St. John Paul II Catholic High School (JPII) in Huntsville recently announced the addition of Jennifer Geist as the school's first advancement director. Geist joins the school with more than 25 years of experience in development, consulting, community affairs, fundraising, and nonprofit leadership. In her new position, Geist will oversee the Advancement Office and be responsible for directing future capital campaigns, planned giving programs, the school foundation, and other fundraising activities.  

Before joining JPII, Geist was the executive director for First Stop, Inc., a Huntsville nonprofit that works with the homeless in the community. Some of her prior places of employment were the Salvation Army, Downtown Rescue Mission, Teledyne Brown Engineering, and Huntsville Hospital Corporate Wellness. Her previous experience demonstrates her passion for helping people and the Huntsville community. She has numerous years of experience in management, professional development programs, and employee engagement while working in the corporate world. 

Geist holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire and a master’s degree in behavior analysis and therapy from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She holds many professional certifications in finance, wellness, and human resource management. Geist is a JPII alumni parent and an essential contributor to the Huntsville nonprofit world. With her JPII and will hit the ground running in June.