Kiernan Doherty
executive vice president
Jennifer Messenger
Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman.— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jennifer envisions a world where everyone can reach their best health and well-being. She works with clients and communities to make that a reality by changing policies, power structures, access to information and services, or whatever else it takes.
Most of Jennifer’s career has focused on public health, and she leads MG’s work in that area. She keeps a sharp focus on health equity and has a keen interest in addressing the many social factors that have an inequitable influence on health, such as educational success. She has led efforts to reduce the tobacco industry’s marketing power and influence, build reproductive well-being, increase job and housing options for people with disabilities, make schools healthier for students and staff, ensure that people have safe places to walk, and connect people to affordable and culturally-reflective health care services, among other issues.
Her areas of expertise include:
- Strategies and campaigns to shift policies, practices and social norms
- Branding for organizations and initiatives
- Audience research, including focus group design and facilitation
- Message and narrative development to connect issues to people’s closely-held values and motivate action
- Designing and facilitating sessions for learning, planning and collaboration
- Technical assistance and training on organizational strategy, public engagement and media relations
Experience
- Director, Prospect Associates (contractor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Atlanta
- Communication consultant, National FFA Organization (national education association), Washington, D.C.
- Account executive, Karwoski & Courage (consumer-focused public relations agency), Minneapolis
Jennifer has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and art history from the University of Iowa.
In Community
Jennifer is a grassroots community volunteer, diving into opportunities to care for her city of Portland and its people. She is an advocate for educational equity, having previously served on the All Hands Raised board of directors for seven years and as an active volunteer in her children’s public schools.
Jennifer is surprised and delighted each year when spring flowers bloom and when holiday lights go up—the things that bring color, sparkle and joy to everyday life. She loves board games with her daughters and husband, contemporary dance, bike rides and yoga, new cities and restaurants, a great bourbon cocktail, and people who make her laugh.
