The Top 50 Influential Women in Technology in San Diego
Sēkr is delighted to announce that Jess Shisler, PhD, our fearless co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO), has been recognized as one of the most influential women in technology in San Diego by the San Diego Business Journal. San Diego Business Journal’s Women of Influence in Technology award celebrates and honors the top 50 local women based on their individual contributions and commitments to the tech sector.
As COO, Jess is responsible for strategic operations at Sekr, including new product development (like SēkrHubs!) and overall company growth through new and exciting partnerships. She also has a hand in fostering our strong and welcoming team culture and overseeing daily team operations.
Jess played a pivotal role in helping Sēkr close its recent $2.25M in seed funding and, in 2021, she co-founded Project Respect Outdoors (PRO), a coalition that unites women business owners, non-profit leaders and grassroots change-makers and their allies to evolve the outdoors industry to be more universal. Through PRO, Jess is helping to ignite a movement that addresses the lack of inclusivity in the outdoor industry, increasing actions and efforts to bring more equity, intersectionality, and sustainability.
Jess has long been a trusted thought leader in the outdoor industry, living nomadically in a self-built camper van since 2017. Prior to founding Sēkr, Jess spent 10 years in biotechnology, earning her doctoral degree in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota and completing a postdoctoral research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.
As an impact-focused founder, she transitioned to biotech startup communications and public relations, eventually launching her own science communications consultancy, with clients in biotechnology startups and Fortune 500 bio-pharmaceutical companies.
Jess is a deeply valued member of our Sēkr team and we’re so grateful for all that she’s done over the years. Congratulations, Jess, on this well-deserved win!
