The California School-Age Consortium is proud to highlight Amy Jewett from CalSAC's Leadership Development Institute 360°/365 fellowship. Amy is a leader who has demonstrated unrivaled commitment to the field and drive for advanced leadership in the out-of-school time and early learning field.
Amy Jewett, City of San Jose, Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services - San Jose
Amy Jewett was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a quintessential Californian. Above all else, Amy is a true optimist and a lover of people, animals, and the environment. As a vegan, Amy lives her life with the intention of making choices that better those around her with the ultimate goal of leaving the planet a better place than she entered it.
Amy has an incredible zeal for learning and is on a lifelong quest for knowledge. She received her B.S. in Kinesiology with a minor in Psychology from San José State University, where she focused her education on motivating others to engage in healthy recreation throughout their whole lifespan. Her passion for altruism began in Kindergarten when she joined the Girl Scouts and continued to evolve through High School as she completed her Silver Award. Through her early exposure to volunteerism, she saw the tremendous benefit in working with others in leveraging resources to help better the community. It was this drive to help and encourage others that led to her studies in Kinesiology, and ultimately to her career with the City of San José.
She has worked in the recreation field for seven years and has been a part of the City of San José’s Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services department for the last four years. Amy began her career as a fitness instructor and is a certified Matter of Balance Coach, a certified Conductorcise instructor, and an Enhance Fitness Master Trainer. Although Amy began her career working with older adults, she has been working in the Citywide Out-of-School Time office for the past 18 months, where she focuses on developing and communicating programmatic best practices and policies, contract management, and staff trainings.
In 2017, through a grant partnership with the Bower’s Institute of the Tech Museum of Innovation, Amy attended an intensive 2-week training to become an Engineering Education Leader. As part of her responsibilities, she now trains staff on best practices for the development and implementation of engineering lessons for youth ages 5 – 17. Amy has continued her professional education in 2018 with her acceptance to CalSAC’s Leadership Development Institute, which has provided her with necessary tools and resources to increase her effectiveness as a leader.
Amy has a thirst for knowledge and loves sharing information and resources with those around her. Throughout her time working with the City of San José, her passion for improving the community has continued to grow. She is committed to being an advocate for youth by providing equitable, quality programs that are accessible to all. In her free time, Amy loves reading, exploring new places, cooking, and exercising her green thumb in her garden.
“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.”