Jenna is SEARAC’s Director of Development, managing SEARAC’s fundraising strategies to ensure organizational sustainability and drive growth. She works with SEARAC’s Executive Director to set and achieve fundraising goals, maintain relationships with SEARAC funders, and cultivate new supporters with an interest in SEARAC’s mission.
Prior to her time at SEARAC, Jenna was the National Director of the Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC), an organization dedicated to uplifting the needs of older adults in communities of color, American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and LGBTQ+ communities. SEARAC is a founding member of the DEC, and it was here that Jenna was introduced to the essential work that SEARAC does and the importance of advocacy for older adults, the necessity of disaggregated data, and the unique and varied experiences of immigrant and refugee communities in the United States. Jenna also spent nearly a decade working as a Program Director for the National LGBT Cancer Network, where she ran support groups for LGBTQ+ cancer survivors and developed trainings to enhance the cultural competency of cancer providers working with the LGBTQ+ communities.
Jenna holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Management and Communications from SUNY Brockport. She currently lives in western New York with her partner, Carly. When not working, Jenna enjoys playing board games and video games, riding her bike, birdwatching, and making and sharing vegan food. The best trip she’s ever taken was a two-week sojourn to Italy to eat endless amounts of pizza and (vegan!) gelato, practice her passable Italian language skills, and see the region where her grandfather lived as a child before immigrating to the United States.
