Dr. Jenni Owen
Dr. Owen has been a charter school leader since 2002. Prior to her time at Urban Discovery Academy, she served as a teacher, school principal, and board member for Environmental Charter Schools in Los Angeles, an innovative school system with a unique approach to authentic student learning. Dr. Owen helped develop the high school program from the ground up and continued to contribute to the growth of the now four-school charter management organization, a progressive and award-winning institution with two highly successful middle schools and two high schools.
In addition to her accomplishments as a school leader in Los Angeles, Dr. Owen served as an adjunct professor for the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University, where she also earned an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy, and an M.S. in Education Administration. She holds a B.S. in Earth Sciences and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She continues to collaborate with other charter schools and innovative leaders throughout San Diego and Los Angeles, through nearly two decades of accreditation visits and other professional initiatives. Prior to classroom teaching, Dr. Owen led multi-day outdoor education excursions for K-12 students throughout California, and a started a garden-based science program for elementary school students in Santa Cruz, California.
Dr. Owen is ecstatic to be a part of the growing Urban Discovery team and looks forward to helping refine and systematize practices to best support real-world student learning. She is committed to experiential learning and to extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the surrounding community.
