
JSaunders Designs (formerly JSegal Designs) was founded by Jenna Saunders (Segal) in 2013 while she was completing her Masters of Public Health in Nutrition at UC Berkeley.
Jenna received her BA in Ecological Health from McGill University in 2008, where she focused her studies on the interrelationship between human and agricultural health. After working with farmers in Barbados and Ecuador, Jenna moved to California to continue to learn about growing and consuming fresh fruits and vegetables for optimal health. Jenna continued to pursue research in agriculture and nutrition while working on farms in Northern California and Oregon, researching native foods of the Pomo Indians, and working at farm to table restaurants along California’s coast. Prior to beginning her Masters degree at Berkeley’s School of Public Health, Jenna worked with a Bay Area non-profit for nearly three years, helping to increase access of low income families and children to farm fresh produce.
Jenna received a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition from UC Berkeley in 2014. While in the School of Public Health, she founded the Public Health Nutrition concentration’s student group, Cooking up Community, and remained active in many food related initiatives on campus after graduation. During the academic year, she served as a Graduate Student Instructor in the Nutrition Science department, and spent her summers consulting on Farm to School projects in California. Jenna recently began a consulting business and has worked with numerous school food service providers, local non-profits, community members, and government agencies, including the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Office of Farm to Fork, where she helped to connect consumers, retailers, and school food service providers to farmers throughout the State of California.
In addition, Jenna continues to work on small-scale garden and farm projects as well as create jewelry and crafts using driftwood, gold, and recycled materials. She has developed numerous jewelry items, selling through Etsy and at many festivals and art shows. Her jewelry style has developed from using primarily feathers and driftwood, to creating earrings and neckless using gold-filled metals and fine gemstones for everyday wear and weddings.
For the past decade, Jenna has worked in a variety of roles across the United States Department of Agriculture and has administered, designed and managed a variety of programs on Farm to School, Urban Agriculture, Local and Regional Food Systems, Food Policy Councils, and more! She is an expert in strategic planning, community-based participatory design, program planning, grants management, and agricultural business development strategies.
In her free time, you can find Jenna in the garden, foraging for wild mushrooms, or designing unique crafts using found, upcycled, and foraged materials.