| Jessica Gavora | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963 (age 48–49) Fairbanks, Alaska |
| Residence | Washington D.C. area |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | Marquette University, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Master's degree, (1993) |
| Occupation | Author, speechwriter, former government policy advisor |
| Spouse | Jonah Goldberg (m. 2001) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Lucianne Goldberg, (mother-in-law)[1] |
Jessica Lynn Gavora (born 1963) is an American conservative writer on politics and culture, a speechwriter, and a former policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice.[2]
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She was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, one of the nine children of Paul and Donna Gavora, the owners of shopping centers, beverage stores and other businesses.[1][2] She grew up in Fairbanks where she played high school basketball against future Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin.[3][4] She studied political science and journalism at Marquette University, then earned a master's degree in American foreign policy and international economics from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in 1993.[1][2]
In the 1990's she was director of programs at the New Citizenship Project,[5] an organization which initiated the neoconservative Project for the New American Century.[6] Gavora later became U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft's chief speechwriter and was a senior policy adviser at the U.S. Department of Justice.[1][2] She has written speeches for former house speaker Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales[7] She is the author of the 2001 book Tilting the Playing Field: Schools, Sports, Sex, and Title IX, a critical review of the effect that gender equity policies have had on male and female school sports.[8][2] She has written for the conservative magazines, The Weekly Standard,[9] and The National Review.[10] In November 2010, Sarah Palin cited Gavora for her "important work" on Palin's book, America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag.[4][11]
Gavora has been married to conservative commentator Jonah Goldberg since 2001.[1] She and Goldberg have one child and they live in the Washington D.C. area.[2]