Community Builder

Outreach. Engagement. Connection.

About me

This page is all about me - who I am, how I got here, where I've been. Whether working in sports and event marketing, making my way across a marathon finish line, or lifting up others through a variety of volunteer work and leadership positions, you will find me doing my best and bringing out the best in others.

I am a driven, motivated individual who performs best as part of a team. I aspire to continue my professional growth and to continue learning both within and outside of the field of sports marketing. I thrive in an environment of energized, interested managers, peers, and clients, and pride myself on my interpersonal communication skills. I am lucky to have been working remotely since a time when it was a privilege instead of a survival mechanism, and I am dedicated to building teams that feel connected whether they are in zone or in different time zones.

My passion is relationship building and I have a natural propensity for detailed project management and organizational skills. I thrive when connecting people across communities and truly hope to leave each space just a bit better than it was before I got there.
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Quick Hits

  • Resume & Case Study

  • National Alumni Board

  • Alumni Connections

Case Study Materials

Recap

Volunteer program recap, based on survey data and insights. Created by J. Williams as the program moved into growth phase for final round of funding and implementation.

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Volunteer Communications

Volunteer assignment template created by J. Williams to communicate daily assignments to individual volunteers.

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Training Materials

Materials created by J. Williams to onboard and train volunteer schedulers.

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Testimonials

 I’ve known Jen Williams since our undergraduate days at the University of Portland (UP) in the 1990s, and had the good fortune to work closely with her to enhance the alumni network at UP from 2016-2021. Jen is a delight to work with and absolutely thrives at building community. In 2016, our Alumni Relations team at University of Portland was working to extend our regional chapter engagement to the East Coast. Jen was an obvious choice to help us get the New York City Chapter off the ground. Among our chapter leaders across the country, Jen immediately rose to the top because of her attention to detail, enthusiasm, kindness, and creativity. Her energy is infectious – when Jen calls people and says “You should come to this event!”, please show up. After helping launch the NYC Chapter, Jen joined the National Alumni Board and quickly ascended to National Alumni Board Chair in 2018, a position she has held now for nearly five years in addition to her role as a University Regent. As a Regent, Jen recently served on the Presidential Search Committee, a testament to how respected she is among fellow University Regents. Jen is a thoughtful listener and communicator, a natural connector, and a strategic leader. She was invaluable to our Office of Alumni & Parent Relations during my time as the Director– she’s the rare human who can make anyone feel comfortable: current students, fellow alumni, parents, key donors, and University administrators. Put simply, Jen is a winner. If she says she’s going to do something, it happens and the quality is top notch. She’s an excellent fit for any Alumni Relations team – humble, hungry, and emotionally intelligent. 

Craig A. Swinyard, Ph.D., Senior Director of Alumni Engagement, OHSU Foundation: Previous Director - UP Office of Alumni & Parent Relations

 I have worked extensively with Jennifer within the realm of alumni and constituent engagament within the University of Portland Alumni Community. Jennifer has been an integral volunteer leader since 2016. She is currently serving as the President of our University of Portland National Alumni Board (NAB). Prior to her Executive Team appointment In 2016, she served as a board member for NAB as well as the New York City Alumni Chapter President. With her current role of a President of NAB, Jennifer is also a voting member of our Board of Regents. Jennifer's skills not only focus on the ability to lead a large alumni community of 40,000 constiuents, but also in the ability to strategize, implement and engage with innovative programming to connect with our alumni globally. During her time as an alumni engagement leader at the University of Portland, Jennifer has lead and created engagement intiatives to insure best practices for optimal success. Highlights are: • During the course of pivoting to an all online and digital model for Covid-19, Jennifer restructured the National Alumni Board with a strong committee format along with monthly engagement touches for continuity with NAB leaders, regional and affinity chapter leaders. • Is instrumental in conecting with campus partners to provide online and digital engagement for UP Students and alumni chapters, especially virtual programming to grow and strenghten stakeholder participation • Continues to create accessible online and digital programming throughout the UP Community in collaboration with UP Office of Alumni & Parent Relations. • Actively participates and supports other alumni leaders in curating content for social media, websites and other digital platforms to increase engagement participation for all UP constinuents. • Participated in creating a robust alumni engagement survery and implmentation of alumni engagement score metrics • Currently working on a strategic inititave to redesign the Office of Alumni & Parent websites and research best practices for all digital content and call to action intiatives • Actively oversees and manages in the University of Portland's Switchboard engagement platform to connect students, alumni and community members. • Sits on numerous strategic committees for initiative programming and hiring for the University Jennifer has a deep commitment and understanding of strong engagement, volunteer call to actions and the ability to quickly assess the needs of a constituent community. 

