Jennifer joined the Festival staff in 2015. Prior to that, she served fifteen years as the Executive Director of ClearWater Conservancy, a well-respected land trust and natural resource conservation organization in central Pennsylvania. Jennifer grew up in the village of Hublersburg in the Bellefonte area and earned a B.S. of Landscape Architecture from Penn State.
Jen is a pastel painter who creates art to help people appreciate the natural landscapes of central Pennsylvania and encourage conservation. She is an Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America, a Signature Member of the Central Pennsylvania Pastel Society, a juried member of the Farmland Preservation Artists of Central Pennsylvania, and a member of the Artists Registry of the Bellefonte Art Museum and the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania.
Jen remains committed to conservation and connecting people to nature. She also is a trustee of the Hamer Foundation.
Jen lives with her high school sweetheart husband Chris in Pleasant Gap, with their two kitties, Hammie and Moe. The cats – and their names – came from Hameau Farm, in the Big Valley, where Jen first picked up a pastel at an artists’ retreat.
As the Arts Festival’s Director of Development, Jennifer helps the Festival’s past, current, and future supporters find the best ways to make a difference in the community as part of the Festival family.
You can see some of Jen’s art on her website.