Dear John,

It is with mixed emotions that I announce Jenny Kurzweil’s departure from SACNAS. Her last day as Director of Communications & Marketing will be March 4, 2020. She has accepted the position of Communications Officer for Community Foundation Santa Cruz County where she will bring her skills in storytelling for social impact to her beloved local community.

Jenny has been instrumental in the organization’s growth and transformation over the past 18 years, especially in the last six years as a member of the staff leadership. She has led the Communications & Marketing Department with warmth, professionalism, and vision. She and her team modernized our entire digital communications platform, built a network of 25K+ followers on social media, and positioned SACNAS as thought leader with a robust national voice on issues related to STEM diversity, equity, and inclusion.
 
Please join me in thanking Jenny for her nearly two decades of service to the SACNAS community.
 
In partnership,

In July of 2001, I was hired part-time by SACNAS to produce a 12-page printed newsletter and write for the online Biography Project. Social media didn’t exist then, neither did email marketing. We had a fledgling website and the 2001 conference had 1,600 attendees. Thus, it is with a sense of wonder and a tremendous feeling of collective accomplishment that I look back on my career at SACNAS.

As the “chief storyteller” for SACNAS, my work has mostly been about listening and finding ways to help you and the SACNAS organization RAISE YOUR VOICE. The world needs to hear your stories, see your talents, and learn from your experiences. 

Together, we’ve been able to:

• Share stories in STEM + Culture Chronicle that inform, inspire, and sustain us in our pursuit of STEM, leadership, and social change

• Advocate for issues that matter like scientific integrity, environmental policy, and climate change

• Stand up for science and make an impact on the March for Science movement

• Help members build their science communication skills through professional development sessions and a partnership with The Story Collider 

• Build relationships with press and reporters to help them diversify their sources when they write about STEM

• Sustain a supportive space for LGBTQ+ SACNISTAS (since 2001...the first STEM diversity organization to do so!)   

Please continue to speak out. It really matters. 

• Take the Science Rising Challenge and VOTE!

• Sign up for the StoryBank to serve as a resource for journalists 

I’ll be here until March 4. Email me if you have any questions. After that, keep in touch with the Communications & Marketing staff at [email protected] and me via my LinkedIn profile.

I am forever grateful to my colleagues and of course, YOU— the SACNAS members who have shown me the power of pursuing dreams with fortitude, grace, and passion. I will always remain a dedicated Life Member of SACNAS. 

Yours in service & community,