Jennifer Pautz

After attending Elon University, I did what any political science/philosophy major does — go to law school! While attending Syracuse University for both my J.D. and an M.P.A in Public Administration, I quickly realized that a traditional law firm path was not for me. I was lucky enough to intern at the U.S. Department of State in their legislative affairs bureau which helped me identify a career path in government and policy. After graduation, I worked for the New York State Senate and then, following an unsuccessful election, landed a position as a Policy Analyst in New York University’s Office of Government Affairs. I spent over a decade with NYU, growing the government affairs office from a team of two to a team of eight, strengthening their presence at all levels of government, and weaving the University’s expertise into important policy conversations.

During my time at NYU, I had the pleasure of working closely with many programs, including advocating for an educational development program focused on veteran entrepreneurship. Working with the individuals and staff from this program was an inspiration, seeing first-hand how a targeted curriculum and dedicated team can truly impact the career path – and life – of our returning veterans. This work inspired me to pursue advocacy roles in the workforce development and educational opportunity space. I was therefore thrilled to join the NAF team in 2023 to showcase the organization’s work and grow our presence in policy conversations around workforce and educational opportunity programs.