Alumni Spotlight: #Girlboss, Jessica Lall

Coro Southern California alumna, Jessica Lall was recently named Chief Executive of Central City Association (CCA) of Los Angeles. The Central City Association was founded in 1924 and represents more than 450 businesses, trade associations, and nonprofits, which together employ more than 350,000 people in Downtown Los Angeles and throughout the county. In great Coro fashion, they bring people together in collaboration around issues central to the community. CCA’s mission is to “play a pivotal role in bringing business, government, cultural institutions and citizens together to build a better economy and a better quality of life for all Angelenos”.

Jessica joins CCA from South Park Business Improvement District in downtown, where she served as Executive Director for four years. Under her leadership, South Park BID received the International Downtown Association’s prestigious Pinnacle Award two years in a row.

Born in Texas, Jessica’s family moved often with long stays in the San Fernando Valley and England. After graduating from high school, Jessica returned to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California as an Unruh Institute Fellow and later a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs, graduating from the Southern California class of 2007. She has called Los Angeles home now for the past decade and devotes much of her time to serving as Vice Chair of Coro Southern California’s Board of Directors.

“Each day I utilize the skills I learned in Coro. From being aware of my inherent assumptions and blind spots, to seeking diverse opinions and attempting to build unlikely coalitions, nothing prepared me better for my career than Coro. The lessons learned and network built continue to be the gift that keeps on giving,” Jessica said, discussing her Coro Fellowship experience.

We couldn’t be more proud of Jessica!