Jennifer Wells

Background

About Jennifer Wells

Jennifer Wells leads Community Change Power Building in the Care Economy work as its Director. She has strengthened the strategic vision and campaigns for health equity and childcare. Before joining the Economic Justice team, Jennifer served as Deputy Director of Black-Led Organizing with Community Change’s Reinvestment Team. Her leadership was instrumental in leading the Black Freedom Collective's expansion strategy and supported the Economic Justice’s Just Recovery and CTC campaigns. Before joining Community Change in 2020, Jennifer served as the Executive Director of Our Future West Virginia. She built a statewide network of grassroots leader-led civic engagement hubs engaging Black and rural communities. Jennifer established the Black Parent Collective (BPC) and convened 75+ parents/youth leaders in a multi-racial coalition to address anti-Black school disciplinary practices on the county and state levels. As a Black woman raised in the South, Jennifer deeply understands the social and economic issues that poor and marginalized communities face in our country, which fuels her commitment to social justice. Jennifer is a 2024 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow, focusing on aligning guaranteed income movement and collective community care. She serves on several boards and coalitions outside of her work at Community Change, including as a member of the American Friends Service Committee’s U.S. Programs Group and Southern Region Committee. Jennifer holds a master's degree in social work from West Virginia University with a concentration on community organizing and public administration. Over recent years, she has earned recognition as the 2020 Marshall University Commencement Speaker, 2020 TEDx Speaker (https://youtu.be/cW-F1LkV15w?si=NS0f_ofXww8vQiOi), and 2018 National Association of Social Workers West Virginia Chapter's Social Worker of the Year.