Jessica Wilkerson is a Kentucky attorney serving clients across the commonwealth.  She is first and foremost a child of God, a homeschooling mother of three wonderful children, a wife to Brad, and an advocate for Kentucky agriculture in general.

Jessica grew up in Central Kentucky and attended the University of Kentucky where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics with a minor in Business, graduating a semester early.  While at UK, Jessica also double-majored in Finance and worked on the university’s dairy research farm.

After undergrad, she worked in agribusiness management for Southern States Cooperative across locations in Maryland, West Virginia, and eventually back home to Kentucky.  She also managed stores for Tractor Supply Company in Kentucky and was honored to receive both the Best Operating Store and Profit Award during her time there.  

Having established a solid understanding of business finance, payroll management, margin, personnel management, and P&L analysis, Jessica transitioned to Farm Credit Mid-America where she served initially as a Financial Services Officer.  She was eventually promoted to Director of Retail Operations, where she managed personnel and agricultural and consumer finance operations across many Kentucky locations.  Her time at FCMA was spent working directly with farmers, agribusinesses, and consumers alike.

In 2015, Jessica was selected to complete the prestigious Kentucky Agricultural Leadership Program.  She was honored to graduate from this 2-year program in 2017, among a class of truly high-caliber peers in the Kentucky agriculture realm.

Jessica later paused her career and undertook law school with three young children (ages 6 months, 2 years, and 3.5 years at the time).  Her strong academic performance earned her a place on the Dean’s List every semester, and she was selected for the Northern Kentucky Law Review. 

She was honored to have her work selected for publication in the law review and then to go on to serve on its Executive Board as Lead Notes Editor.  She earned “Excellence for the Future” Awards for the top grade in classes such as Business Organizations, Evidence, and Emerging Technology and the Law.  

She gained practical legal skills working as a law clerk for a civil firm in Lexington, Kentucky, while in law school and also completed pro bono work for appellate cases.  One of her most treasured learning experiences in law school came from completing a research fellowship with the National Agricultural Law Center, which is the nation’s leading source of legal information for food and agriculture-related issues.   

In her last year, she continued to advance her legal skills with an externship at FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), serving in the organization’s Enforcement Division.

In her final year, Jessica was honored to receive the Judge Judy West Award from the Northern Kentucky Bar Association and the Jansen & Hughes Tax Award for the student with the highest GPA in tax law courses.  She was proud to graduate Summa Cum Laude.

Upon graduation, Jessica worked as an Associate Attorney at Taylor & Johns, PLLC in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, where she was fortunate to have current Circuit Court Judge for the 50th Judicial Circuit, the Honorable Whitney Z. Johns, as a boss and mentor.  

Today, Jessica owns a beef cattle farm with her husband and is the current President of Kentucky Women in Agriculture, Inc. where she works to serve the organization’s mission of “empowering women through education, involvement, and action”.  She has served on the boards of other organizations that are dear to her heart, such as the Spina Bifida Association of Kentucky, and tries to find ways to serve her community as much as possible.

When not working in her professional roles, she can frequently be found organizing homeschool co-op field trips, reading historical fiction, coaching youth basketball, or at church with her family.