Experience & Expertise
As a brand leadership expert, Jessi LaCosta focuses on professional development, organizational effectiveness and community building. Her main tools for achieving success include leadership coaching, training, facilitation and assessments to help individuals unlock their leadership potential and to implement their visions. Her work is also aimed at building healthy, productive and sustainable teams, companies and organizations.
LaCosta is passionate about integrated branding, authentic leadership, strategic communication and sustainable growth for mission-driven organizations and individuals. The past year she has immersed herself in the science of brain, mind and relationships and will earn her graduate level certificate in Interpersonal Neurobiology this fall. Incorporating this approach, which is based in more than 13 scientific disciplines, including neuroscience, sociology and biology, has equipped LaCosta with a deepened insight into managing crisis and conflict along with developing people to their fullest potential.
She enjoys alliances with other communication, human resources, career coaches and organizational development professionals and will often partner with them for sophisticated projects.
Before coaching and consulting, LaCosta worked at one of the nation's top advertising agencies, Deutsch Inc., and executed research, planning and account management for successful regional and national client campaigns. She also has held public relations, copywriting, program development, marketing and sales positions in other industries including media, museums, technology retrieval and medical marketing.
LaCosta has reconstructed organizations’ institutional branding efforts, facilitated brainstorming and leadership sessions and coached for strategic acumen among supervisors, managers and executives. She has also worked with solopreneurs and entrepreneurs with initial business building and personal brand coaching. Her clients recall her style as laser-like focusing on issues and problem solving, but always with a compassionate and creative approach. She is very skilled in helping others find clarity in their situations whether they stem from extreme challenge or high potential.
She is a sought-after presenter on issues such as branding, strategic communications and motivation. Additionally, as a violent assault survivor, she is often invited to speak and write on the topics of risk-taking, conflict resolution and empowerment.
LaCosta holds a B.S. degree in Corporate Media from James Madison University, an M.A. degree in Communication Design and an Emerging Leader Certificate from the University of Baltimore.
She continues her education taking workshops, classes and attending seminars in organizational development, psychology, neuroscience, nonprofit management, and executive coaching. She is a certfied MasterMind Executive Coach and also a certified trained mediator for the state of California.
To read about her vision, visit here.
Memberships and Awards
She was elected in 2010 as the Vice President of Marketing and Membership at the San Diego Chapter of the Organization Development Network. LaCosta is the recipient of both the H. Mebane Turner Service and the Thomas J. Pullen Outstanding Young Alumna Awards from the University of Baltimore.
Recent Appearances include:
- National Speaker's Assocation, San Diego Chapter
- IOC 2010
- University of San Diego
- Guest Speaker; Kevin Kermes Career Boot Camp
- ISES, San Diego Chapter
- NonProfit Day sponsored by NMS
- San Diego State University
- San Diego Trauma Therapy Annual Dinner
- University of Baltimore
- ISES, DC Chapter
- University of Delaware
She is Affiliated With:
