Jen Westmoreland

Jen Westmoreland (she/her) has served on the Hopkins School Board since 2018, and her board colleagues have unanimously elected her chair for the past four years. Jen led the Hopkins School District’s Vision 2031 strategic planning process and the transformation of a $150 million budget into one that is structurally balanced and aligned with community values. Jen’s leadership is rooted in authentic community engagement, data-driven decision-making, research on innovative practices, and collaboration with colleagues across multiple layers of government. Jen serves on the state organizing committee for Local Progress Minnesota, an organization of local elected officials committed to advancing racial and economic justice. She was appointed to the Local Progress National School Board Steering Committee in 2022. Jen is a member of the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. She is proud to be a queer elected official who has worked in partnership with LGBTQ+ youth, educators, and caregivers in the western suburbs to enact policies that support the safety and full inclusion of all LGBTQ+ community members. Jen works closely with Hennepin County as a member of the Heading Home Hennepin Continuum of Care Partnership to End Homelessness Executive Committee and co-creator of the West Metro Youth Collaborative with Commissioner LaTondresse. Since 2022, she has advised on youth and school district issues for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office under two administrations. Jen was proud to join Chair Irene Fernando in advocating for the Metro Area Affordable Sales Tax at the Minnesota Legislature in April 2023. Jen was raised in Hopkins and Minnetonka by arts and education-minded parents, Barb and Dan Westmoreland, who continue to demonstrate the importance of authentic relationships in moving our community forward. She is grateful to be parenting her 12-year-old child in the Hopkins Schools community. Jen graduated from Hopkins High School and studied French and Fine Arts at St. Olaf College. She earned an M.A. in French and Francophone Studies from University of California, Los Angeles and an M.A. in Literature and English Studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Leadership at Minnesota State University, Mankato. A career educator and union member, Jen has taught and led innovation and equity-driven programming at Normandale Community College for the past fourteen years.