About
Jen's passion and personal mission lies in educating the community about and celebrating the capabilities and abilities of those who have cerebral palsy while promoting their health, acceptance, inclusion and meaningful participation in any and all desired endeavors across the lifespan.
She is the parent of Bower, who is 16 years old, and has complex, quadriplegic CP, visual and communication impairments. He is a healthy, happy New Orleanean who loves festivals, working out, eating sushi, swimming, school, and so much more.
Sometimes things are meant to be, as prior to the birth of her son, Jen’s academic training and career path were focused on breaking down barriers to participation for those with disabilities. Her career began as a therapeutic recreation specialist serving adults and children with developmental and psychiatric disabilities in the group home and inpatient setting to promote social and leisure activity participation. Later, she transitioned to case management for children and adolescents with significant disabilities in therapeutic foster care. In that role, she created Adventure Respite, a therapeutic respite program that took her clients on weekend camping and outdoor adventures. The program was recognized nationally for its innovative approach to respite care and Jen was awarded Social Service Worker of the year for the State of Georgia for its creation.
Currently, Jen is coordinator of the Cerebral Palsy Collaborative which serves to provide a unified voice from the CP community for research, advocacy, education and awareness. The Cerebral Palsy Collaborative has successfully brought together all of the national CP related professional and non-profit organizations to work towards a variety of initiatives, which has had a direct, positive impact on those affected by CP.
Jen holds an M.S. from University of Florida’s College of Health and Human Performance in Therapeutic Recreation and has a post-graduate certification in Conductive Education for CP from Governors State University. She is currently enrolled in University of Florida’s Health Education and Behavior graduate program. She is the past chair of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) Community Council and serves as Board Member ex-officio. Jennifer has served as a board member for both CP Now and Camp Dream Street for children with neurologically based physical disabilities. She lives in New Orleans with her husband Chris and Bower.