Jess Porter is the Senior Program Director at MSAC, where she leads the Grants for Artists and Arts Capital programs and oversees the administration of the County Arts Agency and Arts and Entertainment District initiatives.
With over 15 years of experience in arts administration, Jess’s career began with Arts for Learning, where she cultivated a deep commitment to supporting individual artists. She then broadened her work regionally as the Program Officer for Jazz and Folk and Traditional Arts at Mid Atlantic Arts, and most recently served as a Program Officer at the France-Merrick Foundation.
A Baltimore native with deep ties to Maryland’s cultural and creative communities, Jess believes our state is rich with creative genius and cultural treasures. She is dedicated to offering responsive, human-centered resources to Maryland’s artists and arts organizations, with a strong emphasis on access and equity.