Jennifer joined the Community Vitality team in March 2017. Immediately prior to joining Extension, Jennifer worked at the Carlson School of Management's Carlson Global Institute as the Director of Strategic Initiatives and the Global Business Practicum program. In that capacity, she led the creation of a speaker and video series to highlight international business issues, designed and implemented a customer relationship management system, and led the department's strategic planning process among other key initiatives.

Prior to the Carlson School, Jennifer spent over seven years as a practitioner of economic development in roles at the regional and state levels in Minnesota. Her work in economic development includes the creation of Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies, grant writing, revolving loan fund administration, evaluation of economic development initiatives, asset-based business attraction, and aligning resources to support the growth of new and existing businesses.