Associate Vice Chancellor
310-794-6808
jpoulakidas@support.ucla.edu

Jennifer has dedicated the majority of her career advancing U.S. public higher education through advocacy in support of student access, affordability and success; science, research, and innovation; and internationalization and global competitiveness. After over two decades in Washington DC, Jennifer returned to her alma mater in 2019 to lead UCLA’s Government and Community Relations office which works with government officials at the federal, state and local levels as well as community leaders and partners across the greater Los Angeles region to build and maintain relationships and to represent UCLA’s positions on public policy matters.

Prior to her current role, Jennifer served as vice president for government affairs at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities where she worked closely with institutions across the United States to help give voice to issues of significance to public research universities. She also worked in the University of California’s Federal Governmental Relations office, championing UC positions in the nation’s capital for over 11 years. She was fortunate to begin her Washington career as a legislative aide to her hometown representative, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.

In 2018, Jennifer was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her advocacy contributions in support of science and engineering. She earned a BA in sociology from UCLA and an MPAff from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. She is actively engaged with many organizations as a volunteer and advocate and served on the UCLA Alumni Association board of directors from 2009 to 2013.