Jessica Hennessey

About Jessica Hennessey

I serve as Principal, Emerging Global Programs with Amazon\'s Human Rights and Social Impact team, building cross-functional initiatives at the intersection of law, policy, and responsible business practices—from integrating human rights frameworks into AI governance to protecting vulnerable workers in global supply chains. In my current role, I partner with business leaders to embed human rights due diligence into rapidly evolving areas including AI development. Previously at Amazon, I led a global team supporting Amazon\'s Worldwide Operations business in developing a human rights risk mitigation strategy. In another role, I developed a global immigration policy for the company, and also founded the Welcome Door program, providing scalable immigration support to Amazon\'s hourly associates.Earlier in my career, I spent 15+ years as a federal immigration attorney, including serving as Deputy Chief Counsel at USCIS and Senate Immigration Counsel, where I developed bipartisan legislative solutions and navigated high-stakes policy negotiations. I\'m a strategist and servant leader who excels at building trusted relationships across diverse stakeholders—from factory workers to senior leaders to government officials—influencing without authority to deliver measurable impact where legal compliance, human rights, and business objectives intersect.

Experience

1. Principal, Emerging Global Programs, Sustainability, Human Rights & Social Impact

   Amazon

   Jun 2025 — Present

Education

• Hope College

  Bachelor of Arts - BA

  1998

• University at Buffalo School of Law

  J.D.

  2002

• University of Zimbabwe

  Political Science and Government

• Cornell University

  Performance Leadership Certificate - eCornell

  2020

• Renmin University of China

  Chinese Law