Jen is one of Smarty Pants’ all-star project managers who crosses a variety of research methods, consumer segments and business industries. Aptly dubbed Impact Architect, Jen is a master of leading multi-phase, multi-method initiatives that include everything from conjoint analyses to in-depth-interviews to secondary research. Most importantly, Jen is a seasoned business consultant who knows how to extract insights and convert them to product and branding opportunities.
While she currently supports Smarty Pants’ toy & game and entertainment clients, Jen has worked across a range of sectors, including tech, insurance, telecom, CPG and retail. She applies her talents to the likes of PBS KIDS, Bimbo Bakeries USA, Google and more.
Her strategic leadership extends to business development, research design, fieldwork, analysis and the creation of story-driven deliverables that guide world-class clients. Jen is passionate about bringing research to life by thinking about solutions through the eyes of her client partners and their target audiences.
Prior to joining Smarty Pants in July of 2021, Jen worked as a director of brand strategy at Kantar, where she led custom research and data analytics.
Earlier in her career, she was a senior market research analyst at PSB, a New York-based, full-service research and strategy firm.
She began her market research career as an associate at real estate consulting firm in Western NY.
Jen has also served as a volunteer business mentor to entrepreneurs in the Hartford, CT, area through SCORE, a program run by the Small Business Association.
Jen obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Spanish Language & Literature from Manhattan College and a Master of Arts in Applied Economics from American University. During her undergrad, she was a member of Epsilon Sigma Pi, an honor society for the college’s highest scholastic achievers, and Alpha Kappa Delta, an international sociology honor society.
While obtaining her master’s degree, she interned at Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank aimed at fostering policy debate and enhanced cooperation within the Western Hemisphere. She analyzed education policy to identify best practices for providing high quality learning and skills-development to children across Latin America.
Always ready for her next challenge, Jen recently became a credentialed professional coach through the ICF – the International Coaching Federation, that is.
Jen grew up in Buffalo, NY, where she still has family and friends she frequently visits. Following a few years in New York City and Hartford, CT, she has decided to call Chicago home. She loves meeting new people and staying active by playing in recreational sports leagues. She spends much of her down time cooking, hosting or traveling to see friends and family in other parts of the country.
