Jen has been farming for nearly 20 years, during which she’s owned her own pasture-based livestock farm and managed mid-sized organic fruit and vegetable operations with agritourism and event businesses. Her background is in community organizing, farm-based education, Indigenous knowledge and food sovereignty, participatory research and systems development. She has worked for Tribal governments and in the non-profit sector, bringing 15 years of program and grant writing and management experience to the Wallace Center team.

Jen was also elected as a County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner for two terms and has served as Co-Chair on the Board of the Women, Food and Agriculture Network. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Sociology from Northland College and an M.S. in Sustainable Agriculture from Iowa State University. Jen grew up in a military family and has lived in 14 different states in the U.S. She currently lives on Wabanaki land, on a small island off the coast of Maine.