Presenter Bio - Jennifer “Jenny” Reichart

Jennifer “Jenny” Reichart currently serves as the President of Watercolor Consulting an innovative higher education consulting firm to work with executive leaders to create policies and practices that improve access, efficiency, equity, productivity, and belonging. She was most recently the Executive Director of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Belonging at Richland Community College in Decatur, Illinois.

Jenny is a nationally recognized Holmes Scholar, published author, celebrated speaker, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leader.  She has worked for over fifteen years in higher education.  She is known for her expertise in faculty development, diversity initiatives, digital badging, and micro-credentialing programs.  During her time as the Faculty Development Specialist and Academic Coach in the Teaching Transformation ad Development Academy at the University of North Dakota, she built the multiple digital badging and micro-credentialing programs for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, multiple diversity programs, and faculty and staff development. 

Most recently, she has been examining the value and benefit of micro-credentials for rural, low-income non-traditional college students. Her research examines complex equity problems affecting underserved students using design and systems thinking.  As a practitioner, she has served as a counselor and community leader creating open pathways to, from, and within higher education.  She is an expert in trauma-informed/resilience-focused instruction, a trailblazer in faculty and student self-care practices, and a certified emotional intelligence life coach in higher education executive leadership.