Meet Jen Shiller
Director of Culture & Strategy
Social Worker | Trainer | Mentor | Funding Specialist
Education And Experience
Jen's Experience:
Jen brings more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership, coaching, and social work experience to Loving Venti. Before joining the team, she held multiple leadership roles at Safe Families for Children including Family Coach Supervisor, Area Director, State Director of Family Support, and State Director of Mission Advancement, where she helped the organization grow into to a statewide network of care and support.
Jen’s career also includes time as a School Social Worker in the Wauwatosa School District and a Mediation Contractor for the New Berlin School District, where she honed her skills in relationship-building, problem-solving, and advocacy for families. Her background also includes experience in operations and team management from her early career roles with Holy Grounds Cafe and Certus Legal Group, and she currently works as a volunteer on the Friendship House Governing Board.
At Loving Venti, Jen draws on her deep expertise in nonprofit leadership, team building, and organizational development to support partners as they navigate growth and change. Whether she’s coaching executive leaders, facilitating strategy sessions, or mentoring emerging fundraisers, Jen is passionate about helping people and organizations reach their potential, always with an eye toward culture, care, and long-term sustainability.
Jen's Education:
MSW, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1994)
BA in Sociology, University of Michigan (1992)
Inspiration
What inspired Jen to work with nonprofits?
“To be honest, I stumbled into working for nonprofits because of my love for social work and advocacy. After working for a nonprofit in many different roles, I came to appreciate how challenging it can be to fund the mission, support staff and serve vulnerable populations when trying to do all three simultaneously as a nonprofit leader. I want to help transform nonprofits that are doing amazing work from good to great so they can continue to fight for people they are serving in our communities.”
Fun Facts about Jen
- I moved 13 times before I finished college.
- I was born in Hawaii.
- I refuse to call a water fountain a bubbler, even though I have lived in Wisconsin for 30+years.
- I don’t understand why people run for exercise when they could walk and still get to the same destination.
- I believe that everyone should have a life statement. Mine is: “I want to encourage wholeness in people.”
What led Jen to join Loving Venti?
“It was an honor to have Loving Venti do consulting work for the nonprofit I used to work for and I was able to see firsthand how their support helped us grow to become a statewide organization. The CEO, Catherine Pederson, is an inspiring leader who loves to develop her skillset and grow nonprofit leaders, including her LV staff team.“
Favorite skill that you use in your work with Loving Venti:
COACHING! I love helping leaders achieve what they didn’t think was possible in lots of different categories including organizational development and fundraising.