Jennifer Allen, PhD (she/her)
Interim Executive Director | jhallen@pdx.edu | (503) 725-8546
Jennifer Allen is an Emerita Associate Professor in the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University. Jennifer helped to establish PSU’s Institute for Sustainable Solutions, which she directed from 2012-2015. Previously, she worked in sustainable development for the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, Ecotrust, and the World Bank.
Jennifer’s research and engagement in recent years has focused on better understanding how collaborative governance approaches can be used to address challenging issues, such as climate change, herbicide resistance in agriculture, management of toxic chemicals, and disaster preparedness. She has served on the Oregon State Parks Commissioner as well as on the boards of the Elliott State Research Forest, the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences, Shorebank Pacific, the Food Alliance, Portland Energy Conservation Inc, the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, and the World Forestry Center.
Jennifer holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University, a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and a BA in American Studies from Yale University. She is also a Gallup certified strengths coach with a focus on leadership development.