By Rachel Berthiaume ’20
Jessica Kosturko ’07 never thought she would find her dream job in advertising, but now she’s leading one of the nation’s top daily newspapers in implementing innovative and unprecedented digital strategies. Kosturko is currently a senior manager of advertising technology at The New York Times where she manages a team of engineers to improve the digital experience and delivery of the Times.
Kosturko describes her career path and time spent at Assumption as a “jungle gym” as she changed her major three different times before deciding on chemistry. After graduation, she applied to jobs related to her field, but ultimately took a computer programmer position, first working for a startup and Comedy Central before landing her current position at the Times. At the Times, she has built websites and designed a new reader experience for mobile devices. Kosturko is responsible for increasing ad revenue while optimizing the reader experience for the publication, a job with significant importance in the digital age.
Kosturko said her background in liberal arts helped her through her many career changes and to keep pace in an evolving technology field. “Philosophy taught me to think differently,” she said. “Business and technology can be baffling at times with seemingly unanswerable questions. … Organic chemistry taught me to stay in the game even when I was utterly lost.”
She cites her Assumption professors’ dedication and commitment to her success as an influential factor when it comes to her nontraditional career path. “Each step in my career has taught me something about myself,” she said, adding that she is always open to possibilities. “I have found major growth in areas I least expected.”
