Jennifer Washington is a 37-year veteran special education teacher, working specifically with young children who are deaf and hard of hearing. She earned her bachelor's degree in Deaf Education from Northern IL. University and received her master’s in education from Olivet University. She currently works for a special education cooperative in the southern suburbs of Chicago but plans to retire next year.  

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Being an educator allowed her to hone her skills in planning activities, inventive thinking, and to pivot when plans quickly changed. She has utilized these skills in her community as Board Chair for the Children’s Education Committee at Faith United Protestant church in Park Forest IL.  During 2008-10, she served her community in other capacities as well -- reading tutor, school volunteer and educational presenter to name a few. Now, as a board member for the Center for Food Equity in Medicine, she has the opportunity to serve people that are going through one of the toughest times in their life. She wants to help lighten their load by using her skills to grow the foundation’s ability to serve as many people as we can, while allowing clients to focus on their recovery. Through this foundation, not only has she expanded her understanding of food instability and how a serious medical diagnosis can impact outcomes for a patient, but she is also building a community of new friends and experiences. As much as Jennifer wants to be a blessing to others, she has found herself truly blessed doing this work.