Based in Washington, Jen manages Aviation Week’s worldwide defense, space and security coverage.
Prior to taking on her current role, Jen was Aviation Week's Congressional Editor. Jen came to Aviation Week in March 2011 from Politico, where she covered the intersection of defense and politics. She also worked as a reporter and editor for Defense Daily, Inside the Army, The Other Paper and The Columbus Dispatch.
Jen received a Master’s degree in journalism as a Kiplinger Fellow at the Ohio State University. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in history and journalism from the University of Michigan.
While most of Washington's attention is focused on budget cuts, a new study is urging NASA to up its investment in space and solar physics. A National Research Council (NRC) committee says the space agency should expand and accelerate its Heliophysics Explorer Program—which studies the Earth's upper atmosphere—over the next 10 years. The NRC is calling for an infusion of $70 million per year to restore the option of a Mid-Size Explorer mission that would alternate with Small Explorer missions every 2-3 years.
Congress may have left Washington for its summer recess, but that hasn't stopped calls for lawmakers to end the gridlock over the federal budget deficit. New and powerful players trying to avert a potential $1 trillion across-the-board federal budget cut are emerging, as former senior officials in the Transportation and Defense departments weigh in on the debate.
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the system of 60,000 unpaid volunteer pilots who help conduct search-and-rescue and disaster-relief missions in the U.S., is in line for a leadership makeover. The patrol's board of governors will roll out the revamped internal governance structure during its annual conference and national board meeting in Baltimore this week. CAP anticipates its flying hours will increase by 8,000 hr.
