13 of 31|Jenny Buechner| Madison,Wisconsin | Deaf Women Herstory Month 2020

Image Description: Selfie of a white woman with shoulder length brown hair, with a black shirt. In the background are white walls and poles, with some pink lighting. 

BIO: Jenny Buechner hails from Madison, Wisconsin. She graduated from the Wisconsin School for the Deaf in 1998 and from Gallaudet University in 2002 with a degree in Social Work. Jenny currently works as a Deaf Interpreter and Independent Consultant focusing on Deaf cultural competency, and American Sign Language. Over the years, Jenny has been involved with the community through various leadership roles and committees. In high school, she started by joining the Wisconsin Chapter of the Junior National Association of the Deaf (Jr. NAD) and later became its secretary. She participated in the 1996 Jr. NAD National Conference. Jenny also attended the National Association of the Deaf Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) in 1997. At Gallaudet University, Jenny joined the Judicial Board as a member, and later became one of the Judicial Board Coordinators providing oversight of the program and arranging hearings for students with their peers. Jenny also worked as a Peer Health Advocate in educating students on campus about healthy relationships, and taking care of themselves and their bodies, use of drugs and alcohol, and options for safe sex. Jenny also joined the Delta Epsilon Sorority and took on a leadership role as Corresponding Secretary just weeks after being initiated as a sister. Jenny also led the sorority as its President for a while before leaving graduate school. In 2008, Jenny began her journey with the Wisconsin Deaf community by chairing the 2009 Wisconsin Association of the Deaf (WAD) conference, and then became president from 2009 through 2013. During her tenure, she and the board members and volunteers raised a significant amount of money to support the organization and brought back the membership from below 100 individuals to over 400. She was awarded the NAD Golden Hand award at the 2013 WAD conference. Jenny’s passion didn’t stop then. While she was leading WAD, she also got involved with the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) as the chair for the State Association and Affiliates Committee (SAAC) from 2010 through 2014. In December 2013, Jenny was appointed by the NAD Board of Directors as a Region II Board Member through 2016. In 2016, Jenny was elected as the NAD Secretary, and is currently serving her second term in that position. While serving on the NAD Board, she served as board liaison or chair for a variety of committees. Jenny served as board president for Deaf Unity in 2015 through 2016 prior to becoming the Executive Director in 2017-2018. Jenny currently serves on the Wisconsin School for the Deaf Alumni Association Service Hall of Fame committee in recognizing WSD Alumni who have dedicated many years of exceptional