Jessica B. Burstrem, PhD

Adventurer. Storyteller. Articulate, informed professional with 19 years learner-facing instructional & communications experience, seeking mission-driven work helping others live with dignity & purpose. Exemplary skills in writing, speaking, teaching, tutoring, editing, publication, research, & project management.

 

Jessica is an oral historian, social movement researcher, and scholar-activist who has studied history, Indigenous studies, literature, American studies, women’s and gender studies, film, Black cultural studies, and popular culture. She has been employed as a teacher (2004-2022 & 2026), tutor (2006-2020 & 2026), author’s research assistant (2005-2006 & 2011-2013), and editor (2022-2026). She trained as an oral historian in 2022 and has co-created oral histories since then. She trained as a public speaker in 2003 and has extensive experience with high-pressure, high-visibility speaking engagements.

She has taught college English/communication, writing/composition, argument, research, literature, film, social movement history, and gender studies. Outside of college, she has taught test preparation (2006-2020) and preschool music (2014) and tutored in test prep, math, and foreign language (French & Spanish).

She has taught the MCAT Verbal, LSAT, GMAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, PSAT, and GED and has herself taken the LSAT, GMAT, GRE, SAT, ACT, and PSAT. She worked at Kaplan TestPrep (2007-2020) as an in-person and online Teacher, Faculty Trainer, Curriculum Developer, and Premier Tutor, for which the company charged $400 per hour for her time.

Her first book will discuss the final tactic in the Indigenous-led, women-led movement to change the name and logo of the Washington, D.C., National Football League team (now called the Commanders). That tactic was shareholder advocacy, a form of activist investing. This book will amplify stories of the life and work of Susan S. White (Oneida of Wisconsin, 1963-2018), who led an intertribal coalition of asset managers to address the problem of convincing the intransigent Washington Football Team to abandon their racist former name and logo, as well as the confluence of factors that may have enabled the effectiveness of that tactic. She chose this topic with the direction of members of American Indian Tribal Nations who were active in this part of that movement and, ultimately, Susan’s family.

 

Why Hire an Oral Historian?

• To document events or experiences
• To preserve the voices of beloved family members

 

Please contact for current rates.