Dear UNP Community:

My name is Jennifer Mayer-Glenn, but please feel free to call me Jenny. I am honored to be the new director of University Neighborhood Partners. And, as we continue our partnerships, I thought you might want to know a bit more about me.

I grew up in Davis County. My father was a professor of Languages & Literature and Ethnic Studies at the University of Utah in the 1970s through 2000s. I am fortunate that my formative years were influenced by the National Association of Ethnic Studies conferences, El Teatro Campesino, the offices in Orson Spencer Hall cloudy with smoke (not my dad’s though), and playing in the fountain on the west side of OSH.

I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish at the University of Utah and a Master of Education at Westminster College. I was a paraeducator, teacher, and administrator in the Salt Lake City School District for 20 years, working in several west side schools. Most recently, I served three years as the Director of Family-School Collaboration for the Salt Lake City School District.

Salt Lake City is my community and home. I raised my two children here, engaging in their schooling and making sure they felt that they belonged in our community. I have served in various community service roles such as the President of the Utah Coalition of La Raza and Chair of the Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission, during which time the commission received awards from Equality Utah and the ACLU of Utah. More recently I have been a fellow of the UnidosUS National Institute of Latino School Leaders and Vice President of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents-Utah.

I have a passion for working to make sure the public institutions serving our community are accessible and work for all of the people they are intended to serve. For this reason it is easy for me to connect to UNP’s mission of bringing together University and west side people and resources in reciprocal learning, action and benefit – a community coming together. This is important work.

And I believe that in this time of divisions in our society it is more important than ever to bring people of different experiences and perspectives together. As UNP’s partnerships do this, it is important to me that you know that centering community and having community voices guide our work is key to making Salt Lake City’s west side more just and fair. Please know that your perspective is important and that we are here to listen and learn from you.

In reciprocal learning, action and benefit,

Jenny

Jennifer Mayer-Glenn, M.Ed.
Special Assistant to the President for Campus-Community Partnerships, University of Utah
Director, University Neighborhood Partners

I Am

I am from two worlds
I am Chicana…strong yet vulnerable, red lipstick
I am white…smooth speaker, NPR, water bottle
I am an activist…injustice is not tolerated
I am an advocate…loyal, good listener, will try to make it right
I am a wife, mother and Nana
I am a lover of music
I am a teacher
I am a bridge