Jen grew up on a farm in northern Illinois, but married an Elkhart native and has lived here for the past 23 years. She has two sons, one graduated from ECS and one is soon to graduate from Elkhart High School. She is the managing director of the Shaw Center for Children and Families, which is a research unit at the University of Notre Dame.

She is passionate about public education! Education has had such a profound impact on her life and she wants to do what she can to help other children get a ‘leg up’ on life.