Jen’s love for the natural world began with childhood summers in California, where her aunt introduced her to hiking, camping and birding—sparking a lifelong curiosity. Raised in the southern U.S. and later Utah, Jen’s adventurous spirit led her to enlist in the U.S. Navy after high school, serving six years aboard C-130 aircraft. Her military experience broadened her worldview, sharpened her leadership skills and instilled a knack for thriving under pressure.

After her service, Jen earned a degree in wildlife ecology and management from Utah State University. She spent years as a wildlife technician with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service, researching species like peregrine falcons, white-headed woodpeckers and northern goshawks. Her fieldwork spanned mountain lion studies in Utah, raptor banding in Nevada, bat monitoring in Grand Teton National Park and tracking invasive coqui frog predators in Hawaii.

Though passionate about science, Jen’s desire for more human connection led her to guiding. She’s led hiking and sea kayaking expeditions throughout Alaska and joined Nat Hab in 2022, where she guides a variety of trips across North America. When not guiding, she and her husband travel in search of threatened species, always with a camera in hand.