Prior to becoming Karuna’s Executive Director in 2025, Jennifer led all aspects of Karuna’s multi-year programs as Senior Program Manager—from curriculum design and program planning to strategic proposal development, team-building, and financial management. In that capacity, Jennifer drove the expansion of our community-based collaborations in Nigeria and shaped our violence prevention partnerships with local U.S. schools, while providing support in strategic development and management across the organization.

Before joining Karuna Center, Jennifer was a Program Officer at Mass Humanities, where she was involved in grantmaking and managed a number of programs and partnerships, including a family reading program for underserved families. Before shifting her career toward peacebuilding, Jennifer had a long career as a professor of history, where she developed expertise in curriculum development, contemplative pedagogy, and a range of subjects.

Jennifer has studied the practice of dialogue and circle facilitation, including training with Karuna’s founder, Paula Green, and has particular experience bringing a trauma-informed lens to this work. Outside of Karuna, she is active in Braver Angels, an organization devoted to bridging the political divide in the U.S, where until recently she served in a volunteer capacity as their Co-Chair of the Office of Field Operations and Director of Alliance Engagement.

Jennifer has a BA in history from Northwestern University, a Ph.D. in history from Yale University, and a masters degree from the School for International Training.

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