“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Jenny truly is living this quote by Gandhi. Through her passion for helping others, Jenny is creating the life she wants to live and in the process is helping make a difference in the lives of those in need in the community.
Jenny was born in Hartford, WI in 1970. She graduated from Slinger High School in 1988 and married in 1989. In 1996, she graduated from UW- Milwaukee, Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Science Degree; Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Pre K-12. Jenny began her teaching career in 1996 at General Mitchell Elementary / Cudahy Middle School in Cudahy, WI. A year later she moved to Green Bay, WI and joined Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) 8 as an itinerant teacher for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH), supporting students in their mainstream education, grades early childhood through High School.
She received additional training in 2011, when she was selected to take part in the Professional Preparation in Cochlear Implants (PPCI) Training Program through The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Smith College and Clarke School for the Deaf Philadelphia. PPCI is an intensive program for professionals providing early intervention services for children (0-5 years) or school age (5 to 10 years) with cochlear implants. She continued specialized training, in 2015, receiving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers and their Families: Collaboration and Leadership Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate from Gallaudet University, Washington, DC.
Jenny brings innovation and fortitude to deaf education and support in Northeast WI with more than 20 years of experience in the field of Deafness and 15+ years in Early Intervention. She has been an independent Early Intervention Consultant and Deaf Educator in Northeast Wisconsin since 2002. She advises and assists local Early Intervention programs in providing ‘Best Practices’ services and supports to families with infants and toddlers who are deaf and hard of hearing. She assists programs in determining child and family strengths, needs, resources and priorities, as well as, identify local, state and national resources and collaborate and facilitate support with community, regional and state programs.
Jenny has a solid educational foundation related to the unique needs of children with hearing loss. As a Deaf Educator, Jenny witnesses firsthand the need and desire for connections among D/HH children and their families with other families in this position. With the need for an environment where families could socialize with their D/HH child and other families, Jenny founded Hand-N-Hand of Northeastern Wisconsin, Inc. (Hand-N-Hand) in 2002.
Jenny developed Hand-N-Hand to meet the needs of children and families within her home community and at the statewide level with goals of providing resources, language and social support to young children with hearing loss, families and the professionals, who support them. Through leadership, determination and creativity, she has educated others about the importance of intervention and education for deaf and hard of hearing children, raising the community’s awareness of the impact a hearing loss may have on a child’s and family’s development. As the Director and a Deaf & Hard of Hearing Educator, Jenny initiates, implements, and guides the nonprofit organization in providing specialized support and resources for families with young children experiencing a hearing difference. Hand-N-Hand is the only one of its kind in Northeast Wisconsin and only one of two in Wisconsin. Since 2002, Hand-N-Hand has been the voice that makes a difference in the lives of families who have children with hearing loss throughout Northeast Wisconsin.
Jenny is involved at the local and state level in supporting children, families and the community. Activities include: Community Partnership for Children (CPC) Workgroup – United Way Brown County, Wisconsin Families for Hands & Voices Member, Wisconsin Educational Services Program-Deaf and Hard of Hearing (WESP-DHH) Birth-Six Interagency Workgroup, and the Wisconsin Deafblind Technical Assistance Project (WDBTAP) Advisory Board. She is a champion of Wisconsin’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program. She was a part of the initial Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) initiative in Wisconsin, a participant in the Wisconsin Sound Beginnings (WSB) Birth to Three Consultant training (2001) and served as a WSB CARES Specialist (2016-17).
Jenny has been married to her husband, Jamie, since 1989; together they have two sons, Isaac and Griffin. It is with their love and support, she credits her accomplishments. She has worked and resided with her family in Northeast WI most of her adult life. In her spare time, she likes to camp, garden, fish, and take walks. She hopes to add traveling to this list throughout the years.
Jenny lives with passion for her family and her work with deaf and hard of hearing children. She has a can-do attitude when it comes to helping others. Jenny succeeds in fulfilling this quote she shares with many she meets “Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible. ” ~ Cadet Maxim