Jennifer is a parent, volunteer, and educator. With nearly 10 years of teaching experience in the GUSD and now as a parent to 3 GUSD students, Jennifer has a full range of experiences in the school district. She is finishing up her first term as a GUSD Board Member and looks forward to working towards improved mental health services and a wide range of college and career programming options for all students. 

Education is the key to leveling the playing field for all students. Quality public education allows students to truly excel to their fullest abilities. It is the role of the public school to facilitate, not impede, that process. 

I have been a part of the Glendale community my entire life and I am proud to be a successful product of the Glendale Unified School District. I attended Mountain Avenue Elementary, Rosemont Middle, and Crescenta Valley High. I previously served on the GUSD School Board as the Student Board Member. I also served for four years on the Associated Student Body at Crescenta Valley High School, and was a founding member and President of the Crescenta Valley Youth Town Council.

From an early age, I knew I would dedicate my life to public service. I have spent the last decade putting that dream into action. After my time in GUSD schools, I attended the University of California, Los Angeles, majoring in Political Science, International Development Studies, and German. I have been on the front lines as a classroom teacher for the past two years and will soon finish my Master’s in Education at Loyola Marymount University with an emphasis in Policy and Administration. 

I will bring a fresh, current perspective, innovative ideas, and a critical eye for fiscal responsibility to the board, while advocating for the needs of students, parents, guardians, and teachers.

Education is woven into the very heart of my family. My parents met teaching at the same school. My grandmother was a former teacher and assistant principal in Glendale Unified. Both my older sister and I work in schools, and our younger siblings are keen to follow. School has never been a place that the McCreary children dread; rather, it is our second home.

Education is the silver bullet. When we fund and value education, we invest in the future. You can walk into GUSD classrooms and meet future presidents, future cancer researchers, future therapists, future artists, future coders, and everything in between. We owe it to our kids to invest in their education, and I plan to do that as the GUSD Board Member for the Crescenta Valley. 

I have witnessed firsthand how educational disparities determine our children’s futures. GUSD schools have not reached their level of excellence by sheer luck. Decades of committed community members built this system for future generations. I plan to take up the mantle and carry on the good work to ensure this standard of excellence is not lost.