Jordan was born in Chicago and spent much of her early life in Minnesota. Later, she would settle in New York City to pursue a life as a painter. However, this did not come to fruition. Upon graduating college, she briefly worked as a CNN copywriter. While attending Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater[2] for acting, she was inspired to begin writing for the stage.
Several of Jordan's plays were staged during the late 1990s and early 2000s earning critical praise.[3] In 2000, her short film "The Hat", which she co-directed with Terry Stacey, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and subsequently ran on IFC in 2001–2002.[4][5] Her second short, which she wrote and photographer Glen Luchford directed, won "Best Short Film" at the Jackson Hole Film Festival in 2008.
She is a Lortel Fellow, Juilliard Playwright Fellow, Manhattan Theater Club Fellow, Member of the Dramatists Guild of America Council and New Dramatists. Jordan is represented by The Gersh Agency.[6]
Due to her achievements in theater, she was asked to participate in Barnard College's "Great Writers at Barnard" conference in 2006.
Jordan is a founder and the executive director of The Lillys, created in 2010 to honor female playwrights and address the shortage of plays by women that get produced in the United States.[7]
