Giving feels good: Jeff and Jen Pelletier

A shared passion for educating young people and building community inspires the Pelletiers to give back.

As alumni, staff members and a couple who met and married on campus, Jeff and Jen Pelletier have strong connections to Ohio State. Jeff, director of the Ohio Union and student activities, and Jen, a talent management consultant, both earned master’s degrees here and have worked for the university for more than 20 years, while donating to numerous campus causes even longer.

“Jeff and I worked in the Ohio Union before, during and after construction of the current building, and we knew that we wanted to make a gift to the Union,” says Jen. “It was such a big part of our story and our professional pathways.” Jeff adds, “The Union is central to our careers, but also our relationship. That's where we met, and so it's always been a home base for us.”

Other causes matter to them, too. Jen shares, “What has driven some of our more recent giving are funds that directly impact students who are in a moment of need, whether during the pandemic or because of basic needs insecurity or something emergent requiring extra advocacy and support here on campus.”

The Pelletiers express gratitude for the chance to invest in others the way that they felt invested in as students. “Giving can help even if you don't see it firsthand,” Jeff says. “Just know that those funds can make an impact on students who you may never interact with directly, but who will benefit from what you're able to do.”

“What has driven some of our more recent giving are funds that directly impact students who are in a moment of need, whether during the pandemic or because of basic needs insecurity or something emergent requiring extra advocacy and support here on campus.” - Jen Pelletier