Jessica Dheere

A former journalist, Jessica is co-founder and co-director at SMEX. In addition to day-to-day management of the organization, she has led the design and delivery of innovative media development programs in strategic social media, digital advocacy, and digital journalism. Currently, she researches the emerging legal framework for internet rights in the Arab region and its contribution to the rising tensions between states, corporations, and citizens, security and human rights. She is a member of the Digital Development and Openness working group of the Freedom Online Coalition. Before launching SMEX, she worked as a magazine editor and independent journalist in New York and Lebanon, respectively. She has a master’s degree in media studies from the New School in New York City and a bachelor’s degree in art history from Princeton University. In 2014 she was a Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace at Middlebury College’s Arabic Language School. She tweets at @jessdheere.