Jill Kristin Vedder (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

McCormick; born November 11, 1977) is an American philanthropist, activist, and former fashion model. She is the co-founder and vice chairman of EB Research Partnership, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for the genetic skin disorder

epidermolysis bullosa Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of rare medical conditions that result in easy blistering of the skin and mucous membranes. Blisters occur with minor trauma or friction and are painful. Its severity can range from mild to fatal. Inherite ...

. She is also an ambassador for Global Citizen and the Vitalogy Foundation.

Early life

McCormick was born in

Inglewood Inglewood may refer to: Places Australia *Inglewood, Queensland * Shire of Inglewood, Queensland, a former local government area *Inglewood, South Australia *Inglewood, Victoria *Inglewood, Western Australia Canada * Inglewood, Ontario *Inglewoo ...

, California, to Bud and Amy McCormick. She has five sisters.

Career

Model

At 15, McCormick relocated with her family to

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a pri ...

, and was immediately accepted into the

Elite Models Elite Model Management (MM) is a modeling agency that originated in Paris in 1972. In 2004, the agencies in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and Toronto separated and formed Elite Model Management North America. Elite MM is a subsidiary of El ...

' Miami Division. She attended

Mira Costa High School Mira Costa High School (MCHS, "Costa") is a four-year public high school located in Manhattan Beach, California that first opened 1950. It is the only high school in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. The school's athletic teams are k ...

Manhattan Beach, California Manhattan Beach is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, on the Coastal California, Pacific coast south of El Segundo, California, El Segundo, west of Hawthorne, California, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach, and north ...

, and graduated from

Manatee High School Manatee High School is the oldest public high school in Bradenton, Florida, operated by the Manatee County School District. History Bradentown High School opened in 1897 on what is now 15th Street West and Ballard Park Drive operating out of a ...

in Bradenton in 1995. In 1996, McCormick was one of the 15 finalists in the Elite Model Look of the Year contest, and moved to Paris to continue her modeling career. McCormick then left Elite Model for the Champagne Trott Management agency. She has appeared in many magazines, such as ''Vogue'', ''Elle'', ''Marie Claire'', ''Cosmopolitan'' (UK and US) and ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

''.

Philanthropy

After retiring from modeling, McCormick turned to activism. She is the co-founder, with her husband Eddie Vedder, and chairwoman of the EB Research Partnership, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for the genetic skin disorder

Epidermolysis bullosa Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a group of rare medical conditions that result in easy blistering of the skin and mucous membranes. Blisters occur with minor trauma or friction and are painful. Its severity can range from mild to fatal. Inherite ...

. McCormick had a childhood friend whose son was born with EB. The foundation hosts several annual fundraising events and have raised over U$75million to fund research to find a cure for EB. McCormick is an ambassador for Global Citizen, an organization committed to ending extreme poverty by 2030. She is also active with the Vitalogy Foundation, which supports the efforts of non-profit organizations doing work in the fields of community health, the environment, arts & education and social change. She also supports "Moms Demand Action" on their fight against gun violence and the

NRA NRA may refer to: Organizations Asia and Oceania * National Railway Administration, the national railway regulator of China * National Recruitment Agency, Central Recruiting Agency of the Indian Government * New Revolutionary Alternative, an anar ...

. Since 2012, McCormick supports "Every Mother Counts", a non-profit that is working to make pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother in the U.S. and around the world. In 2017 and 2018, McCormick competed in a half-marathon on behalf of Team Every Mother Counts to raise awareness and funds. She is also a supporter of

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

. In 2013, along with her sisters Denise and Ashley, Jill formed "Babes Against Brain Cancer", a charity that focuses on helping people with

Glioblastoma Multiforme Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is the most aggressive and most common type of cancer that originates in the brain, and has a very poor prognosis for survival. Initial signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nons ...

. On November 18, 2020, EB Research Partnership co-founders Jill and Eddie Vedder presented the inaugural ''Venture Into Cures'', a virtual event featuring stories about individuals and families living with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) and raised funds for research toward a cure for EB and other rare diseases. Jill was also an executive producer of the show, that also featured some of the couple's celebrity friends educating viewers about EB.

Personal life

McCormick and

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

lead singer

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He was previously a gues ...

began a relationship in 2000. The couple became engaged in 2009 and married on September 18, 2010. They have two daughters. In 2011, McCormick appeared in the music video for Vedder's solo single, " Longing to Belong". McCormick has adopted her husband's surname as her professional name. During a Pearl Jam concert in Milan on June 22, 2018, McCormick wore a jacket that read: "Yes, we all care. Y don't u?", in response to U.S. First Lady

Melania Trump Melania Knauss Trump (born Melanija Knavs, April26, 1970) is a Slovenian and American former model who is married to U.S. President Donald Trump. Since 2025, Melania Trump has served as the first lady of the United States, a role she previous ...

, who caused controversy earlier that week when she boarded her plane after visiting children who had been separated from their parents at the border of the United States and Mexico, wearing a jacket that read: "I really don't care. Do u?".

Music videos

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vedder, Jill 1977 births Living people American women philanthropists American health activists American human rights activists American women human rights activists American women's rights activists American gun control activists Female models from Los Angeles People from Bradenton, Florida Female models from Florida People from Manhattan Beach, California 21st-century American women Mira Costa High School alumni