Jess Maneely serves as the Assistant Director for Process Innovation at the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA). In this role, Jess leads a team dedicated to developing and testing customer-centric innovations in human services delivery in partnership with people with lived experience accessing government programs. Jess works alongside her team to host cross-disciplinary member spaces dedicated to human services practitioners’ exploration of human-centered technology and processes, including the ISM Affinity Group, as well as our Process Innovation Community of Practice and AI Workgroup.

The Process Innovation Team at APHSA also designs and carries out special projects focused on exploring and improving how human services are delivered through person-centered technology and process changes in collaboration with our partners, including: the ACCESS (Aligned, Customer-Centered Ecosystem of Services & Supports) Initiative, the CSNS (Coordinating SNAP & Nutrition Supports) grant cohort program, the AI-Powered SNAP Modernization research project, and the Digital Government Hub open-source resource repository.

Before joining APHSA in 2021, Jess built her human services expertise in civic tech, where she led technical assistance projects with state agencies, managed process improvement and evaluation efforts, and produced publications on public benefit policy and systems issues. Prior to her work in policy, practice, and process realms of human services, Jess worked directly with human services customers to help them access programs and services.

Jess holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Temple University and a Master of Arts degree from Tulane University. She also has undergraduate degrees in Gender and Sexuality Studies and English Literature from Tulane.