Jason Hess

Jason Hess is a master’s in public policy candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he studies as a 2023 Truman Scholar and concentrates in International and Global Affairs. He joined the Growth Lab in November 2024 as a Research Assistant supporting research on Morocco’s electric vehicle transition. This summer, he is embedded with Mera Batteries in Casablanca, focusing on supply chain localization, critical mineral positioning, and the geopolitical dynamics shaping Morocco’s role in the global energy transition. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Youngstown State University in Ohio, in the heart of the U.S. Rust Belt. As captain of the university’s Baja SAE team, he led the design and fabrication of a competition-grade off-road vehicle and partnered with regional manufacturers.

His professional experience includes working as a manufacturing engineer at Collins Aerospace (Raytheon), where he supported avionics, systems used in both fighter and civil aircraft. For four years, he also served as an assistant head high school football coach in his rural Pennsylvania hometown. Committed to a career in public service, Jason works at the intersection of policy and engineering to address local and global challenges