Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

Jennifer C. McDowell is the Director of Public Programs at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron, Ohio, previously overseeing the programs departments at both Cleveland Botanical Garden and Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland.  

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens is one of the most important remaining examples of an American Country Estate built during the Industrial Age at the turn of the twentieth century. Stan Hywet was home to F.A. Seiberling, co-founder of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and his family. www.stanhywet.org

A staff member since 2016, Jennifer coordinates and executes larger programs and events on the Stan Hywet estate, including collaborative programs with community partners. With a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame, Jennifer is also a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation and recipient of the Great Lakes Region Meritorious Service Award. She recently completed an extensive term on the Region’s Executive Board as Deputy Director. Jennifer is passionate about working with Ohio youth, serving as an Operations Associate for the All-Ohio State Fair Band at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus for over twenty-five years, and as an Organizational Leader in the 4-H youth development program in Lorain County where she and her husband, Andrew, reside with their two children.