Woman of the Week – Jennifer Fountain

Each week, we feature a fantastic new woman we think you should know. Some of these women are clients, some are friends, some are women we’ve only just met. But they all have this in common: they are dynamic, interesting gals who have agreed to share with us their insights and secrets to success.

Jennifer Fountain

My Current Job/Company:
Fundraiser for OhioHealth

My Birthdate:
11.24.71

My Work:
I pair people who care with projects that empower.  My job is to make the match between generous donors with a passion for giving and grateful hospitals with a concern for our community’s well being.  I feel privileged to work in the field of healthcare philanthropy, where every dollar raised can directly impact someone’s quality of life.

My Passion:
Being passionate!  I’m all about loving what you love.  Why not?  Someone once told me you only go around once so why not roll down the windows while you crank up the AC?

My Family:
John (6th grade dance partner and husband of 7 years), Stella (5-year-old super charged daughter), and Crosby (2-year-old sweetie pie son).

My Heroes:
Anyone with moxie, mojo and dogged determination, as best exemplified by Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind.  I’m also a big fan of those with grace and poise, like Grace Kelly, who I wish to emulate.

My Escape:
Anywhere in the great state of Maine.

My Pet Peeves:
Slow drivers in the passing lane, the incredibly loud volume of today’s TV commercials, and sharing food.

My Indulgence:
Buttery Chardonnay and Swedish Fish.

My Roots:
I’m a hybrid between my parents, each having shaped who I am today.  My upbringing includes:  a hard-working YWCA Woman of Achievement award winner; an artsy, nature-loving architect; and, the most patient industrial engineer/part-time professor who dared to teach me my multiplication tables and how to drive stick shift.

My Future:
Fabulously undefined.

My Love(s):
Bruce Springsteen and Billie Holiday.  Music moves me.  These are two of the best because they sing from the soul.

My Movie:
The Usual Suspects, the 1995 cult classic about mysterious mob boss Keyser Söze, with Kevin Spacey.  My favorite flicks are those that pull the rug out from underneath you and make you question everything you’ve understood to be true.  I love a good conspiracy theory.

My Quote on Life:
“Leave it better than you found it.  Make sure all your actions and avenues are based in betterment.”

My Accessory:
Scarves…..they serve as a deflector shield and a power cape all in one.

My Advice to Young Women:
Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know.  Be aggressive to go gain the knowledge needed to do your job.  But understand that from then on, there are no excuses for not knowing the answers.

How I Balance it All:
I don’t— it’s not possible.  No one person can do it all.  I learned a long time ago that running with all pistons firing only leads to major crash-n-burns.  These days I try to be present wherever I am.  You have to learn how to drop the guilty mom feeling when you have an evening work event and can’t be home.  On the weekend, you have to leave the BlackBerry in the bottom of the briefcase and let the emails go unattended during family time.  It’s the only way to stay sane. That and a wonderful husband who loves to cook!