Jennifer O’Donnell, MA Program Coordinator Jennifer’s intense curiosity about the world and her strong desire to make it better have led her down several related career paths in a wide variety of places. In each endeavor, Jennifer has been an effective advocate for social change. Majoring in International Studies at the University of Richmond in Virginia, Jennifer spent a semester abroad in Indonesia. This exposure to a developing country left her with many questions about poverty and environmental sustainability, as well as a strong desire to find solutions. In 1995, she pursued these questions, earning a Master of Arts in International Development from the American University in Washington, DC. While in DC, the politics of the nation’s capital quickly seduced her into a career in environmental advocacy. Jennifer worked for the Sierra Club, Alaska Wilderness League, Ozone Action, and the Pacific Forest Trust on issues ranging from wilderness conservation to cleaning up dirty coal-fired power plants to protecting private forests. Through these experiences, Jennifer gained a wide range of skills in advocacy, organizing and communications, which she brings to Community Matters. In 2003, Jennifer earned her teaching credential from Dominican University in San Rafael, CA. She enjoyed working as a kindergarten teacher in Sebastopol, California for two years until the birth of her son, Charlie. Jennifer comes from a family of educators and is married to a high school social studies teacher. As Program Coordinator for Community Matters, Jennifer draws from all of these experiences in order to facilitate successful Safe School Ambassador trainings and provide meaningful program support to schools.