Alumni Spotlight: Jennifer Obadia, PhD

Senior Director of Health Care Partnerships, Project Bread

While at the Friedman School, Jen earned her PhD in the Agriculture, Food and Environment program.

1. What do you love about your job?  

      I love the diversity of my role.  As Senior Director of Health Care Partnerships at Project Bread, I get to work on programming, research and evaluation, and policy related to the provision of food and nutrition support to Medicaid members in Massachusetts.  It’s incredibly exciting and allows me to use multiple different skills every day.  Additionally, I absolutely love the team of people that I work with.  The staff at Project Bread are passionate, dedicated, smart, and incredibly creative.  I learn from everyone! 

      2. How did you get your first job after Friedman?  

        My dissertation research explored the role of farmers markets in increasing access to fruits and vegetables for SNAP and WIC recipients.  Throughout the course of my research, I worked with an organization called the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness (BCFF).  While they no longer exist, at the time they provided support to Boston-area farmers markets who were implementing the Boston Bounty Bucks Program.  I was able to transition the work I was doing as a student into a position with BCFF as the Farmers Market Coordinator.  It was a great first job. 

        3. What/who was the most memorable course/professor at Friedman?  

          When I started at Friedman there were just two professors in the AFE Program: Dr. Willie Lockeretz and Dr. Kathleen Merrigan.  Willie taught the Fundamentals of US Agriculture course.  I valued that his approach really shed light on how agriculture helped to shape the country; everything from the settlement of the west to modern labor laws.  Kathleen taught the core public policy course.  She brought real life and humor to what can be a dry topic and in doing so sparked a love for the policy making process as a pathway for change. 

          4. What lessons did you learn at Friedman that continue to influence you in your job and career?  

            The greatest lesson I learned at Friedman was to value and respect ideas no matter who they come from.  This was not something explicitly taught in any class, but came through in the way students, faculty and staff interacted with each other.  Ideas were welcomed from prospective students sitting in on a class just as they were from high-ranking professionals.  This showed me that transformative ideas can come from anywhere. As a lifelong learner and advocate for food systems reform, it is up to me to seek out ideas from all perspectives. 

            5. What advice do you have for Friedman students as they embark on their careers?  

              At the risk of sounding like a bumper sticker, I’m finally coming to learn that it is critical to take care of yourself so that you can take care of others.  I guess my advice is to find that balance for yourself. 

              Interested in connecting with Jen? Find her HERE.

              By Hannah Symons
              Hannah Symons Administrative Coordinator