In this episode, we talk with philanthropist Jennifer Cunningham. Jennifer has led teams that have managed thousands of volunteers at Cornell and Lehigh Universities and personally volunteered at a dozen organizations in her life. Tune in to hear how Jennifer is making the world a better place through nonprofit leadership and volunteering in her community, too.

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Guest Bio

In 2006, Jennifer put her Seattle-based resume writing and copywriting business on hold to parent her two babies. All was going well and she was thinking about when to hire a nanny and reopen. But then, an ice storm knocked out their power for nearly a week. Two infants, two cats, a dog, no heat, no hot water, and just a camping stove to heat food. It was the third natural disaster in a few years, and it felt like a sign. It was time to move back east. 

Jennifer and her husband decided Central New York was the place. She would look for full time work and he would stay home while they adjusted.

Miraculously, the perfect job listing came up on her alma mater’s website! Cornell University in Ithaca was looking for the next Director of the Cornell Entrepreneur Network, working for the head of Development. Jennifer had been the president of her chamber of commerce and had worked with dozens of startup executives to write their websites. Plus, she’d done a lot of volunteering for Cornell and was still well-connected to the university. 

She got the job and was at Cornell for nine years, leaving as the Senior Director for Metrics+Marketing in Alumni Affairs. In 2016 she joined the team at Lehigh University to lead the Alumni Relations team.

In addition to her day job, Jennifer’s been involved in a lot of industry extracurriculars. She’s been a leader with the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), serving as a Commissioner, District Board Director, and Faculty Instructor. She’s also written a few articles for their magazine, CURRENTS. She’s spoken at several Academic Impressions conferences and led the Private Colleges and University Alumni Director (PCUAD) Data Team for three years. She has also consulted countless peers and colleagues who were just starting their engagement data journey.

Show Notes

Check out Jennifer’s favorite charities she recommends supporting: Rotary International and CAT-Coalition for Appropriate Transportation.

To reach Jennifer, you can email her at: jbcunningham@gmail.com

Find her on Linkedin, here.

Transcript

COMING SOON.

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