Jessica Lynn Hightower has worked as a carpenter, scenic artist, and scenic designer in various venues in Houston, Texas, as well as South Carolina and Montana. Jessica received her BFA in Theatre Design and Technology in 2020 with an Honors thesis, “The Scenic Evolution: Exploring the Relationship Between a Scenic Designer and Technical Director.” Her research continues to focus strongly on collaborative relationships in the arts. Other research interests include media design, collaboration methodologies, use of fabric in storytelling, and pedagogical approaches to the elements & principles of design.

She has received two Kennedy Center national awards for her projection design work on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and multiple regional awards in both scenic and media design from Southwest USITT and KCACTF Region 6.

Jessica plans to teach theatre design and technology at a university level after graduating from Ohio State in May 2023. She hopes to eventually write a book on designer based collaboration focused on helping early career designers succeed.