When faced with the daunting task of trying to summarize the intrepid career of Jenny Amory, there is one theme that surfaces as a common thread: the importance of connection. Connection to place, connection to people, and connection to the natural world. Throughout her life and career, Amory has worked tirelessly to foster deep and meaningful connections between the people and places in her life. Her time as CEO of the Brookline Community Foundation (BCF) is no exception. Amory’s eight-year tenure at the organization ended this week, and she reflected on her accomplishments.

Amory joined the organization in 2012 after serving as the Executive Director for Teen Voices, an internationally recognized journalism and mentorship program for young women that Amory helped transform into the reputable organization that it is today. Having raised her children in Brookline, she was drawn to BCF because she wanted to give back to the same community that had supported her own family.

One of Amory’s first initiatives at BCF was the publication of the report Understanding Brookline, a comprehensive look at the socioeconomic trends within the Brookline community. Some of the findings were alarming. The report concluded that between 2000 and 2013, when the results were published, the poverty rate in Brookline climbed from 9 percent to 13 percent. As the cost of living was on the rise, many Brookline residents were struggling to make ends meet. The findings of this report, which are still referenced today, helped to reframe how the community approaches and addresses growing inequality and lack of access. BCF has since published two additional issues of Understanding Brookline that further explore issues of poverty and access within the town.

“This job is unusual in that no year is the same,” says Amory of her seven-year tenure at BCF. Under Amory’s leadership, BCF has grown from a small grassroots organization to a reputable and highly regarded community foundation. She oversaw the awarding of over $3.5 million in grants and helped increase the foundation’s assets by about 30 percent. While she will not be at the foundation to witness its first $1 million donation, she has paved the way for this landmark accomplishment, which she believes will occur soon. “I think it’s coming,” she says.

Being so good at her job has also made it more difficult. As BCF has gained respect and prestige within the community, the foundation has seen increasing requests for funding and faces the challenge of choosing which projects to support.  “Brookline is a community with a wealth of passionate residents,” says Amory, who has established 16 new funds at BCF, including the John Wilson MLK Fund and the BCF Scholarship Fund.

Amory also piloted the Executive Director Roundtable, a gathering of leaders from local nonprofits and town departments to collectively discuss and confront the growing needs of the Brookline community.

Amory’s passion for fostering positive connections to impact the lives of others extends beyond her work at BCF. A fervent believer in the potency of realizing moments of beauty in everyday life, Amory is a lifelong artist and is the author of the children’s book Moon Walk.

Yet visionaries must find inspiration somewhere, and Amory finds hers in young people. Her next position will be as Director of Development for RAW Art Works in Lynn, an organization that brings to life Amory’s enduring beliefs in the power of art and the tremendous importance of valuing and supporting communities of young people.

As any new chapter begets reflection, Amory is excited to return to working in young communities, and she brings with her a renewed sense of her commitment to sustainability in this next phase of her work life. She will continue to advocate not only for the preservation of the natural world, but she also aims to rekindle our human interactions by reiterating the importance of personal connection in a world that seems awash with loneliness.

Amory’s final day at BCF was on January 6, and interim CEO Frank Steinfeld will succeed her. Her accomplishments and legacy at BCF will live on throughout the Brookline community.

By Danielle Myers