Jessica Rossman

1968 - 2025

JESSICA ROSSMAN
05/23/1968 - 03/31/2025
Jessica Rossman's joy radiated like a bright light, illuminating the lives of everyone she met and touching the hearts of all who knew her. The unexpected death of the Houston attorney and civic leader on March 31st in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico at the age of 56 caused a profound loss to all who knew and admired her.

To call Jessica vivacious and beautiful would be true, but insufficient. She set the standard not only for style, but for professionalism in her legal career and compassion in her significant public service.

She spent 21 years at United Airlines and its predecessor Continental Airlines as senior managing director and managing counsel for international affairs. She had primary legal responsibility for Mexico, Central and South America, Caribbean and Canadian operations. The Houston Business Journal named her to its list of best corporate counsel.

Jessica's community support, meanwhile, was groundbreaking and spanned causes that helped improve the lives of thousands of beneficiaries. She served in leadership roles that raised money for AIDS prevention research and for equity and inclusion of the LGBTQ community before such efforts were fashionable. She was a founding sponsor of United's LGBTQ Business Resource Group. She played a critical role in Dining Out for Life events supporting work to end the HIV epidemic in Houston.

Her Houston community leadership roles included Chairman of the Board of the AIDS Foundation; service on the boards of Planned Parenthood; Kids' Meals; Recipe for Success; and advisory board of the Latin Women's Initiative. She recently joined the board of Stages Theatre. Last year, she co-chaired the first Hope Biosciences Foundation Gala supporting stem cell research. The gala sold out with 500 guests, raising more than one million dollars – unheard of success for an inaugural gala. Outside Houston, she served as a trustee of the New York Academy of Art in New York City; the Women's Symphony League in Austin; and the American Artists' Project in Austin, which championed diversity and equity in the arts for traditionally under-represented communities.

She was a 2017 recipient of the Houston Chronicle's Best Dressed philanthropic award, as well as ABC-13's Women of Distinction Award for philanthropy. Houston Woman Magazine named Jessica one of Houston's 50 Most Influential Women.

A native of Austin, Texas, she spent parts of her youth in Mexico City and the South of France, experiences that instilled in her a lifelong passion for travel and culture. She received a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1991, and J.D. from the University of California, Boalt Hall School of Law in 1994.

She had a gift, her friends say, of truly seeing and valuing people. Her warmth and genuine interest in others left the indelible impression to those in her company that they were special. With one conversation, she could transform a stranger into a lifelong confidante. She was a strong role model and mentor throughout her life.

Jessica's partner and the love of her life, Gordon Bethune; her mother Marcella Rossman; her brother Lucho Rossman; and her beloved dog Alexis survive her, as do a multitude of her friends and other family members. There will be a celebration of Jessica's life on May 12 at the Hotel ZaZa Museum District, 5701 Main Street, from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. Any contributions in lieu of flowers could be made to Allies in Hope Houston https://www.aihhouston.org/contact-us or Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast; https://www.plannedparenthood.org.