Jennifer Evans began her career in television production at the CBS station near her hometown of Endwell, NY – first in production and later as producer for the Emmy-Award winning show “Action News for Kids.” Later, she used her passion for storytelling to produce telethons, medical updates, news features and promotions. The tragic crash of TWA Flight 800 in June 1996 which claimed the lives of youth reporter Ana Duarte Coiner and her mother Constance – a flight Jennifer would have been on for work if approved – prompted her to examine media sensationalism surrounding tragedies and led her to pivot her career path.
Jennifer enrolled at Syracuse University, where she excelled and was honored with The A. William Bluem Award as the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant in Television-Radio. In 1998, she moved to Connecticut when her husband Jim took a job at WFSB. Jennifer walked in the door at West Hartford Community Television and first learned about community-focused media. She was soon tapped to be the station’s Production Manager. Since 2008, she has served as the station’s Executive Director, building programming initiatives to connect people to all aspects of local life. In 2009, she and Pua Ford started the Connecticut Chapter of ACM. She has also served as the Connecticut Representative to the Northeast Board.
Two and a half decades and two kids later, her vow to use media to help people is realized everyday in her work. She is especially proud her efforts during times of emergency, local elections, sports programming and community celebrations. Most days people find her out and about in West Hartford – sometimes behind a camera, directing a game or dreaming up a new fundraiser.
While she has retired her water skis, she continues to find joy in life in the water and out – a good swim, a late-night pinochle game, a quest to just about anywhere and visiting her kids – JP & Genella.
