As executive director of strategic partnerships, Jessica Foster oversees Youth Villages' partnering initiatives, with a focus on building relationships and agreements with partners and payers, supporting partners in managing and operationalizing their Youth Villages programs, driving YVLifeSet growth and other services through partners, achieving the organization's federal policy goals and coordinating implementation of Youth Villages' FY16-FY26 expansion plan. Foster served previously as managing director - strategy, business planning and policy after joining Youth Villages in February 2011. She has led strategy, business development and government relations functions, coordinated and managed mergers and special projects, and helped ensure Youth Villages' implementation of strategic plans. Before joining Youth Villages, Foster was at the Boston Consulting Group, where she supported the strategy and design of multiple site implementation plans for a global corporate merger and acquisition projects, evaluated and recommended improvements to performance management of a large public school district and developed government advocacy strategies for a large consumer packaged goods company. Prior to joining the Boston Consulting Group, she worked as a consultant at the Monitor Group and as a legislative aide for U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, serving as a key adviser on foster care, adoption, welfare, economic development, public housing and nonprofit issues. Foster holds an MBA in marketing from The Wharton School and a bachelor's degree in public policy from Brown University.