When IT Delivery Manager Jessica Peterson started with Publix in 2011, she had no idea what career opportunities awaited her.

Jessica started as an administrative assistant to Vice President of Information Systems Technology and Security Steve Wellslager. Though she had always been savvy with technology and was known as the IT go-to of her family, Jessica had no background in it professionally. But as soon as she got comfortable in her role, she started getting to know the world of technology.

“I got a lot of exposure as an admin to all the different projects our department was working on at the time,” said Jessica. “By working closely with the different subdepartments and their associates, I realized just how many opportunities there are for me to grow.”

And in 2014, she got her chance. Right before she gave birth to her daughter, she applied for her 1st technical role — a request analyst.

“It was a chance to get my foot in the door,” said Jessica. “That department works on getting new associates onboarded and granting them the access they need for their job.”

Just a few years later, she was promoted to an engineer in access management, where she learned a lot of valuable information about the IT world.

“Technology evolves and is created so fast,” said Jessica. “It’s about keeping up and being flexible because it changes so quickly.”

She continued to move around to different roles in the access management department, and then finally, in 2020, she became an IT delivery manager, her current role.

“I love what I do because I have a passion for fixing things, and I’m always up for a challenge,” said Jessica. “This year, we rolled out a passwordless login option for associates. With such a large-scale effort, there are so many moving pieces. I’ve gotten to see it all come together and support our security.”

Jessica loves to continue learning and developing more skills, which has allowed her to move up so quickly. Steve knew from the start that she would be something special.

“Jessica is incredibly dedicated and has owned her career and journey,” said Steve. “She leads her team by example and never asks them to do anything that she hasn’t done already or isn’t willing to do. She takes every job seriously and works to be the best at each level, earning respect from her peers and team.”

But Jessica is just getting started in her career. The world is her oyster!

“There are so many opportunities in the world of technology,” said Jessica. “I can’t wait to continue growing and seeing what else lies ahead for me.”