Jennifer is the Vice President of Community Access and Engagement at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD in Houston, Texas. Jennifer is proud to help support Harris County and the surrounding region’s mental health by overseeing operations of 988 for 45 Texas counties, 24 hour Crisis Lines for 7 Texas Local Mental Health Authorities, the Texas COVID Mental Health Support Line. Jennifer led the development of the first of its kind in the nation 911/Behavioral Health co-located response system in partnership with Houston Police and Fire Departments and the Houston Emergency Communications Center.Jennifer’s team offers a robust mental health and suicide prevention training portfolio to individuals, universities, businesses, faith communities and non-profits as well as coordinates and delivers information and awareness about behavioral health in culturally appropriate and community centered ways across the county. In addition to these projects, Jennifer serves in several national roles including the Co-Chair of the Steering Committee for the National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. She also serves on the Clinical Advisory Council for Crisis Text Line, the Board of the National Association of Crisis Center Directors and the Board of the Texas Alliance of Information and Referral Systems.

Jennifer is the Director of Access at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD in Houston, Texas. Jennifer oversees The Harris Center Behavioral Health and IDD Access Hub which includes the Crisis Line (serving 39 Texas Counties), Access Line and statewide COVID Mental Health Support Line. The Access Hub is also the regional provider of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, soon to be 988 serving over 60 Texas counties. Jennifer also oversees the Southeast Texas Regional Suicide Care Support Center and The Harris Center Community Outreach Department. In collaboration with the Houston Police Department, Houston Fire Department, and Houston Emergency Communications Center, she leads the 911 Crisis Call Diversion Program, the first program of its kind in the US. Jennifer is also proud to lead the implementation team for the agency’s Zero Suicide initiative and serves as an advisory council member on the Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Veteran Suicide. In addition to her work at The Harris Center, Jennifer serves on the Board of the National Association of Crisis Organization Directors (NASCOD). She is the Co-Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Steering Committee and is working with leaders in Texas and across the nation on the implementation of 988 which will go live in July 2022. Jennifer also serves on the Clinical Advisory Council for Crisis Text Line and as a Crisis Text Line volunteer. Jennifer is a proud Social Worker who works from a lens of social justice, equity and inclusion and is an adjunct faculty members at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She is best reached via email at Jennifer.battle@theharriscenter.org or on Twitter @Battle4Justice.

Work in conjunction with the Master of Social Work program to meet CSWE guidelines for the teaching of multiple courses including: Managing Human Service Organizations, Crisis Intervention, and Contemporary Issues in Mental Health.

Work in conjunction with the Bachelor of Social Work program to meet CSWE guidelines for the teaching of multiple courses including: Introduction to Social Work, Values and Ethics in the Helpling Professions, Introduction to Social Welfare Policy, Social Welfare Policy Analysis, and Oppression, Diversity, and Social Justice.

Developed syllabus and course materials for Proposal Writing 101. Presented lectures and small group activities to students to provide them with an introduction to proposal writing.

Supervised all fund development activity for the agency. Coordinated development projections in conjunction with finance department. Assisted in creation of program and project budgets as well as overall agency budget. Researched and developed proposals to foundations, corporations, and government entities. Cultivated relationships with donors and donor prospects. Served as primary staff liaison for all Board Development activities. Organized and implemented agency special events including annual luncheon and golf tournament. Worked in conjunction with Executive Director to create a marketing/branding campaign for the agency. Served as on-call emergency staff for 24-hour Crisis Hotline.

Developed curriculum for domestic violence and sexual assault volunteer training program. Recruited and interviewed potential volunteers. Supervised volunteer activities and performance. Organized regular volunteer trainings and orientations. Published a monthly newsletter and maintained volunteer files. Modified school-based training to be specific to a teen audience. Served on Sexual Assault Response Team and backup to 24-hour domestic violence and sexual assault hotline.