After obtaining degrees in the United States and the Netherlands, Jenifer began working on sustainable farming and local food system issues through a Minnesota-based non-profit organization. She returned to school to combine scholarship and practice in further investigating these issues. She studied community food and agricultural systems with a University Distinguished Fellowship, receiving her PhD in 2013.

Major professor: Jim Bingen, PhD

Education: B.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison,1987, Plant Pathology; M.S., Wageningen University (Wageningen, Netherlands), 1995, Ecological Agriculture