Jennifer Rosser

Program Director, Sierra Nevada Energy Watch

Jennifer grew up in Truckee - rock climbing, horseback riding and skiing around Tahoe - which instilled in her a love of the outdoors and a strong desire to protect the natural environment. She has worked for non-profit, corporate and government organizations, and as such, has learned to approach environmental issues with a balanced perspective.  Her strengths include proposing forward-thinking ideas and finding solutions that work in collaborative processes.

Professional Experience

Prior to joining SBC, Jennifer worked for an environmentally sustainable, smart growth, real estate development project spanning 450 acres, 700 residential units, and 200,000 square feet of commercial space in the Sierra foothills community of Grass Valley.  For over six years she was a primary driving force behind the execution of the project’s entitlement process, business strategy and environmental review process.

In 2002, Jennifer was appointed by Governor Davis to serve as a chief advisor to the Secretary of the California Resources Agency to influence state policy development for California Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.  She contributed to setting strategic direction for land acquisition policies as a board member of three state conservancies: Tahoe Conservancy, Baldwin Hills Conservancy, San Gabriel and Lower LA Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.  She has also represented the Agency in the California Wild & Scenic River Interagency efforts to move forward collaborative efforts and policy development. While in graduate school, Jennifer worked for other government agencies including the US EPA and the California Energy Commission.

Prior to serving in government, Jennifer worked as a policy analyst for Friends of the River, California’s statewide river conservation organization.  She advanced river conservation goals by managing Federal hydropower relicensing processes for hydropower projects across the entire state of California and by lobbying in the California legislature and Washington D.C. for river conservation and energy legislation.

Education

Jennifer earned a B.S. in Conservation and Resources Studies from U.C. Berkeley and an MBA from U.C. Davis.  She also holds a CA real estate license.

Personal Highlights

Jennifer lives in Reno with her husband Peter, her two teenage step-daughters and four horses – that live in the backyard.  Jen and Peter often spend their free time remodeling their 1938 home and when there is time left over, they enjoy mountain biking, road riding and all types of skiing, and sometimes reading a good book together.