More about me.
I have more than a decade of experience helping experts and organizations communicate their big ideas to the changemakers, allies, the media, and the public. I help researchers and other experts start new conversations in the media and get attention for their work. I work with funders and grantmakers to strategize how to build their organizational profile on key priorities. I collaborate with nonprofits to tell the story of their impact.
Before branching out into consulting, I was the Director of Communications for the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) for seven years, overseeing the Institute’s media relations, website development, publications production, and online communications efforts. While there, I helped secure earned media coverage of the Institute’s research, increasing press mentions tenfold since 2013, with regular coverage in national and local outlets, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Vox, Refinery29, The Nation, CityLab, Bloomberg, CBS This Morning, NBCNews.com, and NPR, among many others.
I have been fortunate to work with a range of wonderful organizations. I collaborated with corporate partners and large national advocacy organizations and, as part of IWPR’s signature Status of Women in the States project, I regularly provided strategic communications advice and media relations support to local advocacy partners and women’s funds around the country.
I have also presented on communications and community outreach strategies at conferences and webinars hosted by the Communications Network, Women’s Funding Network, and Women in Government. See my tips on how to improve collaboration between communications and program teams.
Prior to IWPR, I managed a Social Security public education project at the National Academy of Social Insurance, where I coordinated a network of 30 organizations working to educate vulnerable populations on the importance of Social Security. This experience sparked my love of developing exciting multimedia content that can substantively engage audiences on important topics in new ways.
In my spare time, I’ve also coached participants in Mortified DC & Baltimore’s stage productions to develop compelling storytelling pieces to be performed in front of audiences of 150-300 people. I perform too! You can hear my story of my first job working at an amusement park in the summer.
I have worked on a range of issues including women’s employment, pay equity, equity in higher education, automation and the future of work, Social Security, paid sick days and paid family leave, and the status of women in the United States. I also love digging into new topics. Let’s chat about what you are working on.
What people say about working with me.
“Jenn is a wonderful collaborator. She provides a thoughtful and positive communications perspective on complex research and policy topics. Her insights on the content, combined with her knowledge of how the media are covering various topics, typically make the message clearer and more newsworthy. Her input helped make numerous IWPR final products stronger, and her fast, focused work assured that our research informed and shaped policy debates on many aspects of women’s lives.”
– Heidi Hartmann, President Emerita and Senior Research Economist, Institute for Women’s Policy Research
“Jennifer Clark is the best in the business when it comes to promoting research and earning media coverage in important outlets. She is gifted at designing and executing communications strategies to reach key audiences and achieve impact. She is also an encouraging, inspiring, energetic partner and team leader, and a brilliant analyst in her own right. Her creativity, passion, and vision help people and projects achieve their highest potential.”
– Barbara Gault, Social Equity Strategies
“Jenn Clark is a one-of-a-kind communicator, who will immerse herself in your issue and audience to find the most efficient and strategic path to the impactful publicity you seek. Her unique insights made the difference between an average product and an exceptional product.”
– Jill Braunstein, Director of Communications, Society for Research in Child Development
I help coach people to tell their own stories authentically. Sometimes I tell my story too!