Jen Grossman Leopard named as new Student Life Director

Student Affairs at James Madison University is pleased to announce Jen Grossman Leopard as the new Director for Student Life. This department consists of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Leadership Center, Student Involvement, and Off-Campus Life. Over the last year, the Student Life team has worked to become a standalone department and has shown great success. They are an integral part of the student experience here at JMU. Jen was selected from a pool of talented professionals from across the country and will be serving as the inaugural Director.  

We are excited to welcome Jen to JMU from Penn State, where she served as the Associate Director for Student Organizations within the Student Activities Office. Jen has over 15 years of experience in student engagement, programming and work with student organizations. “I was impressed with Jen from the minute I met her during her interview and felt that her passion for students and willingness to push our teams to even greater success would make her an incredible addition to the JMU family.” Dr. Miller stated. “I am confident that Jen will be the kind of leader that will take us to the next level and help elevate the newly formed Student Life team.”

Jen shared, “The opportunity to take on an inaugural role is a great honor especially for such a highly regarded institution like James Madison University. I had a wonderful and inviting experience throughout the search process. The Student Life team is clearly energetic, committed and highly motivated to provide an enriched experience for all JMU students. I'm looking forward to joining such amazing Student Affairs professionals!"

A special thank you to Kaitlin Griffith who has served as Interim Director for the last year. Kaitlin led the Student Life team through the transition of not only becoming an independent department, but also through the COVID-19 pandemic, which proved to be the most challenging year in memory. Kaitlin and the Student Life team are a group of incredibly impressive professionals who will continue to do great work on behalf of our students this year and in the years to come. They, along with Student Affairs, are excited to welcome Jen and her family to JMU and look forward to the impact they will all make on our community. 

Jen will start on Aug. 16 and her office will be on the second floor of The Union