Community Development Strategist

While serving as Coordinator on Kansas Health Foundation and Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) grants over five years, Jenny worked in community placemaking for BCBS efforts and in health equity for the KS Health Foundation. She also worked in placemaking for additional years, as Jenny has served in rural economic development for over fifteen years in Republic and Jewell Counties. During this time, she has studied the rural housing problem, conducted research, completed surveys, tested different ideas and strived to find solutions to this issue. She has supervised and led three different architecture interns in her rural spaces over a four year period. This work included the implementation of Land Banks in multiple communities, downtown adaptive reuse, Housing Assessment Tools, and housing development programs/conversations. She has served on the national effort for the Rural Economic Development Philanthropy Innovators Network (REPIN) through the Aspen Institute in Washington D.C., the Northwest Kansas Economic Innovation Center (NWKEICI) board and helped to establish the Mankato, Jewell, Belleville, and Courtland Land Banks.