Jennifer Porter, Director of Communications & Operations, joined Beyond Barnard in November 2021. Her responsibilities are wide ranging and include shaping the department’s messaging, overseeing digital communication, and managing the ongoing implementation of Beyond Barnard's strategic plan and assessment initiatives. Jennifer also supports the 1,500+ students per year who pursue campus roles and various funded opportunities at the College, whether that means developing new training, improving business processes, or helping students navigate their on-campus job searches and new hire onboarding.
A Cleveland native, Jennifer attended a small liberal arts college in Ohio’s Western Reserve that, much like Barnard, emphasized community building and intellectual engagement, inspiring her to devote her career to higher education and nonprofit causes. After a long hiatus from school, she completed a Master’s of Information at Rutgers University in 2020, where she studied human information behavior, knowledge management, and the profound ways that evolving technologies affect humans and their social systems.
What is special about working at Beyond Barnard?
I believe, passionately, in the power of education to shape not just the individual, but also the trajectory of an entire family. I never guessed how empowering it would be to work for a women’s college that acknowledges the specific barriers many women face in their lifetimes. I’ve struggled with the same challenges that so many women here face, as they discover who they are, what they want, and how to balance the often conflicting priorities of work and family. I was a first-generation college student and I didn’t have anyone early in my journey to coach me through these obstacles. The work I do with my colleagues at Beyond Barnard is special not because we provide answers, but because we help students understand that asking and answering questions like these is a lifelong journey. As a single parent to a teenage girl, I can’t think of a better way to find meaning in the work I do every day.