Jessica Van Dien

While helping a client pursue NACC, Jess connected with AMS and has since become an assessor for the NACC program and an examiner for the AGMT program.

Jess began her career as a designer for high-end retail brands in New York City. Looking for a less stressful and more rewarding direction, Jess joined her uncle, a third-generation glazier, as a drafter in his shop. After drawing her first glass detail and seeing it fabricated, Jess was hooked. She quickly built expertise in drafting, take-offs, and estimating. In 2015, she relocated to the West Coast and in 2020, started Van Drafting, a certified WBE outsourced drafting and consulting business for glazing contractors. She admits she loves ‘nerding out’ on the latest glazing technology, and both helping those who are pursuing certification and learning from them.

Jess serves on the board and as an art volunteer with Rebels Farm and is a volunteer coach with Just in Time for Foster Youth. Jess and her partner enjoy their downtown San Diego apartment where she can be found painting watercolors of the skyline. They also stargaze on their two-and-a-half acres in Joshua Tree or travel to desert campsites for hiking, dirt biking, and snowboarding.