MEDIA, Pa. — Jennifer Green joined Penn State Brandywine as an adjunct instructor of criminology in August. She received her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Widener University and her master’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Joseph’s University. After working in the Delaware County criminal justice system for more than 25 years, Green is looking forward to connecting with her students and getting them involved in the Penn State community.
Brandywine: What courses are you teaching this semester?
Green: I’m teaching Criminology (CRIM 12) and Introduction to Criminal Justice (CRIMJ 100) this semester.
Brandywine: What made you interested in teaching at Penn State Brandywine?
Green: I come from a big Penn State family; many of my family members went to Penn State. My parents met at Penn State Delaware County in the 1960s, which is why it’s sentimental to me. My mom passed in May of 2023, and my dad passed in November of 2024, so this campus is very nostalgic for me and helps me feel connected to them. I feel like I was meant to teach here.
Brandywine: What is your background and previous experience?
Green: I feel like I’ve worked in every section of criminal justice throughout the years. I started out interning for the Delaware County Public Defender’s office when I was in college. Then I worked in the district attorney’s office and worked in the special victim’s unit as a trial coordinator in the protection from abuse order court. Then I went to the juvenile probation office where I was a juvenile probation officer, and I eventually moved into an adult probation and parole officer role. I just retired from there this past June.
Brandywine: What made you interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice?
Green: My family has always been involved in the criminal justice world; my uncle is a judge, my cousins are lawyers, and my mom was involved as a victim advocate in domestic violence, so I feel like it was always surrounding me. I started out as a political science major, and I decided to switch to a criminal justice major because I wanted to find out what makes people tick in that realm.
Brandywine: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Green: I own and teach at a yoga studio in Havertown called East Eagle Yoga. I also teach yoga teachers how to teach. Besides that, I have two daughters and three grandchildren — ages eight, two and seven months — so they keep me busy, along with my two dogs. I like to travel as well. In the beginning of the summer, I went on a yoga retreat to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
Brandywine: Do you have anything else you would like to add or anything you’d like people to know about you?
Green: I’m very approachable, and I love being involved. Once I step in, I have both feet in, so I’m excited to start this journey at Penn State Brandywine. I like to teach my classes the same way as one of my graduate professors, which is in a circle-style. It creates such amazing dialogue, and it really connects you to people in a way other classes don’t.