Jessica Wilkinson

Jessica Wilkinson is an Economic Development Researcher at RTI with 10 years of experience in economic development, international development, and policy analysis. She currently serves as the lead for the Recompete Community of Practice, funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), and has been leading technical assistance for the Building Better Regions (BBR) Community of Practice since 2024. Through this work, she creates connection, fosters learning opportunities, and provides technical assistance for coalitions across the United States working to implement industry development strategies and connect people to good jobs.

Previously, Ms. Wilkinson has worked with towns, counties, Tribal governments, and other communities across North Carolina on researching economic development opportunities and strategies. She is passionate about working with small communities to identify and use their unique assets for economic development and determine which strategies are a good fit. She is experienced in asset-based approaches to economic development, case-study development, feasibility assessments, data sourcing and analysis, and community engagement.

Her research portfolio includes examining small-scale manufacturing and workforce development opportunities in High Point, North Carolina; exploring ways to increase local sourcing of agriculture products for manufacturing opportunities in North Carolina; assessing the needs of the agriculture and agribusiness industries in Craven County, North Carolina; measuring the economic impact of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina; and developing an outdoor recreation–based economic development strategy for Mitchell County, North Carolina. She was a member of the NSF-funded NC Ecotech coalition, where she contributed to developing a strategy to grow the aquaculture and coastal resilience industries in eastern North Carolina.

Ms. Wilkinson has partnered with local governments, Tribal governments, and regional authorities across North Carolina and has worked internationally in South Korea, India, and Malawi.

Before joining RTI in 2023, Ms. Wilkinson served as the Economic Development Manager at NCGrowth at UNC Chapel Hill and as a Program Analyst, supporting the Office of HIV and AIDS at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).