Jeni has been an occupational therapist for 26 years, with over 13 years of full-time practice devoted to working with people with mental illness in a variety of practice settings and the remaining 12 years in academia. In the practice setting, she specializes in motivational interviewing, supported education, and family/caregiver education and training. She has a scholarly focus on Universal Design for Learning and other inclusive teaching approaches, supporting neurodivergent students, student self-advocacy, and pedagogical partnerships. Jeni also serves as a volunteer on the Roster of Accreditation Evaluators (RAE) for the Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).

Jeni graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington with a BS in Occupational Therapy in 2000, and in 2015 obtained a Post-Professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) with an emphasis in Education from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah. She also holds a MS in Instructional Design and Technology from Trevecca Nazarene University, and training in Learning Experience Design (LXD). Her doctoral capstone focused on preparing educators to use the flipped classroom model in their teaching, and her instructional design capstone addressed curriculum mapping for instructional improvement and accreditation compliance.

Prior to accepting a faculty position in the School of OT at Pacific University, Jeni held several teaching and administrative positions in OT and OTA programs in Southern California. She also has practice experience as an OT in Washington State, New York City, and Southern California.

In her free time, Jeni enjoys baking, cake decorating, reading, visiting local breweries, and spending time outside with her dog, Holly.