EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is featured in the Fall 2025 edition of The Tartan magazine. Read more from The Tartan at alma.edu/tartan.

Jessica Karbowski Weare ’04 uses her Alma education to benefit others — locally and across the world.

The Alma College education and subsequent career of Jessica Karbowski Weare has taken her all over the world; as a member of the Scots’ Model UN team and a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, and later as an attorney-adviser with the U.S. Department of State.

Since 2021, however, Weare has worked on behalf of residents of her home state of Michigan. She’s served as deputy legal counsel to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, acting commissioner of the Michigan Lottery, chief operating officer and chief legal counsel of the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, and currently is the general counsel at Grand Valley State University.

“It’s been really meaningful to do work impacting the state that I love and the people that I grew up with,” said Weare, a member of the Class of 2004 and native of Freeland, Mich.

Formerly the acting commissioner of the Michigan Lottery, Weare is pictured distributing an award in 2023. (Photo courtesy of Michigan Lottery)

“When I was a college student, I imagined doing the kind of work that would appear on the front page of The New York Times. But now that I am further along in my career and have had these types of high profile opportunities, I made a conscious decision to move back. Michigan is a beautiful and fascinating place, with plenty of opportunity for meaningful, fulfilling work that feels very concrete and impactful.”

Weare is not kidding about making headlines in the world’s largest local newspaper. She spent nearly a decade as an attorney-adviser at the U.S. Department of State, where she worked on a range of issues, including implementation of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iran nuclear deal.

Among her other responsibilities were advising on issues associated with cross-border data-sharing for law enforcement purposes, handling corruption-related legal issues, international claims and investment disputes, and advising the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific affairs.

Weare admitted that growing up, she always wanted to be an attorney but didn’t really understand what that meant. It wasn’t until going to Alma College and meeting professor Derick “Sandy” Hulme that her global ambitions really began to take shape. Because of courses like International Law, she began to understand the critical role that the United States plays in the international community and how she could be part of it.

As a college student, I needed someone like Dr. Sandy Hulme, at Alma College, who would tell me, ‘This is an opportunity for you. Here’s how to take advantage of it.’ I also needed someone to tell me, ‘You need to improve in these areas if you’re going to live up to your fullest potential.’ That combination of guidance and mentorship was life-changing for me, and it’s just one reason I’m proud to be a Scot. — Jessica Karbowski Weare ’04

From Hulme, she also received the guidance needed to apply and interview for two life-changing opportunities; the Fulbright and Truman scholarships. Those scholarships would be the bridge Weare needed to move from Alma to her next steps.

“The Truman Scholarship, in particular, was critical to my development. It made me more confident when I started at Yale Law School, made law school more affordable, and introduced me to people in my Truman class that were doing incredible things all over the world — people I keep in touch with to this day. I’m extremely grateful to Dr. Hulme for his mentorship in helping me apply for the Truman,” Weare said.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it a general sense of upheaval, which for so many led to questions about what really mattered in life. For Weare, that meant taking a long look back at her home state, where Governor Gretchen Whitmer was leading efforts to manage the pandemic-related public health crisis.

Weare left a dream job in order to come back home, but she has no regrets. She enjoyed serving as Whitmer’s legal counsel, where she worked on issues ranging from emergency response to civil rights, and as acting commissioner of the Michigan Lottery, which contributed more than $1.3 billion to the Michigan School Aid Fund during Weare’s tenure.

Her most recent position, as general counsel of Grand Valley State University, offers opportunities to problem-solve in a variety of contexts.

“Once upon a time, I practiced public international law and was an expert in narrow areas like Iran sanctions. Now, I’m responsible for providing a broad range of legal advice and managing legal risk for a complex organization that does many things. Now more than ever, higher education is facing a range of legal challenges, and it has been incredibly rewarding to support and contribute to the meaningful work that Grand Valley is doing.

“I also feel that Grand Valley shares a lot of important qualities with Alma. It’s got a personal touch that I would consider rare and very, very beneficial to those students who experience it. I’m grateful to be able to say that I went to Alma, for sure.”