Jennifer Barrett Fajardo | Co-Founder and Advisor
Jen has nearly three decades of experience engaging volunteers, developing public outreach programs, and connecting government agencies, private nonprofits, and other community partners to build award-winning, collaborative programs. Her involvement with Ocean Awareness Training dates back to the inaugural O‘ahu program offering in November 2008 when she served as the Waikīkī Coastal Coordinator and founder of Reef Watch Waikīkī for Hawai‘i Sea Grant.
In early 2012, she left her faculty position with Hawai‘i Sea Grant at the University of Hawai‘i to launch a boutique consultancy specializing in cause-driven communications. She currently works with nonprofits, purpose-driven entrepreneurs, and aspiring business owners as a thought partner, coach, and advisor.
She enjoyed the great privilege of serving as a member of the global steering committee for the IUCN’s Commission on Education and Communication in the lead-up to the 2016 World Conservation Conference, the first (and only) time the quadrennial gathering was hosted in the United States.
Born and raised in Honolulu, she holds graduate degrees from the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i and the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, as well as an undergraduate degree in English from Colorado College. A life-long learner, she also holds numerous professional credentials ranging from digital marketing and nonprofit board governance, to volunteer administration… and of course her C.O.R.A.L. certification!
She resides in Honolulu with her husband Jose A. Fajardo, who was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2021; together they have become tireless advocates for people living with this heartbreaking disease.