Staff Biography
Jennifer Tucker-Tatlow, MSW
CEO
jttatlow@sdsu.edu
(619) 594-3917
Jennifer Tucker-Tatlow is the Chief Executive Officer of the Academy for Professional Excellence. She has a Masters of Social Work with an emphasis in Administration. She has over 25 years experience working in the health and human services field and has worked in training and organization development for the past 20 years. She currently has leadership and oversight for all Academy programs — the Responsive Integrated Health Solutions (RIHS), formerly BHETA, the Child Welfare Development Services (CWDS), formerly PCWTA, Leaders in Action (LIA), Adult Protective Services Workforce Innovations (APSWI), the Southern Area Consortium of Human Services (SACHS), the Tribal STAR – and for the Academy’s Organization Development and Business Operations activities. She is also the point person for the Academy’s consulting activities.
Jennifer is driven by a desire to create an organizational culture that fosters creativity and connection among her Team as they strive to provide exceptional workforce development services to our health and human service agency partners.
Learn more about Jennifer:
When did you join the Academy, and what was your position when you first joined?
I joined the Academy in July of 2000 as a Program Specialist to do research (workforce study) and curriculum development.
How has working at the Academy revolutionized your career and/or your life?
I have always known I wanted to work in a helping profession and initially thought this would be as a clinician. Then I discovered social work and social work administration in particular, and I found my love.
Working at the Academy in various capacities over the past two decades has provided me the opportunity to grow and develop as a professional, but also has allowed me to connect with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of individuals who share my commitment for serving others and who are working to ensure the world is a healthier place.
I have enjoyed the ongoing opportunity to collaborate with my Academy staff and our partners to create learning experiences that transform the heart, mind, and practice. It seems that each and every day a new opportunity for innovation and/or partnership presents, and this is what keeps me energized and committed to this important work.
What is your favorite part of your job?
No question about it, the best part of my job is the work I do to cultivate a healthy and energizing organizational culture for my staff (and for myself).
We spend the majority of our waking hours at work, and I truly believe that if we, as leaders, can ensure our workplaces are inviting and motivating, and most importantly places where genuine connections can be made, our employees will be happier and healthier, and better equipped to support their families, friends, and the broader community…and this is what I believe it takes to make the world a healthier place.
What is a fun fact we should know about you?
I am energized by music, and I love to sing and dance (though I’m good at neither), and I will not turn down an invitation to karaoke or a dance party.
I agree that music is one of the most powerful conveners of collective joy, and as stated so profoundly by my all-time favorite author/social work researcher, Brené Brown, “Not only do moments of collective emotion remind us of what is possible between people, but they also remind us of what is true about the human spirit: We are wired for connection.”
What are your StrengthsFinder Top 5?
Achiever. Responsibility. Input. Maximizer. Discipline.