Hi, I’m Jenna 👋.

 

I live in Northeast Oak Park with my husband and our 2 children. We cherish our neighbors, and being a part of the Hatch school community. I love helping out in my kids’ classrooms, and serving with the Multilingual/Multicultural Parent Advisory Committee (MPAC).

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As a new mom, new to Oak Park, I attended a meeting of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America in the fall of 2016. Learning about just how organized and mobilized the Illinois gun lobby was at that time, I knew I needed to be a part of the movement to oppose their dangerous agenda. I quickly took on leadership of our local group, building and supporting a team that works on legislative advocacy, public education, and supporting survivors of gun violence. 

 

My family belongs to the Secular Jewish Community and School where I served as a board member from 2021-2024, and currently help coordinate the Adult Education programming. This multi-generational community has become central to our family’s life in Oak Park. 

I have taught university-level Spanish courses since 2008.  Outside the classroom, I use my language skills as a volunteer interpreter at CommunityHealth, one of the country’s largest free health clinics. Being bilingual allowed me to support Oak Park’s mutual aid response to welcome and help resettle new Spanish-speaking neighbors. This collective effort has been an inspiring example of what our Oak Park community is capable of when we work together and center each other’s humanity. As Village Trustee, I will strive to honor our shared values of equity and justice with the action necessary to meet this moment.​​