Jessica Sargent, a Teaching Assistant Professor at the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, specializes in political polarization, narrative policy framework (NPF), trust, and optimistic realism. She also works in student-centered pedagogy to foster civil discourse and prepares students to engage real-world policy challenges.

An expert in higher education and public administration, Sargent has held faculty appointments at the College of Eastern Idaho, Idaho State University, and the College of Southern Idaho. She teaches courses on public policy and state and local government. Her recent scholarship includes contributions to The Sociological Quarterly, World Affairs, and the edited volume Narratives and the Policy Process: Applications of the Narrative Policy Framework. Sargent holds a Doctor of Arts in political science from Idaho State University.