Jennifer Jones Austin is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA), a prominent New York City social policy and advocacy organization with a membership network of 200 human services agencies serving more than 1.5 million New Yorkers. Prior to joining FPWA, Ms. Jones Austin served as Senior Vice President of United Way of New York City. She led the development and implementation of United Way’s Community Impact “Program to Policy” business model, which resulted in community level and systems improvements in early childhood and grade school education, financial stability and income support for low-income families, and hunger prevention and reduction of diet-related diseases. During Jennifer’s tenure, she also served as co-chair of the New York State Supermarket Commission.
In 2006 Ms. Jones Austin was appointed New York City’s first Family Services Coordinator by Mayor Bloomberg. As Family Services Coordinator, she was responsible for leading several early education and juvenile justice, child welfare, health, and domestic violence survivor housing initiatives for children and families. She also played a lead coordination role in the Mayor’s Commission for Economic Opportunity. Jennifer Jones Austin also served as Deputy Commissioner for the Administration for Children’s Services during Mayor Bloomberg’s first term, Civil Rights Deputy Bureau Chief for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, and Vice President for LearnNow/Edison Schools Inc.
Ms. Jones Austin has served on numerous boards throughout her career. Previous Board service includes Children for Children, the New York Women’s Bar Association Foundation, and the Bethany Baptist Church Child Development Center. Presently, she serves as Chair of the City of New York Procurement Policy Board; Board Member and Spokesperson for The National Marrow Donor Program; and Board Member of the Icla da Silva Foundation, Citizens’ Committee for Children, the Adelaide Sanford Institute, and the New York Blood Center. She also serves on several City agency advisory councils and the Human Services Council.
In 2009, Jennifer was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and was told that to increase her chances of surviving the disease she would need a bone marrow transplant, most likely from a donor of similar racial and ethnic background. Unable to find a match in her family and in the National Marrow Donor Registry, Jennifer, her husband, and family and friends launched a national donor recruitment campaign to raise awareness and increase the number of registered African Americans to find a donor for her and for others in need. With the help of friends across the country, in just 13 weeks over 200 drives were held and over 13,000 people were added to the registry. In 2010, Jennifer received a transplant using cord blood, a growing alternative method of transplant, especially for persons of color. Today, Jennifer’s body shows no signs of cancer.
Jennifer Jones Austin earned her law degree from Fordham University School of Law, a Master’s degree in Management and Policy from New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and a Bachelor’s deuce from Rutgers University. She resides in Brooklyn with her husband and children. In her community, she serves as the Chair of the Jack and Jill of America, Brooklyn Chapter Community Service Committee, and she is a co-host on the cable television talk show, “Brooklyn Savvy”.