Dr Jessica Tipton, or Jess as she is known, is head of the National Education Nature Park at the Natural History Museum, a project commissioned by the Department for Education as part of its Sustainability and Climate Strategy.
In 2020 Jess founded the UK Schools Sustainability Network (UKSSN) as head of youth networks at Global Action Plan. She led a delegation of students to the COP26 global climate summit and instigated the annual online Youth Climate Summit.
In addition to all of the above, Jess has worked as a policy adviser at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and has researched Russia and international climate policy.
But Jess didn’t set out for a career in sustainability. She studied Russian and French, and played the clarinet to a high standard. The common theme running through everything she has done is contributing to events, society and positive things. That’s what the National Education Nature Park project is all about – introducing children of all ages and young people to their outdoor spaces and connecting them to the power and pleasure of nature.
In this episode Jess explains how she landed her high profile job (the project was visited by the Prince and Princess of Wales in the summer of 2025) and why she considers languages an subject choice through which to launch yourself into anything.
Jess thinks of herself as a Jack of all trades - and as explained, has enjoyed a portfolio career – but she has never had a plan for her career, and that means she’s never been bored either. In fact, at the time the recording she was about to embark on a role researching and translating Russian literature – particularly environmental and feminist themes – at the University of East Anglia.
A key career tip from Jess is to enjoy what you are really good at and go and study that rather than targeting an environmental science degree at university - then take your values into other areas of work and spread the word.
Mentioned in this podcast
National Education Nature Park
Natural History Museum garden visit
DEFRA careers
How Bad Are Bananas? Mike Berners-Lee
You might also like to listen to:
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Divya Kumar S4 E4
Katie Goldsbrough S5 E1
Rachel Warren S1 E7
About ProGRESS:
Host Sandra Fraser invites guests to discuss their pro- Green, Ethical, Sustainable and Socially responsible jobs, courses or activities and asks for real-world insights into the pathways and careers that led to them.
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LinkedIn: ProGRESS, the green, values-led careers podcast
Original content © Sandra Fraser
Original music © Lyze Kessell
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Progress's guests talk about their pathways to a career in a values-led job.
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