Photo from NCC press release
Jennifer Isaac, Story Arts of Minnesota board member, passed away on October 13, 2019, not long after receiving a diagnosis of cancer. We miss her very much and remember her strong contributions to our mission of promoting storytelling and supporting tellers.
Jennifer was a faculty member in the Communication Department at Normandale Community College for 19 years. She was a champion for global studies, serving many years on the college’s global studies committee and advising the international travel student club. She was the driving force behind Normandale’s partnership with Story Arts of Minnesota to produce an all-day festival, “Storytelling for Changing Times,” in 2018 and was an award-winning storyteller herself. She appreciated how storytelling connects people by helping them understand both their own and others’ cultures. And because of this, she was one of the co-founders of the Human Library project at Normandale. Above all, she was a teacher who inspired her students to wander with wonder. Jennifer’s boundless energy, focus on student enrichment, and soulfulness will be missed.
SAM board member Chelley McLear described Jennifer: “She was a warm, wonderful woman with a great sense of humour and mischief. She was a doer. She was driven and interested and interesting.” All of us who were privileged to work on SAM projects with Jennifer share in the grief of her family, teaching colleagues, and many friends.