Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Fellowship Year: 2000

Academic Background: UC Berkeley - PhD 2003- (Environmental Science Policy and Management)

Current Position: Program Director , Compton Foundation

Jen is the Program Director at the Compton Foundation. Her Environment portfolio covers grantmaking in the fields of fresh water, climate change, and community-based conservation in the western United States. She also manages a family grants program in sustainable food systems, youth, the arts, and spirituality. Jen has been working on sustainability issues for the past fifteen years, with a focus on natural resource-based economies and collaborative decision-making. Prior to joining Compton, Jen worked on a variety of community-led projects in California, Montana, and the Pacific Northwest. She conducted post-doctoral research on sustainable food systems in northern California, and completed her PhD at UC Berkeley in the Department of Environmental Science,Policy and Management. Her academic research focused on contemporary collisions between environment and economy, particularly the processes of marketing, consumption, and investment that link natural resource industries to networks of urban capital. She received her BA from Stanford University in Human Biology (concentration in environmental policy) and English in 1994. She serves on the boards of the Switzer Foundation and the Pesticide Action Network North America, as well as on the advisory board for the Northern California Grassroots Fund.

Expertise: Sustainable Ag / Food Policy, Energy & Climate Change, Water Resources