Jen Emmel
Transitioning Youth and Adult Program Manager
Jen joins DSNMC in a new role for the organization as the Transitioning Youth and Adult Program Manager. This role is focused on supporting teens and adults with Down syndrome as they pursue employment, postsecondary education, independent living, and community inclusion.
Jen has a wealth of experience with the disability population and has worked in the field for over 20 years: camp counselor, nature director, respite provider, residential staff, therapeutic recreation aide… and more!
Prior to moving to the DMV, Jen was a transition special education teacher in Madison, Wisconsin, and specialized in job development and supported employment for high school students with mild to significant disabilities. Since 2013, Jen has been an adjunct professor in graduate special education at Seton Hall University, where she works with masters students and special educators to develop transition programming for their classrooms and school districts.
Jen holds a bachelor’s degree in special education and elementary education from Seton Hall University and a master’s degree in rehabilitation psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in Maryland with her husband and their four young daughters. Outside of work, Jen hosts a CSA (community supported agriculture) program in her driveway, homeschools her younger children, and volunteers at her oldest daughter’s school.
