The Bull Run Speaker Series presents: Jessica Buchanan

Jessica Buchanan is a Teacher, Author, Humanitarian, Speaker, Founder, and Survivor.

On October 25, 2011, while on a routine field mission in Somalia, working as the Education Advisor for her non-governmental organization, Jessica was abducted at gunpoint and held for ransom by a group of Somali pirates for 93 days. Forced to live outdoors in deplorable conditions, starved, and terrorized by more than two dozen gangsters, Jessica’s health steadily deteriorated until, by order of President Obama, she was rescued by the elite SEAL Team VI on January 25, 2012.

Jessica’s ordeal is detailed in her New York Times bestselling book, “Impossible Odds: The Kidnapping of Jessica Buchanan and Her Dramatic Rescue by SEAL Team Six.”

Jessica is now a highly sought-after inspirational speaker, TEDx Speaker, and was named one of the ‘150 Women Who Will Shake the World’ by Newsweek. Her story was the most highly viewed 60 Minutes episode to air to date. Jessica is also the founder of Soul Speak Press, a non-traditional publishing company for women who have been through something and now they know something. Her second book is a bestselling anthology titled “Deserts to Mountaintops: Our Collective Journey to (re)Claiming Our Voice.”

Jessica works as a family liaison volunteer for the non-profit organization, Hostage US, supporting former hostages and their families during captivity to eventual return. She continues to serve as a dedicated Ambassador for the Navy SEAL Foundation which works to support families of fallen SEALs. She is married to a native Swede, has two children, and now resides in the DC Metro area.