When Jennifer joined New Hope in 2018, she didn’t just take a job — she stepped into a calling. What began as a role coordinating outreach and events quickly became a mission to change how communities understand and support grief. With her compassion, creativity, and drive, Jennifer helped New Hope grow from a local resource into a lifeline for families across the region. Her leadership was soon undeniable — first as Interim Executive Director, then officially taking the helm in January 2020 — guiding New Hope through seasons of transformation, expansion, and profound impact.
Under Jennifer’s direction, New Hope has launched new loss-specific grief groups, expanded programming, and reached grievers in more communities than ever before. She continues to build on her expertise through national training with the National Alliance for Children’s Grief and other organizations, ensuring that every program New Hope offers is trauma-informed, compassionate, and deeply effective.
Jennifer’s community involvement runs wide and deep — she serves on multiple local health and wellness councils, partners with school districts, and facilitates leadership and family development programs, includingThe Leader in MeandThe 7 Habits of Highly Successful Families. She’s also been invited to speak and moderate at events like Hegira Health’sFocus on Zerosuicide prevention conference, sharing insights on resilience and healing.
Today, Jennifer not only leads New Hope but helps train other organizations on how to support those in grief. She’s currently helping design age-specific grief curriculum for students — empowering young people to understand loss, express emotion, and find hope. She’s seen the full circle of healing firsthand: those once supported by New Hope returning to offer that same compassion to others, creating a community where no one grieves alone.
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