Jes is the Deputy Director, National Programs at Advance Native Political Leadership. In this role, she oversees several strategic initiatives and programs within the organization including the Native Leadership Institute.
Jes is a political organizer and trainer with a focus on state and local campaigns. She first began working on campaigns in San Antonio, TX as a deputy field organizer for Ron Nirenberg’s successful mayoral campaign where she discovered her passion for organizing. That same year she joined Cheryl Turpin’s campaign for VA House of Delegates and defeated the incumbent. Cruz went on to work at EMILY’s List, helping to train thousands of women to run for office through the Run to Win program. She then spent the 2020 cycle in Florida as the Training Director for the Florida Democratic Party and Florida Coordinated Campaign. While there she developed an online training program that trained over 4,000 volunteers, staff, and candidates on campaign skills as well as over 3,000 volunteers on canvassing and line management. In 2021, Jes managed Megan Zwisohn’s campaign for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Norfolk, VA. Before joining the Advance team, Cruz worked with organizations including GAIN Power, Women’s Democracy Lab and VeraAction on projects to develop effective systems, operations, and impactful training curriculum.