Jen joined Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy in January 2014 as a Seasonal Educator, and became Partnerships Coordinator in April of that year. She serves as the interface between PPC’s education department and local schools and other environmental education organizations.

As a staff member of Frick Environmental Center under Citiparks, she taught and coordinated the Habitat Explorers program for first graders and collaborated with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy to develop the Mission Ground Truth program for middle schoolers. She believes every child should have the opportunity to participate in outdoor nature programs that emphasize scientific inquiry and informed stewardship.

Jen holds Bachelors’ degrees in both psychology and biology from the University of Pittsburgh and worked in educational psychology research at Carnegie Mellon from 1995-2002. Over the last ten years, Jen has led programs for several environmental education organizations in Pittsburgh and Syracuse, NY.

In all of her work, she has focused on producing developmentally appropriate curricula that grow awareness of our reliance on natural systems and help students acquire the skills to continue learning about the world and sharing in its care. As a native of Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood, she is delighted to be working in Frick Park and sharing her childhood rambling grounds with new generations of learners.