Jessica
Cousins

Graduated with a Minor in Geography and a research focus on historiography, archival methods, and community history. After graduation, assisted with the growth of the Salem State Young Alumni Society and served on the Executive Board of the North Shore Rotaract Club. Published research on gaming culture and the 1918 Chicago Race Riot. Built in coordination with a team a GPS historic house archive as a historical society intern and contributed to an Arcadia publication. Early ways of turning data into meaningful public experiences.

Entered the healthcare and human services sector immediately after graduating, coordinating therapeutic and enrichment programs for older adults across senior living and memory care service model settings. Managed scheduling, compliance documentation, family & guardian communication, and care team coordination. Represented the organization at the ICAA National Conference in 2013.

Led volunteer recruitment, training, and coordination across Eastern Massachusetts for a Medicare-certified hospice organization. Ensured full compliance with Medicare and CHAP audit standards. Managed sensitive relationships with patients, families, and clinical staff during the most vulnerable moments of people's lives. Deepened my understanding of regulatory frameworks, compassionate operations, and the weight of getting it right.

Founded the first CBDS Mobile ('Without Walls') Program in Massachusetts — a community-based model for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Launched Acquired Brain Injury and Alzheimer's Support Programs. Managed state-funded budgets, HR pipelines, multi-department audits, and regulatory compliance under DDS and MassHealth. Rebuilt the program post-COVID with a redesigned Telehealth model that doubled census. Achieved 3-Year CARF Accreditation. Nominated by DDS for Regional Committee Leadership.

Regional leadership overseeing Employment, Clinical, Clubhouse, Day Hab, and community support services across multiple sites under DMH, DDS, and DTA. Drove revenue performance, executed multi-program compliance audits, and negotiated sustainable government contracts. This was the highest operational role of my healthcare career — and the moment I realised the systems I was managing needed better software than what existed.

While still working full-time in operations, I began systematically teaching myself software engineering. Earned certifications in Responsive Web Design, JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures, and Front-End Libraries through freeCodeCamp. Built dozens of practice projects in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React. This wasn't a pivot — it was a compounding. Every lesson connected directly to problems I had already lived.

Completed Google's Cybersecurity Professional Certificate covering threat analysis, network security, SIEM tools, and incident response. Deepened understanding of security principles that now directly inform how I architect authentication systems, handle PHI, and implement HIPAA-compliant software.

Completed MIT's professional certificate in Full Stack Development with a MERN stack capstone: a production-grade online banking application with authentication, real-time data, and a responsive UI. Simultaneously self-studying JavaScript, React, Firebase, Docker, AWS S3, GraphQL, React Native, and CI/CD pipelines through independent projects. Shipped over 50 open source repositories in 12 months spanning AI integrations, Socket.IO platforms, Stripe payments, and mobile apps.

Integrated TensorFlow.js, MobileNet, COCO-SSD, and the OpenAI API into production projects. Built real-time object detection, in-browser CNN classifiers, custom LLM-powered assistants, and AI-driven workflow tools. Recognised early that AI literacy — understanding the models, not just calling the API — would be the differentiator. Every project connected directly to a real use case: healthcare documentation, accessibility tools, team productivity.

Joined a cross-functional startup team as a frontend developer building a scalable mobile-first application using React Native, Firebase, reCAPTCHA, OTP verification, and Face ID validation. Built and tested secure authentication flows, designed UI prototypes in Figma, and contributed to community engagement strategy. First professional engineering role — applied every production pattern I had been building toward.

Focused on the practical deployment of AI in real working environments — not demos, but daily operations. Trained professionals across industries on LLM tools, prompt engineering, custom GPT workflows, and AI-assisted process automation. Built integrations connecting OpenAI APIs to internal tools, documentation systems, and client-facing products. Bridged the gap between what AI can do and what teams will actually adopt and use.