09/02/2026
🌟💙 INTRODUCING OUR FIRST ESS TEAM SPOTLIGHT! 💙🌟
We’re excited to officially kick off our Meet the ESS Team Spotlight Series! 🍎✨
Throughout this series, we’ll introduce you to some of the amazing people working behind the scenes to support our employees, schools, and District Partners every day.
And who better to help us kick things off than Jacquette Barnes, Vice President of Operations – Virginia & North Carolina! 🎉
👋 MEET JACQUETTE!
Jacquette has been part of the ESS family for “five short years!” — five years filled with leadership, learning, relationship-building, and making a difference.
🍎 What inspired her journey into education staffing?
Her oldest daughter was actually part of the inspiration! She went from wanting to study Marine Biology to teaching Special Education in about 2.5 seconds! 😂
During the pandemic, after 14 years in operations management with her previous organization, Jacquette found herself making a career change of her own. That change led her to education staffing, and what started as a new opportunity quickly became work she truly enjoys every day.
💼 What does Jacquette enjoy most about her role?
Doing meaningful work while developing teams and helping others grow into stronger leaders. 🌟
Jacquette believes that no matter how long you’ve been doing something, there is always more to learn. Continual learning is self-rewarding, and she finds herself learning something new every day.
🤝 Her favorite part of supporting districts, schools & employees?
The relationships — hands down! 💙
The opportunity to work with so many different people and teams often turns professional relationships into genuine connections. Knowing that our work helps schools have the people and support they need to thrive makes those relationships even more meaningful.
🏫 One of her most memorable ESS experiences?
Actually stepping into a classroom and substituting when one of our districts needed support! 📚🍎
Experiencing firsthand what our substitutes do every day gave Jacquette an even greater appreciation for our substitute educators and the support we provide to our District Partners.
❤️ Outside of ESS…
Jacquette loves traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family — especially her G-babies!
With grandbaby #3 recently arriving, she and her husband have officially been upgraded to:
👶💕 Pop Pop & GiGi 3.0! 💕👶
👑 FUN FACT: Her granddaughters are pageant queens, so there’s a good chance you’ll find this very proud GiGi somewhere in the audience cheering them on! 👏✨
💬 Favorite Quote:
✨ “Keep showing up. The results won’t have a choice but to show up too.” ✨
😂 And Jacquette’s perfect day off?
A day when fill rates are strong and she has to send herself a test email just to make sure her email is actually working! 📧😂
👏 Please help us celebrate Jacquette Barnes, our FIRST ESS Team Spotlight, and the leadership, humor, passion, and heart she brings to ESS and the teams and District Partners she supports throughout North Carolina and Virginia!
💙🍎 This is just the beginning! Stay tuned as we continue introducing you to the incredible people behind ESS! 🌟
