Meet Jenn

Jenn Lynch is a mom of three teenagers and a venture capital fund manager. An Oregonian for more than two decades, she’s supported education and economic development non-profits as a board leader and volunteer.

Jenn was nominated by Gov. Kate Brown to chair the Oregon Innovation Council in 2019, a position she still holds. She also serves on the Bend Economic Development Advisory Board. She was a 10-year member of the board of Oregon Public Broadcasting, serving on the finance and human resources committees. In 2012, Jenn co-founded the Oregon chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and later, the Alliance for a Safe Oregon.

Jenn’s nonprofit board service also includes Schoolhouse Supplies, Peninsula Children’s Learning Center, Summit High School Friends of Music and the Bend La Pine Education Foundation.

Jenn is a managing partner of Portland Seed Fund, which, since 2011, has invested in more than 100 fast-growing Oregon-based businesses. She also manages the Bend Venture Conference Growth fund, which has been investing in Central Oregon since 2004.

Jenn holds a BS in Journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University, an MBA from Columbia Business School, and a Public Leadership Credential from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She’s a proud Iowa City High Little Hawk, class of 1996.

Jenn’s Goals

Improved Academic Outcomes

As Oregon’s fifth-largest school district, Bend La Pine plays an outsized role in shaping our state’s future leaders. Our outcomes matter, not just to our employers but our community as a whole. A high-quality public education creates opportunity for every kid and family in our community. With Covid closures in the rear-view mirror, Bend La Pine schools are focusing on academic progress with new reading and math curricula, coupled with clear and consistent classroom discipline.

Passion and Purpose

Improving attendance is the first step to improving graduation rates. Kids with a passion and purpose at school are more likely to attend consistently and perform at their best. Jenn believes a high-fidelity public education includes opportunities for kids to pursue their passions, especially for the performing arts, music, engineering and technology, and athletics.

Safe Schools for Teachers and Students

Teachers and students deserve to feel safe at school. Jenn’s work with the Alliance for a Safe Oregon supported SB 554 (2021), requiring the safe storage of firearms in homes with children and paving the way for school districts, including Bend La Pine, to ban the possession of firearms on campuses. She supports the SafeOregon.com system for empowering students and teachers to keep their schools safe, and the BE SMART framework to make household gun safety a community priority.

Welcoming and Inclusive Schools

Every kid and teacher should feel welcome and included in Bend La Pine schools, at our athletic events, and in every venue in which our families connect with their community. Jenn strongly affirms the right of every kid in our community, regardless of immigration status, to attend Bend La Pine Schools, and rejects attempts to erase the identities of our students and their families. At BLPS, every staff member and kid must feel valued for who they are.

Community Trust and Support

Parents, caregivers, business and community leaders all play a role in a successful school district. Jenn’s career and volunteerism crosses professional and political bounds. She worked for a decade building business support for public schools at Oregon’s only free school supplies store for teachers, and continues to seek community connections to our district through her service with the Bend La Pine Education Foundation.

Sensible Tech Policies

Jenn supports Well Wired, a framework for smart digital adoption developed by physicians and educators. In Bend La Pine Schools, “from bell to bell, there is no cell.” She also supports the work of EverySchool.org in fostering a national conversation about the role big tech plays in influencing our schools. Delaying or denying social media to kids is a smart, evidence-based choice for families and helps promote a healthier school environment for all kids.

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