Jessica Hirshorn

Jessica Hirshorn is a Teaching Professor of Organizational Leadership at Arizona State University. She was awarded the CISA Outstanding Teaching Award for exceptional teaching during the 2020-2021 school year. 

Dr. Hirshorn is committed to promoting intercultural understanding and communication among people worldwide. Her research at NASA's Johnson Space Center inspired the creation of an intercultural training simulation called "Rocket: A Simulation on Intercultural Teamwork." She also developed an online intercultural game called "Space Quest: A Cultural Awareness Game" in partnership with EI Games. This game won the 2022 Serious Play Silver Medal in the higher education category.

Dr. Hirshorn has a doctorate in Educational Foundations with an emphasis in Multicultural Education and Sociology of Education from the University of Houston. She also holds a master's degree in International and Intercultural Management from the SIT Graduate Institute and a bachelor's degree from Coe College in Asian Studies and Religion. 

Dr. Hirshorn has extensive international experience. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Warsaw, Poland, where she taught at the University of Warsaw and assisted with Ukrainian refugee efforts. She has also led study abroad programs in New Zealand, Ireland, the Dominican Republic, China, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, Dr. Hirshorn is a former Peace Corps Volunteer who served on the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. She studied abroad as a student in China, India, and Israel.

Dr. Hirshorn enjoys sharing the intercultural insights she gained through her international experiences with her students. She co-founded OLLI Corps with Osher Lifelong Learning, co-led their inaugural program in Belize, and will lead an upcoming program to Thailand in December 2024. Her mission is to promote intercultural understanding and communication.