Jenny Betz

Overview

Jenny Betz (she/they) is a Senior Program Associate with WestEd’s Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities, leading coaching, training, and technical assistance to support clients’ efforts to assess and improve school climate and wellness, with an emphasis on equity, school safety and mental health, trauma-informed practices, SEL, inclusive curricula, community engagement, youth leadership, bias-based bullying, LGBTQ+ student and staff support, data-driven planning, and sustainability. 

Betz currently provides leadership and technical assistance on several large-scale projects, including California’s Learning Communities for School Success Program, California’s Community Engagement Initiative, the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center, and multiple Regional Educational Laboratories. Recently, Betz provided coaching, technical assistance, and subject matter expertise to the California Center for School Climate, the national Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety, California’s Office of the Surgeon General–funded Safe and Supportive Learning Environments online modules, the NIJ-funded Comprehensive School Safety Initiative with Atlanta Public Schools, the IES-funded REL West California Rural Education and Health Alliance, and SAMHSA’s Now Is the Time Technical Assistance Center. 

Before joining WestEd, Betz was the Director of Education and Youth Programs at GLSEN, a national nonprofit championing LGBTQ+ issues in K–12 schools. With more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit education sector, Betz has worked with hundreds of SEAs, LEAs, school sites, government agencies, professional associations, community organizations, and corporations across the country focusing on creating and sustaining safe, inclusive, and equitable teaching and learning environments for all. 

Education

• MA in gender/cultural studies, Simmons University 
• BA in English, St. Mary’s College of California

Select Publications

Pate, C. M., Magby, N., & Betz, J. (2024). Foundations of trauma-informed practices in education. In K. Perks (Ed.), Transformational leadership for rapid school improvement (pp. 153–163). Teachers College Press. 

Pfister, T., Magby, N., & Betz, J. (2023). Designing safe and supportive physical classroom environments: A checklist. California Center for School Climate at WestEd. 

Pate, C., Tilley-Gyado, T., & Betz, J. (2022). Connecting the brain and body to support equity work: A toolkit for education leaders. WestEd.  

Cerna, R., Stern, A., Austin, G., Betz, J., Zhang, G., & Hashmi, S. (2021). Understanding the experiences of LGBTQ high school students in California by race/ethnicity. WestEd.  

Betz, J. (2020) Community-care strategies for schools during the coronavirus crisis: Practical tips for school staff and administrators. WestEd.