Kierra Thompson is the Founder and President of Mother of Jade, Inc., and the creator of its flagship program, Spice of Jade. She built Mother of Jade to support mothers and caregivers navigating difficult seasons and later expanded its mission after her own experience raising two neurodivergent children. Kierra founded Mother of Jade in Winter 2021, driven by her own path as a single mother and by a gap she saw in accessible support for mothers in her community. During her active-duty military career, she developed and led community-based initiatives focused on direct support, resource distribution, and empowerment for mothers and families, building partnerships with local businesses and organizations to meet both immediate and long-term needs. After the birth of her second child, Kierra began navigating the challenges of raising two neurodivergent children. That experience revealed a deeper gap, not just in resources, but in parent’s understanding of how to navigate the systems designed to support their kids, particularly within special education. This led her to develop Spice of Jade as part of her Master of Public Health Applied Practice Experience: a structured advocacy and education program helping families understand their rights, prepare for IEP meetings, and confidently advocate for their children. Kierra’s work is grounded in lived experience. Every program under Mother of Jade, from community giveaways to scholarships to the Spice of Jade cohort model, reflects her belief that families do better when they’re equipped, connected, and heard. She continues to grow Mother of Jade with the long-term vision of building a scalable model that strengthens the relationship between families and the systems meant to support them.