Introducing: YAD Director Jenna Raimist
We are thrilled to welcome Jenna Raimist, our new YAD director, who joins JEWISHcolorado after serving for three years as the national development manager for Cupid’s Charity, a nonprofit working to fund research and help end neurofibromatosis (NF), a rare genetic disorder.
At Cupid’s Charity, Jenna carried a significant donor portfolio, stewarded and coached volunteers, managed a volunteer leadership program, and executed fundraising events in 20 markets nationwide. “You can’t always see where your career path will take you,” she said, “but it does feel like all of the skills and experience I gained at Cupid’s Charity will mean that I can hit the ground running at JEWISHcolorado.”
Jenna started working in marketing and events for the downtown Santa Barbara business trade organization, and she holds a B.A. in sociology from the University of California, with a minor in feminist studies. “Both my work at Downtown Santa Barbara (DSB) and my studies at UCSB really set me up to be a communicator and relationship-builder. I can’t wait to start forming meaningful connections in the Denver Jewish community, too.”
A self-proclaimed “foodie,” Jenna can tell you which celebrity chefs to follow on social media. And, importantly for those Survivor devotees among us (they are legion—you know who you are), Jenna can hold her own in any conversation about the reality TV show, which is now on Season 41, making it older than some of the aforementioned super-fans.
Originally from the Bay Area, Jenna lives in Denver, near Cheeseman Park, and she hikes, yogas, and cooks, not necessarily in that order.
According to Jenna, “The YAD program feels aligned with who I am and where I’m at. This position—the demographic, the organization, its mission and its vision for the future of this community that I love so much—it all feels fated. Can I use a little Yiddish? [You can, Jenna!] It feels b’shert. I can’t wait to get started.”
