Jessica David

Jessica David has 20 years working at the intersection of people and place. She is a Master of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School (expected May 2026), where she is studying the intersection of spirituality and money.

Jessica is the founding president of Local Return, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building community wealth through ownership and investment in Rhode Island neighborhoods that have experienced historical disinvestment. She is the co-founder and President & CEO of the Rhode Island Community Investment Cooperative, home to the state’s first-ever community investment fund. As founder and principal of Good Worth Working For, a community consultancy, Jessica supports organizations and leaders on strategy and change processes, program design, large and small convenings, and culture-building.

Previously, Jessica served as Executive Vice President of Strategy & Community Investments at the Rhode Island Foundation. She spent several years early in her career working on homelessness, affordable housing, and community development.

Jessica holds an MBA from Bryant University and a BA in political science from American University. She serves on the boards of the Cranston Public Library Association, Common Cause of Rhode Island, the Library Board of Rhode Island, the Providence Cultural Equity Initiative, Providence Public Library, Teatro ECAS, and Tides Family Services. Jessica delights in human connections, local places, her puppies Odysseus and Moxie Mae, and Bruce Springsteen.