As the granddaughter of educators and daughter of a special educator and a physician, Jennifer has always been curious about how the brain works and how our experiences shape who we become. In high school, Jennifer volunteered in an early intervention program supporting young children with cerebral palsy. This experience inspired Jennifer to pursue a career focused on better understanding child development and improving access to integrated resources and supports people need to thrive. She has worked across classroom, clinical, and community settings with children, families, teachers, and physicians in an effort to change systems and improve experiences.
Jennifer currently is President of Every Child Succeeds, a local nonprofit focused on optimizing early child health and development and strengthening the wellbeing of families considered most at risk for educational and health challenges due to poverty-related factors. She also is an associate professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Prior to returning to Cincinnati in 2020, Jennifer was an associate professor of special education and disability studies at The George Washington University where she directed the early childhood special education and autism graduate programs. She earned her doctorate in education and human development from Vanderbilt University in 2012.
A native of Cincinnati, Jennifer is happy to have returned home after living in Nashville, Birmingham, and Washington, DC. She lives in Anderson Township with her young son and their dog.