Jennifer was born and raised in Oakland, California, but came to Idaho in 1972 as the wife of an Air Force pilot. She began her teaching career at Mountain Home High School where she taught art for 25 years before teaching art at Skyview High School in Nampa. She earned her BFA in Art Education from Mississippi State University and her Master's degree in Art from Boise State University. Jennifer lives in Idaho with her husband, Kirk (who still shoots his age in golf), where she has been an art educator for 45 years. Jennifer has been an adjunct professor at Boise State University, George Fox University and the College of Idaho. Jennifer has received numerous state and national awards in her teaching career, including the Governor's Award in Art Education, US West Teacher of the Year, Boise State's Distinguished Alumni Award and Women Making History Award, ING's 1st Place National Unsung Heroes Award, the National Education Association's Teaching Excellence Award, Idaho's Art Teacher of the Year and was the 2002 Idaho Teacher of the Year. In 2016, Jennifer was one of only five teachers, nationwide, inducted into the NATIONAL TEACHERS HALL OF FAME in Emporia, Kansas, and is the first Idaho teacher to have ever been recognized by the President of the United States for this award. Jennifer is a published artist, having written two art textbooks and many articles. This is the volume 2 in a series of children's books she is writing, to share stories that are mostly factual, about the plethora of sentient beings that always seem to find their way into her life. Jennifer passionately advocates for all creatures. Her Volume 1 'Tails, Scales, Fur, Purr, Oink' is a hardback compilation of books 1-7. This is volume 2 hardback, which is a compilation of books 8-14. Jennifer has taken art to tiny one room school houses for over 40 years with her 'Project Van Go'. Four years ago she celebrated this milestone at the little red school house on the prairie in Prairie, Idaho. Her greatest work, she says, is that of'WA' to her precious grandchildren, and Mother to four amazing children: Hillary an Investigator for Human Resources, Tyler (Lauren) a Doctor of Physical Therapy residing in Boise now with the rest of his family, exploring all things that present a physical challenge and tests limits, Jessica (Kyle) a high school Science teacher (and her high school's teacher of the year) in Idaho and amazing mother to our precious 'cheeky monkey' Norah, Harper 'peanut', and Emily (Jason) who is a School Counselor and stay at home Mommy to darling Sonja Hope and Reed William. In her free time, Jennifer rehabilitates wild and domesticated animals. At every opportunity she volunteers at the Makauwahi Cave Reserve on Kaua'i where her two giant sulcata tortoises, Shelly and Lily, are part of a project that promotes the propagation of native Hawaiian plants. Jennifer donates profits from her books to many organizations. Her greatest inspiration was her Mother who passed away 8 years ago. Jennifer smiles at the journey that is her life since she was Miss San Francisco Cable Car 1968.
