Jen Lara is the Tig Krekel founding director of the Center for Coaching and Mentoring at the United States Naval Academy. As a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Jen has accumulated over 1700 hours of coaching experience towards earning the Master Certified Coach designation. Jen holds two graduate degrees in education from the University of Colorado and Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in Telecommunications from Michigan State University. Prior to her work at the Naval Academy, she spent 25 years training educators and coaches at Anne Arundel Community College. There, she created the award-winning Engagement Coach Training Program – the first community college-based, ICF-accredited Level 2 coach training program in the United States. This year, she is concluding a year-long research study titled, “A Phenomenological Inquiry of Engagement Coach Training Graduates’ Perception of Their Coaching Journey and Transformation.” Before her career in higher education, Jen taught in Colorado, on the Navajo Nation, in Ecuador, and in inner-city Baltimore. Her background is rooted in experiential education, having co-led programs for organizations like Outward Bound, Camp Highlander, The Rainbow Sky Ropes Course, and the Nantahala Outdoor Center. A Florida native, Jen enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors, and traveling. Jen believes coaching has the power to transform the world.