Heather Jenkins (She/Her)

Heather Jenkins has a diverse and extensive work experience spanning several industries and roles. In their current position as Chief Executive Officer at The Literacy Lab, they are responsible for leading the organization. Before that, Heather was a Founding Member at Chief, a private network that focuses on empowering women leaders. At uAspire, they held various roles, including Chief of Staff & Equity, Chief Impact & Equity Officer, Interim Chief Program Officer, and Vice President of Equity. Prior to uAspire, Heather worked at City Year as the Managing Director of Service Impact and Evaluation. Heather also has experience in education, having worked at Buffalo Prep as the Director of High School Prep and Director of Academics & Program Evaluation. Additionally, they worked as a Diversity & Inclusion Consultant as a self-employed professional. Heather has also taught as an Adjunct Instructor at the University at Buffalo and Buffalo State College. Heather began their career as the Diversity Director at Nichols School. Throughout their career, Heather has focused on equity, leadership development, and creating positive change.

Heather Jenkins (She/Her) has a comprehensive education history. Heather obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Sociology of Education from the University at Buffalo from 2006 to 2011. Following that, they pursued an Administrative Certification in Educational Leadership and Administration, General at Canisius College from 2011 to 2012. Prior to this, they earned a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Education from Medaille University between 2003 and 2005. Before their postgraduate studies, Heather completed their Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Psychology from the University of Rochester from 1990 to 1994.

Furthermore, Heather Jenkins has acquired various certifications to enhance their skills and knowledge. These certifications include "The Changing Role of the CEO" obtained from LinkedIn in October 2022, "Nonprofit Management Foundations" obtained in June 2020, "Compassionate Directness" obtained in January 2020, "Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust (getAbstract Summary)" obtained in January 2020, "Building Accountability into Your Culture" obtained in December 2019, "Executive Leadership" obtained in December 2019, "Modeling Courageous Leadership: Intelligent Disobedience" obtained in December 2019, "Giving and Receiving Feedback" obtained in March 2018, "Improving Your Conflict Competence" obtained in March 2018, "Unconscious Bias" obtained in March 2018, "Developing Self-Awareness" obtained in February 2018, "Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging" obtained in February 2018, "Human Resources: Diversity Recruiting" obtained in February 2018, "Managing Diversity" obtained in February 2018. Additionally, Heather holds certifications in NYS School Building Leadership and School District Leadership, although the institution and dates are not specified.