Biography
Jennifer (Jenn) Elliott came to Orlando from south Florida to pursue a degree in Biology at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in 2002 and completed her Bachelor of Science (BS) in 2004. Her study focus as both an undergraduate and graduate student centered on marine turtle biology, ecology, and habitat conservation. As a graduate student, she worked with various government agencies to develop a project that monitored the interactions between marine turtle nesting and hatching success, and geotextile tubes, giant, sand filled containers buried in the beach for erosion control on the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ARNWR) in Melbourne Beach, Florida after the 2004 hurricanes. In 2009 after graduating with a Master of Science (MS) in Biology from UCF Jenn took the position as Coordinator of Land Management Programs with UCF Landscape and Natural Resources. In this position she was responsible for the management of UCF’s 800 acres of campus natural lands, as well as overseeing all St. John’s River Water Management District (SJRWMD) mitigation projects. In November of 2016 Jenn moved into the role of Program Director of the UCF Arboretum and Natural Resource Programs. In that position she was responsible for overseeing all Arboretum research and education initiatives, experience-based learning including volunteer engagement, and fostering a community focused environment that supports human connections with the natural world especially in urban settings. In her current role since 2022 as Director of the UCF Arboretum, Jenn is responsible for the oversite and continued advancement of Learning by LeadingTM (LxL), our award-winning student leadership and workforce development program adopted from the University of California, Davis along with supporting the tracking and reporting of all campus sustainability initiatives. Additionally, Jenn continues to support the campus natural resource management programs as well as drive fundraising initiatives to continue to develop the programing and physical space of the UCF Arboretum.
