At AIA East Tennessee, I work alongside Architects to lead our region in developing cities, communities, and built environment of the 21st Century. Our AIA members across the region, create the places where people live and learn, work, and play. They design hospitals that heal us and houses of worship that sustain us. They create next generation energy-saving buildings to make our communities healthier and safer. All the while, our architects work with clients, allied design professionals, and construction partners to improve the built environment in a $1 trillion sector that accounts for almost 6 percent of the economy.In addition to helping physically create better built environments, AIA East Tennessee works to achieve positive change in Washington by harnessing the power of architects, and their allies, to advocate to our elected representatives. AIA ETN works with other chapters throughout our state, and nation, on the following principles, which we anchor our profession to in this constantly changing political landscape.This is where we stand—today and every day.• We stand for equity and human rights• We stand for architecture that strengthens our communities• We stand for a sustainable future • We stand for protecting communities from the impact of climate change• We stand for economic opportunity• We stand for federal policies that help firms thrive, not hold them back. • We stand for investing in the futureTo learn more about how you can become a member, upcoming events, educational opportunities, advocacy and more, visit aiaetn.org.

As a previous nonprofit Co-Founder and Executive Director, I know how many hats we have to wear to make our organizations run. There’s always that newsletter, social media post, or website update that you need to make so you can get donations, while trying to make sure folks in your community have the resources that they need to thrive. At Epic Nine, as their ✨NEW Nonprofit Liaison✨, I hope to help nonprofits focus on their mission, while helping take care of tasks that take time away from directly serving folks in their community. I want to be the support that I wished I had at my old organization!

In our rural East Tennessee farming communities, the very places where crops are grown to feed the world, many face food insecurity and the issues associated with it. Century Harvest Farms Foundation grew out of the desire to fill that gap. In 2017, Jen was serving as a service coordinator for individuals experiencing homelessness and met owner of Century Harvest Farms, Chris Burger. They met and shared the belief that all individuals and families deserve access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food.Upon result, they piloted a small-scale program that taught agricultural skills and gave participants access to fresh produce. After piloting the program, they knew that the needs of the community were far greater than just food. During this time, they decided to expand past the program to create Century Harvest Farms Foundation that is focused on empowering, training, and helping folks who are in recovery to become employed and create sustainable futures for their lives.Since March 13th, 2018, CHFF became an alternative to incarceration for individuals in the 9th Judicial District, has provided over 37,000 meals donated to makers and families in need, has provided over $22,000 in housing assistance during the pandemic, donated over 5,867 lbs of fresh produce to local nonprofits, has helped 91% of their folks maintain housing and the same living-wage position for 1-year post-graduation, and has welcomed over 500 volunteers from all over East Tennessee on the farm.

I believe in Equitable and Affordable Housing.I believe that everyone deserves the right to work in a supportive, safe, and living-wage position.I believe in a safe, and healthy, community for ALL.My beliefs aren't revolutionary ideas. These are basic human rights that our communities and leaders have been asking for from our government for decades. I ran to represent District 4 as their City Council Representative because I wanted to work in a role where I could help to ensure that our local government stopped investing in big businesses, and started investing in the needs of the community. Although I did not win, I will continue to work alongside folks in our community to empower and create change.

At Tennessee Valley Coalition for the Homeless, I held many roles within the organization. Some of my roles included: Education and Fundraising Coordinator- Developed Connecting the Dots: Communicating Across Socioeconomic Boundaries. This training was developed for agencies and schools that come into contact with homeless LGBTQIA youth within the 12 county region.- Oversaw and developed social media platforms for the organization. Within the first three months of re-development, the organization gained over 567 new followers on social media.- Utilized Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to educate the on the diverse populations of individuals experiencing homelessness in the area.- Re-developed and published a monthly newsletter to better communicate with the region on the different ways we as a region can reduce homelessness.- Maintained partnerships with current agencies and created new partnerships within the 12-county region, including with other churches, agencies, and governmental organizations.Homeless Management Information System Coordinator (HMIS)Lead trainer for Tennessee Valley Continuum of Care HMIS and held monthly trainings for new agencies utilizing HMIS. In addition, I was the lead Coordinator for the Annual Point in Time Count. Case Management and Service Coordinator Worked alongside adults, youth, and families both experiencing chronic and temporary homelessness to help coordinate resources and assist the individual(s) in getting connected with temporary or permanent housing.

For a year, I had the privilege serving as an AmeriCorps Vista with Compassion Coalition located in the heart of downtown Knoxville. As a VISTA, I held many roles at the organization to help get things done! Research and Project Development - Redeveloped a program called Circles of Support that provides mentoring services to people coming out of Chronic Homelessness. - Extensive research on the homeless population through Knoxville’s HMIS (Homeless Management Information System), published research onto Compassion Coalitions Website for community use. - Compassion Coalition’s Salt and Light Lead Research Coordinator- Conducting research and publishing focus essays on recent events and issues in the City of Knoxville.- Redeveloped training materials for Compassion Coalition’s Clearinghouse, which serves low income families and singles trying to receive assistance from local agencies and churches. Other Tasks Included: Grant Writing, Curriculum Development, Volunteer Mobilization and Training Material Development, Networking and Meeting Organization, Salesforce, Web Design.

I focused on customer service. I worked and served customers of all backgrounds with one of Columbus’s Oldest Coffee Roasters. Managed a team of 8 people on the floor while being in charge of drawer counts, banking, shift changes, and shipping/receiving of coffee goods. Educated community members on specialty coffees, brewing methods, and gave coffee tasting tours as a representative of our company.

I focused on creating quality customer service, while also creating an environment for people of all backgrounds to feel comfortable and safe. I also aided our company with charity events for local LGBT nonprofits through advertising, working with employees of the nonprofits to raise funds, and educating our community of the issues in the LGBT community.

Daily office tasks such as answering phones, coordinating meetings for administration, sending and receiving emails for the office and entering student’s educational records and classes into data bases. Also, working with students one on one with managing classes, scheduling classes, tracking progress made throughout the semester, communicating with faculty, and helping students with daily social problems.