Jenni Martin

Co-Principal Investigator | Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

“I love helping people connect across their differences.”

As Director of Strategic Initiatives at Children’s Discovery Museum (CDM) of San Jose, California, with three decades in the museum field, Jenni Martin is inspired by her many years working with San Jose’s ethnic and immigrant communities. She cofounded the Cultural Competence Learning Institute (CCLI), a professional development institute for museum teams focused on equity, inclusion, accessibility and diversity, serving over 47 museums since 2013. Grounded in experiential and inquiry-based learning, Jenni has provided strategic vision and direction for major exhibition projects and programming, museum collaborations, organizational change, and museum research partnerships. She spearheaded CDM’s Latino, Vietnamese, and Autism Community Development Initiatives, including launching Common Ground, a program to facilitate dialogue and exhibit co-creation with recently emigrated families. She led the development of Actionable Insights, CCLI’s online curriculum on organizational change and inclusive practice for museums. Jenni holds a BA from Williams College and MA in curriculum studies from Stanford University.