Jennifer Washburn joined American Ancestors in May of 2024 to lead our corporate and foundation fundraising operations. Something of an idealist, Jennifer believes fervently in the unique capacity of nonprofit organizations and private philanthropists to drive positive social change.  

In her role, Jennifer is responsible for deepening existing institutional partnerships and forging new ones that will both honor the priorities of our generous donors while also advancing the mission and goals of our multifaceted family history organization.  This includes our high-profile 10 Million Names project, which seeks to recover information about the men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in pre- and post-colonial America and connect those records and stories to living descendants; our Jewish Heritage Center, which works to preserve the family history, stories, and community experiences of Jewish Americans across New England; our Brue Family Learning Program, which is working to teach family history and genealogy to both youth (grades 4-8) and adults; and our core genealogical research, scholarship, preservation projects, and public exhibitions.

Prior to American Ancestors, Jennifer served as a senior development officer at New York University where she raised tens of millions of dollars for institutional priorities across all of NYU’s schools during her decade-plus tenure. Earlier in her career, Jennifer was an award-winning investigative journalist, book author, researcher, and consultant, working both independently and as a fellow at various think tanks including the New America Foundation, Center for American Progress, and the World Policy Institute. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Swarthmore College.