Gina Amato Yazzolino: University of Portland, Director, Office of Alumni & Parent Relations

 Jen was brought in as an organizational consultant. Recognizing the need, she immediately cultivated an active network of volunteers, business leaders, and political leaders to help accomplish the organization's goals of providing food for as many people as possible. Jen designed communication templates and educational materials and trained the team, including shift captains and food distribution center directors. Jen was the point of contact coordinating weekly check-ins via phone calls and written communication. Through Jen's vision, volunteers were strategically assigned, and businesses were engaged in a timely fashion to help minimize daily traffic issues and maximize delivery items. Jen is a can-do person who readily stepped in at a moment's notice to deliver meals when volunteers were unavailable. Jen's position was critical to our mission's success. Her role required concise and timely communication with a core team of program leaders from Bergen County, the Village of Ridgewood, local non-profit organizations, restaurant owners, and Chamber of Commerce representatives. As the program gained momentum and awareness, Jen was an outstanding liaison between the volunteer community and the core team of program leaders. She efficiently relayed feedback regarding logistics and implemented necessary improvements. Jen is a solution-oriented leader who quickly identifies needs and personally assists in any way possible to overcome obstacles. No person is insignificant to Jen. For example, a group of middle school students required volunteer service hours. Through networking with local leaders, Jen created a program that allowed those students to serve onsite at select community locations. 

Jeanne Johnson: Bergen County Food Security Task Force Outreach Coordinator
  

Resume

Resume

Detailed descriptions of work experience and volunteer services

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Resume - Timeline

 

Undergraduate: University of Portland (BS, Org Comm)

Graduated as a four-year Division 1 women's basketball player and Cum Laude with a BS in Organizational Communication from University of Portland

5/5/2000
 

Graduate School: USC (MS, Comm Management)

Graduated with an Master of Arts in Communication Management from the Annenberg School of Communication at USC

5/7/2004
 

WCC: Assistant Commissioner

- Coordinated sponsorship and marketing efforts around conference championship events - Lead conference branding, licensing, and merchandising programs - Managed organization, training, payment and scheduling for conference game officials

7/26/2004
 

TMA: Account Supervisor to Strategic Consultant

- Managed high profile Sports & Entertainment projects, experiential events and product launches working directly with client, property contacts, and integrated agency leads driving brand awareness and product integration. - Provided strategic consultation for sponsorship activation, program budget tracking ($1MM+), and property management. - Lead integrated, multi-agency support team for Team USA sponsorship. Served as liaison to talent team for athlete integration and cross-product partnerships and marketing with Team USA athletes and CPG client sponsorship. - Lead team as Project Manager for CPG product launch in NYC; served as client lead and liaison to agency partners to create and fulfill media and influencer events as well as to plan launch of multi-city product sampling tour.

7/23/2007
 

GTB: Associate Account Director

- Facilitate sponsorships in the Tri-State area on behalf of regional board representing national automotive brand. - Collaborate on strategic initiatives to maximize existing and potential customer engagement while achieving client goals and Brand initiatives regarding specific target demographics - Monitor and report on relevant data regarding activation KPIs - Work with creative team on brand messaging via in-market media and sponsorships.

9/27/2022