Jessica Gonnella joined Wesleyan Athletics as Assistant Director of Athletics Engagement and Fundraising in the fall of 2026, bringing two decades of experience in sports media, audience engagement, and partnership development.
In her role at Wesleyan, Jessica works to strengthen connections among Cardinal Athletics, alumni, families, and friends of the University through strategic engagement initiatives, events, and philanthropic outreach. Drawing on her background in storytelling, she helps create opportunities to celebrate Wesleyan student-athletes and programs while building lasting relationships throughout the Wesleyan Athletics community.
Prior to Wesleyan, Jessica spent five years at Connecticut Public, where her work evolved from digital content and journalism into community engagement and partnership development. Most recently, as Events and Engagement Manager, she led initiatives designed to connect Connecticut audiences with the organization through events, partnerships, and communications while increasing awareness of Connecticut Public's programs and resources.
Before joining Connecticut Public, Jessica spent 15 years at ESPN, producing content for live sporting events and studio programming. Her work included overseeing the development and implementation of graphic and animation packages across a variety of sports and studio programs, using creative storytelling and evolving production technology to enhance how stories were presented to national audiences.
Jessica's work has been recognized with three Emmy Awards, a Promax BDA Award, and a College Sports Media Award.
A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences, Jessica was a member of the Huskies' NCAA Division I women's lacrosse program. Her experience as both a student-athlete and longtime sports media professional informs her approach at Wesleyan, where she brings together storytelling, relationship-building, and engagement to help alumni, families, and friends remain connected to Cardinal Athletics.
