and advocacy. She currently serves as Senior Communications Advisor for the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN), where she leads strategic communications to elevate policy conversations and strengthen U.S. foreign assistance.

Jessica also serves as a Senior Communications Advisor for the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), supporting a global parliamentary development initiative funded by the European Union. In this role, she oversees digital storytelling, media outreach, and knowledge-sharing platforms that connect policymakers and development partners worldwide.

Previously, Jessica spent more than a decade at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance, where she built and led the agency’s democracy communications portfolio. She served as Director of Communications and Outreach and later Director of the Senior Strategic Communications Team, guiding messaging, media strategy, and executive communications on global democracy initiatives. During her tenure, she managed communications for the White House–led Summits for Democracy, developed training programs used across dozens of USAID missions, and helped shape the agency’s storytelling on democratic governance and human rights.

Earlier in her career, Jessica held communications roles with the United Nations Population Fund, DAI’s Feed the Future project, and the Education Development Center in Liberia, as well as Pact and the USAID/Afghanistan Mission. She began her career as a journalist covering Congress and national elections for Congressional Quarterly.

Jessica holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Communications from Edgewood College. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador.

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