Jennifer Quinn

Jennifer Quinn is a professor of mathematics at the University of Washington Tacoma. She earned her BA, MS, and PhD from Williams College, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Wisconsin, respectively.  Her first academic position was at Occidental College, where she rose through the ranks to full professor and chaired the department. At UW Tacoma, she has helped build a mathematics curriculum on the expanding campus, served four years as Associate Director for Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, and stepped in as Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs when needed.

Committed to making mathematics accessible, appreciated, and humane, Quinn serves on the STEAM Learning Collaborative Action Network, part of the Foundation for Tacoma Students, whose goal is to expand interest, experience, and success in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics for all Tacoma students—particularly girls, students of color, and those impacted by poverty. During the pandemic, the #TacomaMath workgroup of the STEAM Learning network created grade specific math quests (electronic and printed) and chalked puzzles outdoors to create a culture of love for math in the community. Also in response to the pandemic, Quinn began the blog Math in the Time of Corona (https://mathinthetimeofcorona.wordpress.com/)  where she chronicles her experiences on emergency remote teaching of mathematics, maintaining humanity, and building community in isolation.  

Quinn has held many positions of national leadership in mathematics including Executive Director of the Association for Women in Mathematics and previously for the MAA: co-editor of Math Horizons, Second Vice President, Chair of the Council on Publications, and Officer-at-Large on the Board of Directors. She received a 2007 Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching and a 2006 Beckenbach Book award for Proofs That Really Count: The Art of Combinatorial Proof, co-authored with Arthur Benjamin.  As a combinatorial scholar, Jenny thinks that beautiful proofs are as much art as science. Simplicity, elegance, transparency, and fun should be the driving principles. She strives to bring this same ethic to her classroom, administrative work, and professional service.