Biography

Jennifer was born and raised in the southeast, spending the better part of her childhood creating imaginary worlds along the banks of the Tennessee River. Drawing inspiration from her scientist father, Jennifer initially entered college as a pre-med student, but ultimately gravitated to literature, writing, and art-making. Her passion for the literary and visual arts led her to a career in teaching. Jennifer’s teaching career began in New England, and she moved to the Bay Area in 2006 to focus on cultivating progressive school communities. While Jennifer has taught in a range of learning environments and grade levels for the past 30 years, she finds great joy working alongside middle-schoolers. Jennifer takes a multidisciplinary approach to curriculum design, centered around the core belief that creative inquiry is an intellectual act just as much as intellectual inquiry is a creative act. 

When she is not collaborating with young people, Jennifer enjoys spending time in nature and can be found forest bathing, open water swimming, paddle boarding, and playing fetch with her souldog, Mr. Henry David.