Jaclyn moved to West Asheville with her husband in 2015 where they are now raising two young children and finding meaningful ways to engage in the Asheville community.

Jaclyn is a Family Nurse Practitioner and a Doctor of Nursing Practice. She currently works at Western Carolina University as the Director of the Family Nurse Practitioner Program and has started a global health clinical experience for nursing students to Honduras. She previously worked at Federally Qualified Health Centers both in the rural community of Palmetto, GA and here in Asheville. She comes from a background in public health nursing and promoting health and wellness for diverse populations. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana from 2008-2010, she worked to reduce mother to child transmission of HIV, through youth development and addressing the upstream factors that often perpetuate HIV transmission.

For her, international travel and service has truly sculpted her life and been instrumental in skill, character and resiliency building. Growing up in Baltimore, she mentored inner city youth and witnessed time and again the benefits of exposure and opportunities to explore a world outside of the one you were born into, and how that can make a profound impact on youth, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. She is passionate about the mission of Elevated Up & Out and hopes to facilitate opportunities for other youth to learn from the world and those living in it, regardless of their background.

Aside from her professional interests, Jaclyn enjoys many adventures in the outdoors, entertaining friends, listening to live music, and travelling to explore new places and cultures.