Jennifer Johnson Eddy ’82

Jennifer “Jen” Johnson Eddy '82 made an impact felt at St. Lawrence University as a student, and through her hard work, creativity and generosity, she continues to make an impact today.

Jen was a French and history double major at St. Lawrence.  She donned the Scarlet and Brown with the women’s lacrosse team, performed with the Laurentian Singers, studied abroad in France, and is a sister of Kappa Kappa Gamma.  After her Commencement, she worked in corporate lending and bond sales and trading for 13 years before choosing to focus on her growing family. Jen would then attend the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and earned her Professional Chefs Certification. She worked in accounting and special events at two restaurants in Salem, MA, and has served on the board of several nonprofits in Essex County including Hospice of the North Shore, Wellspring House, Windrush Farm, Essex County Trail Association, Appleton Farms and Three Sisters Garden Project.

In 2016, Jen founded Root North Shore, a non-profit youth job-training program aimed at helping young adults create a pathway to independence through food service training and employment. By developing essential life and work-readiness skills, participants leave Root prepared for success in the workplace. Jen, among many other duties, is the organization’s board chair. When the program was suspended in March of 2020 due to COVID-19, the program model was adapted to include the development of free community meals for vulnerable North Shore residents. Now known as Community Catering, it is a permanent part of Root North Shore’s work and nearly 18,000 emergency meals have been provided since the pandemic began. 

Jen’s commitment to St. Lawrence is unwavering, as she is both a reliable supporter of the St. Lawrence Fund and an active volunteer. She has participated in SLU Connect - Boston, hosted two Women’s Initiative events, and was a Laurentian in Residence in 2017. She made a major impact to The Campaign for Every Laurentian, endowing the Jennifer Johnson Eddy ’82 Internship Fund.