Jenna Barnes

Jenna brings programmatic leadership to MDC in the area of Early Childhood. Her primary focus is leading MDC’s work on the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust’s Great Expectations initiative, which works to ensure that children in Forsyth County, NC, enter kindergarten ready to learn and leave set for success in school and life. Jenna brings expertise in capacity building, implementation science, program development and delivery, and early childhood systems. 

Prior to joining MDC, Jenna worked as an Implementation Specialist and Assistant Director of Operations at the Impact Center at Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, on a statewide implementation support initiative to scale the Triple P Positive Parenting Program system of interventions. Jenna also brings experience from her work at NC State University, where she supported the development and implementation of a teen parenting program; the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education, where she provided programmatic and administrative oversight to Child Care and Development Fund quality initiatives; and Bluegrass.org, where she worked as an intensive treatment behavioral health clinician to support children and families in home and school settings. 

Jenna holds a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology from the University of Louisville and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Kentucky. She has also completed graduate coursework in Nonprofit Management at NC State University.