Jennifer Ciardelli
Director of the Initiative on the Holocaust and Professional Leadership, United States Holocaust Museum
2021, 2022, 2023
Jennifer Ciardelli directs the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Initiative on the Holocaust and Professional Leadership (IHPL) which creates educational resources and programs for professionals charged with protecting life and liberty. Through the work of IHPL, law enforcement, the judiciary, the military and select government professionals examine the Holocaust in ways that prompt self-reflection about professional roles and responsibilities, decision-making in complex environments, and mass atrocity prevention. Jennifer has developed numerous resources and programs including serving as one of the authors of Ordinary Soldiers: A Lesson in Ethics, Law and Leadership which has been included in the R.O.T.C. national curriculum. Jennifer serves on the United States delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) where she chaired the Education Working Group in 2017 and co-led the refresh of the IHRA’s foundational Recommendations for Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust which has been formally adopted by 34 member countries and translated into 20 languages. Prior to joining the Museum in 2008, Jennifer taught high school social studies and workshops for graduate students. Jennifer holds degrees in History and English and a Master’s degree in Education.
The inaugural Eradicate Hate Summit was a truly impressive gathering of leaders dedicated to finding lasting and effective solutions to violent extremism. I was particularly moved by the prominence given to survivors and family members of victims of hate and violence throughout the event. Their stories and those of so many others must be at the center of what we do and why we do it.
