Jennifer Parks brings over 25 years’ experience in the Habitat network to Habitat for Humanity Chicago. Joining the team in 2011, Jen leads a dynamic and dedicated staff that champions healthy neighborhoods by investing in resident priorities, building quality homes, and supporting homeownership. Under her leadership, efforts were realigned to focus on the long-term impacts for improving the neighborhood housing market, connecting the community, improving physical conditions, and elevating the neighborhood appeal. Existing programs -- Affordable Homeownership, Construction, and Volunteers -- have grown, and new programs have been established – Homebuyer University and the Neighborhood Grants Initiative. Habitat Chicago continues to evolve and has a bold plan to invest $42M in three focus neighborhoods over the next five years as well as add a second ReStore on Chicago’s Southside. With a team of 45+ and a $6.6M budget, Jen is committed to growing Habitat Chicago by increasing neighborhood investments and creating long-term positive impact with our Chicago neighbors. Jen graduated from Marquette University and has her Master of Arts in Organization Leadership from Immaculata University.