Ms. Bishop-Jenkins envisions building on the legacy of Marsy’s Law with potential amendments to the U.S. Constitution that would enhance victims rights protections for all.
POWHATAN, VA, October 30, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ — Jennifer Bishop Jenkins, MA, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Bishop-Jenkins is an accomplished teacher and administrator whose career in education spanned four decades. Her extensive experience included a 30-year tenure as a high school teacher, during which she was honored by her students for her exceptional communication skills and teaching prowess. She also garnered success as an adjunct college history teacher for over 10 years, imparting knowledge and fostering critical thinking among her students. She served on a state committee re-writing Illinois’ history teaching standards and she developed several innovative models for teaching social studies, especially noted in her teaching of gifted and AP students.
Ms. Bishop-Jenkins is highly educated. In 1979 she graduated from SMU magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in history and religious studies, with minors in astronomy, sociology, psychology and philosophy. She also garnered a Master of Arts in History from Illinois State University in 1994. In addition to her degrees, Ms. Bishop-Jenkins completed the equivalent of a second Masters with 50 additional graduate hours in educational administration, curriculum and instruction, and educational psychology.
Apart from her extensive career as a history teacher, her love for dogs has led Ms. Bishop-Jenkins to remarkable success as a pet grooming educator and host of educational seminars and publications via her Groomers Guide brand. Her notable work includes developing a class on 15 dog coat types which is now recognized as an industry standard in the U.S. and elsewhere, was published as a poster, and is being expanded into a book. The 15 Coat Types poster and upcoming book are being distributed internationally in the UK and EU, as well as Australia. Recognizing her expertise about dogs and the pet grooming sector, Ms. Bishop-Jenkins was named “Best Groomer in Chicagoland” by the Chicago Tribune in 2015. Jennifer is a columnist in a national grooming magazine and a popular pet grooming seminar speaker. Jennifer was one of the first generation of International Certified Master Groomers in the world, obtaining her CMG early in 1985.
Ms. Bishop-Jenkins’s goal has been to promote a universal understanding of how dogs should be groomed using science-based knowledge about their natural coat type, working to improve best practices in the largely unregulated pet grooming industry. Ms. Bishop-Jenkins’s journey into the pet grooming profession was fueled by her deep-rooted passion for dogs. Her upbringing with German Shepherds ultimately led her to compete in dog shows. She began showing, breeding, and grooming various breeds of dogs, and becoming an award-winning Certified Master Groomer. Her work to advance the well-being of dogs has been a testament to her genuine love and care for animals.
In addition to her professional achievements, Ms. Bishop-Jenkins has actively advocated for victims’ rights, abolition of the death penalty, and gun violence prevention. Following the tragic murders of her sister, Nancy Bishop Langert, brother-in-law Richard Langert and their unborn child in 1990, she became a prominent voice for criminal justice reform. Ms. Bishop-Jenkins served as an Illinois and Minnesota organizer for the Brady Campaign, and also as the National Program Director for Victims and Survivors at the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence where she worked with survivor families of the Virginia Tech massacre to pass the NICS Improvement Act in the U.S. Congress.
In 2010 Jennifer was selected by IWIL, the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership, where she was trained in public policy advocacy and ran for the Cook County Board. Jennifer also served on the board of the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty as a leader in the movement that ultimately led to death penalty abolition in Illinois. Her most successful campaign was as Director of Marsy’s Law for Illinois, leading the 6-year effort to amend the Illinois Constitution for enforceable crime victims’ rights. She rallied allies in the domestic violence and sexual assault communities, as well as law enforcement and civil rights leaders, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson. In November 2014 the voters of Illinois approved Article I, Section 8.1 of the Illinois Constitution, giving crime victims enforceable rights, by the highest margin ever in state history.
Ms. Bishop-Jenkins envisions building on the legacy of Marsy’s Law with potential amendments to the U.S. Constitution that would enhance victims rights protections for all.
About Marquis Who’s Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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