Jennifer Harris

Jennifer Harris is a trainer and consultant with nearly 15 years experience in various roles that ultimately focus on creating high quality out-of-school time experiences for youth.  Jennifer began her youth work at Camp Fire USA, Alaska Council and remaind there for seven years in a variety of roles, including an administrative position. Having then left the state for a short while, Jennifer returned to Alaska again and joined the administrative staff of the Alaska Council in Anchorage.  

Upon relocation to Arkansas, Jennifer began working for Arkansas State University Childhood Services and provided adult education training to trainers that were involved with the state’s early childhood and school-age professional development system.   During this time Jennifer continued to provide training and technical assistance supports to out of school time programs in Arkansas and eventually served as both Chair and Network Coordinator for the Charles Stewart Mott funded afterschool network in Arkansas, the Arkansas Out of School Network.  Jennifer Harris has now relocated to Denver, Colorado but continues her work in Arkansas.  She is currently the Special Projects Coordinator for School-Age Projects with Arkansas State University Childhood Services.  In this position, Jennifer works with the Arkansas Division of Childcare and Early Childhood Education, Arkansas Department of Education, Arkansas Out of School Network and other partners to take quality to scale by creating a multi-dimensional, statewide quality improvement system focused on the YPQI. In her work she strives to transcend the efforts of traditional, siloed institutions and to instead create comprehensive supports for afterschool programs across the state.  A true “systems-thinker” at heart, Jennifer continues to work closely with various state intermediaries on projects that focus on matters that directly impact out of school time programs.

Jennifer graduated from the University of Texas with an undergraduate degree in Government and received her Master in Public Administration from the University of Alaska-Southeast.  Jennifer is a true problem solver who never shies away from challenges.  She sees big challenges as simply times of greater opportunity.  Jennifer looks forward to leveraging her knowledge and experience to advance the Weikert Center’s mission.