Jena Lee Nardella

DIRECTOR OF THE ACCELERATION PROGRAM

Based in Accra, Ghana

Jena serves as Director of the Acceleration Program at Dovetail Impact Foundation, where she provides strategic leadership and stewardship of the Foundation’s flagship accelerator for early-stage, locally led organizations across Africa. Prior to Dovetail, Jena spent seven years as Partner for the Nonprofit Portfolio at Praxis,  as a primary coach to more than 100 Fellows across six cohorts. Earlier in her career, Jena co-founded Blood:Water alongside the band Jars of Clay and served as its Executive Director.

Over the past 20 years, Jena has led and advised from multiple seats across the nonprofit and philanthropic landscape, and she finds deep synergy at the intersection of both. Jena holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Studies from Whitworth University and is originally from California and Colorado. She and her husband, James, have two children and live in Accra, Ghana. Come to Jena for conversations about mountains, live music, the art of gathering, and padel (the fastest-growing sport around the world).