Throughout her career Jennie has been passionate about working for social justice. Originally from Ohio, Jennie moved to North Carolina after graduating from Earlham College. At the beginning of her career, Jennie worked as a field organizer for political and advocacy campaigns, especially those focused on energy efficiency.

Jennie attended the Macro track of the UNC School of Social Work with the focus of nonprofit management and policy change. While there, Jennie worked with families who experienced domestic violence, and learned best practices surrounding affordable housing.

After graduate school Jennie discovered her passion for fundraising. Through her development work,  Jennie has organized fundraising events, submitted grants,  strategized partnerships with local businesses, and built long-standing relationships with foundations–all with the aim of advancing equity in local communities.

Jennie spent several years at the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University. During her time at Duke, Jennie led fundraising efforts to launch several pilot initiatives; the largest examined the impact of unpredictable scheduling practices for working parents. She assisted with a longitudinal, international, parenting project, which examined common struggles parents experience regardless of location or culture. Additionally, Jennie coordinated a qualitative study designed to identify risk-factors and predictors of child maltreatment.

Jennie is thrilled to join the team at Helping Education, and looks forward to creating meaningful change and advancing foundational learning skills for all students.

Jennie lives in Durham with her husband, Colin, and their daughter, Audrey. Together they have two matching tuxedo cats. They love kayaking, playing board games, reading, and traveling.