Jennifer Samuels

Threshold Choir Executive Director
Portland, OR

I grew up in a college town in Northern California, and after undergraduate studies, began my career as a high school choir and band director. After moving to Portland, OR and earning a graduate degree in English, I began my nearly 30-year career working in the non-profit field. Focusing on arts and education, I’ve worked at the Oregon Symphony, Lewis & Clark College, the Portland Schools Foundation, Oregon Ballet Theater, a free store for teachers, a chamber music ensemble, and just wrapped up a 14-year tenure as Executive Director at an early literacy organization. During my time at the literacy organization, we grew the budget from $175,000 to over $2.5 million, and increased service by 1,800%.

Outside of my day jobs, I do a lot of volunteer work and have served on multiple boards; I’m currently on the Internal Audit Performance Review Committee of my local school district. I’m the proud mom of two kids: Ethan, a software engineer who lives in Portland with his wife, Laura, and Ruby, who is a junior at the University of Oregon, studying to be a bilingual elementary teacher (and is a dedicated choral singer). I enjoy reading, hiking, thrift shopping, and spending time with my partner, Mark, who is also my bridge partner.