Jessica Flores founded Preservation Forward in 2016 on a straightforward premise: old buildings make great places. Since then, she has grown the firm into a comprehensive historic preservation consultancy, helping clients across the state of Michigan and beyond unlock the economic, historical, cultural, and community value embedded in historic structures.

In addition to leading Preservation Forward, Jessica also holds a teaching faculty appointment at Michigan State University's School of Planning, Design, and Construction within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Jessica has shaped the history curriculum within the Interior Design Program since 2018.

Jessica came to private practice with nearly ten years of public sector experience. She served as an Architectural Historian and Community Outreach Specialist at Michigan's State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). There she worked at the intersection of historic preservation, affordable housing, and community economic development — giving her a ground-level understanding of how policy, funding, and preservation planning connect.

Additionally, Jessica served as a Building Analyst and Historic Preservation Specialist with the Michigan Bureau of Energy Systems, where she documented energy efficiency and sustainability opportunities in historic and older institutional and commercial buildings statewide — work that deepened her understanding of how buildings perform, age, and adapt.

Jessica holds a Master of Science in Historic Preservation with a focus on Architectural Conservation from Eastern Michigan University (2008), a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Ohio University (2006), and an Associate of Applied Science in Building Preservation and Architectural Restoration Technology from Belmont College (2006). She is also accredited as a LEED Green Associate by the U.S. Green Building Council and was recognized with a 2021 Award for Successful Historic Preservation Building Rehabilitation by the Michigan Historic Preservation Network.

Jessica's expertise spans historic tax credits, rehabilitation and adaptive reuse, historic building materials and traditional construction, period furniture and design, and preservation advocacy. She brings hands-on experience in the building trades to her practice — an uncommon foundation that informs how she reads, diagnoses, and prescribes solutions for historic structures. Jessica is also an active speaker at industry conferences, presenting on topics such as "Historic Preservation Across Michigan," "Historic Preservation: The Most Sustainable Approach," and "Encouraging Inclusion in Community Historic Preservation Programs" at events organized by the Michigan Downtown Association and the Michigan Historic Preservation Network.

Preservation Forward 2016-2026: 

A decade of helping folks save historic places they love.