Jen LynnDr. Jennifer Lynn

Associate Professor, Department of History, CLASS

Rigorous, demanding, and passionate are all attributes possessed by this year’s recipient of the Dr. Tasneem Khaleel Award for Mentoring Young Professional Women.

Dr. Jennifer Lynn is an accomplished Associate Professor in the Department of History. An active scholar with a demonstrated track record of successful publication and grant writing, Dr. Lynn is recognized by her peers as an excellent teacher.

Her “wholly enviable and even exceptional” university and community service is rooted in empowering women. Dr. Lynn was instrumental in officially establishing the Women’s and Gender Studies Center on campus and serves as its director, a role she has held since 2014.

Dr. Lynn has built strong connections at Montana State University Billings and in the Billings community while working tirelessly towards a goal of ending of all discrimination and promotion of equality for everyone.

One example is the partnership she formed with Zonta Club of Billings, with support from the MSUB Phoenix Center, to create a program called “16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women and Girls.” This included inviting two Montana filmmakers to screen a documentary on the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women. This was followed by a panel discussion, with guests and support from the Native American Achievement Center. She also partnered with Global Village to discuss the problem of human trafficking in Montana, inviting individuals from the Yellowstone County Area Human Trafficking Task Force to share their expertise.

In the Women’s and Gender Studies Center, she has organized lectures, events, seminars, special speakers, panel discussions on a variety of topics related to women’s health, career opportunities, elevating the image and self-esteem of women, and advancing the status of women.

It is clear to colleagues and community members alike that Dr. Lynn is passionate about uplifting women and advancing their status by examining the expectations and achievements of women on local, regional, and national levels.

“She puts a positive face forward to our community and her work with women students in particular has garnered substantial praise from a variety of sources,” a colleague noted.