Jennifer Thompson is currently the Sr. VP of Advancement for Up with People; an educational, international, non-profit organization which empowers young people to be positive agents of change in their communities and the world. This is Jennifer’s second stint with UWP; she previously worked at UWP from 1973-1995. As their Vice President for External Relations, she oversaw a $45 million campaign which included moving UWP’s headquarters from Tucson, AZ to Denver, CO in 1993.

After UWP, Jennifer worked at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies from 1995 to 2017 where she was first the Director of Development and then the Associate Dean of External Relations. In that position, Jennifer managed the School’s external relations team including major gift and annual fundraising, alumni relations, special events, and the career and professional development area. As part of the University of Denver’s ASCEND campaign, Jennifer oversaw the successful completion of the Korbel School’s $50 million endowment campaign which added new endowed faculty chairs, professorships, fellowships, and scholarships.

A native of Boulder, CO, Jennifer has a BS in Management from the University of Phoenix and is a 1996 graduate of the Denver Chamber Foundation program, Leadership Denver, a leadership development program for emerging leaders in the Denver community. She served as a member of the University of Denver’s Women’s Leadership Council and has served on numerous community boards including the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, Boulder’s Impact on Education, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado and has volunteered on the community relations committee of Good Samaritan Hospital in Louisville, CO.