Jess Plant joined the Creative Lives team in September 2020 as Media Partnerships Director, leading on the Creative Lives On Air programme of work, promoting creativity in partnership with BBC local radio stations. She previously worked at Clinks as the Director of the National Alliance for Arts in Criminal Justice. During her time there she significantly raised the profile of arts in criminal justice settings by successfully securing Arts Council England, National Portfolio Status and developing a pioneering research project in partnership with the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge funded by the ESRC and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Jess is a Trustee of the charity Streetwise Opera and supported the development of the newly established charity Arts and Homeless International. Jess has continuously worked to enhance creative opportunities for socially excluded adults and young people. Previous roles include working at Homeless Link, where she developed tools to promote arts opportunities for homeless and vulnerable people. Jess has written numerous good practice guides for the arts and voluntary sector and has significant fundraising and management experience. Jess holds a BA Hons in Sociology from the University of Nottingham and an MA in Art and Design from the University of Brighton. She also completed the Clore Leadership course in February 2017.