Jen Braaten Joins the Denver Service Center as a Contracting Specialist

Jen and Layla the Weimaraner overlooking Mather Gorge of the Potomac River at Great Falls Park, McLean, Virginia.

Hailing from the Midwest plains, I attended college within the soybean league, not to be confused with the Ivy League of the east coast. My undergrad is in journalism, and I served as a newspaper reporter for 6 months before making the switch to marketing and sales. I looked forward to eating again.

The highlight of that experience was joining a refueling mission aboard a KC-135 tanker. Lying on the glass of the belly of a 1968 metal bird and watching the specialist complete the mid-air refuel of a F-16 Thunderbird gave me appreciation to focused attention and disciplined training.

Marketing and sales taught me a lot about how to talk to people and the issues small businesses face. The industries that I represented along the way were print, radio, farm, and liquor. The last one was a lot of fun, but not very rewarding.

New challenges led me out of John Steinbeck’s beloved Great Plains and eastward to the Nation’s capital. With a Master of Business Administration in tow, I began federal service as a contracting specialist supporting the Defense Department three years ago. One of my biggest accomplishments during this time was being able to exit the subway system and immediately head the right direction in downtown D.C.

I began to tire of concrete and missed Midwest “nice.” It was the announcement of the Great American Outdoors Act that piqued my interest in the National Park Service (NPS), along with a long- standing love affair with the outdoors.

My emphasis as a contracting specialist was in construction, which I greatly enjoyed and wished to maintain, so the contracting specialist position at Denver Service Center (DSC) was a perfect match. Despite the 2000-mile trek to call Colorado home, it was worth the drive through the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains on a calm, crisp, clear morning in December just after a snowstorm that left the trees in hoar frost and hillsides fleece white.

My task is to the help the Northeast Region and learn from the experienced staff. It’s an honor to promote growth, sustainability, and accessibility to this region’s landmarks, hallowed ground, and inspirational characters. Truth be told, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, and the stand at Stonewall are heroic icons and moments in history I hold dear; I’d do that work for free, but I still like to eat.