Jessica, born in Canton, OH moved to Bethel, AK when she was 2 years old. She grew up mushing with her younger siblings (Jenny, Jeremiah, Jesse, Josh, Joan and Jordan). Her love for dogs started with – a Bethel street rescue dog named Jed.

At 8 she started mushing 3 dogs from her father’s rec team, going out with her siblings. She listened to musher stories from the Kuskokwim 300 race trail and remembers Jeff King presenting to her 6th grade class. Her first long distance race was the K-300 Race Committee’s 100 mile campout race when she was 12 years old. She realized the strongest bond formed with a dog is when you and the dog are out together for days at a time.

In high school, she won the Jr. Iditarod. Jessica obtained her BS degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, allowing her to continue mushing during breaks, and dog sitting for local teams. She worked her summers on a Glacier for Alaska-Helimush owned by Iditarod Musher Linwood Fiedler and got to take her dog team with her.

Jessica attended Washington State University’s Vet School and is happily working as a full time Veterinarian in Bethel and Big lake Alaska. When she’s not mushing her favorite hobby is flying around Alaska with her husband Sam.