JENNIFER LYNN ROBINSON portrait
  • Associate Director, Gardner Policy Institute
  • Adjunct Assistant Professor, Political Science Department

Education

  • PhD, Political Science, The University of Utah. Project: Empowerment of American Indians and the Effect on Political Participation
  • Master of Public Administration, Political Science, University of Utah
  • Certificate of Leader Development, National Security Seminar, US Army War College

Biography

Jennifer Robinson is the associate director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. With a solid commitment to both scholarship and practice, Dr. Robinson works to ensure that research contributes to informed public policy.

In addition to her administrative duties, Dr. Robinson leads research projects on a variety of topics utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Notable recent projects include a three-state study evaluating the satisfaction of online services available through state government websites, an employee satisfaction survey for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office and studies on the economic value of vocational rehabilitation for the state of Utah. She has served for 10 years on the University of Utah Veteran’s Day Committee, is a member of the Salt Lake Chamber’s Capitol Club and serves on the St. Paul’s Preschool’s Board of Directors. In 2014, Governor Herbert appointed Dr. Robinson to the Utah Women in the Economy Commission.

Dr. Robinson is the co-author of two books: “Native Vote: American Indians, the Voting Rights Act, and the Right to Vote (Cambridge University Press, 2007) and “The Rise of the West in Presidential Elections” (University of Utah 2010). Dr. Robinson is also the published author of numerous book chapters and journal articles on voting rights, legal issues in higher education and public administration.

Dr. Robinson earned her B.S. in Political Science, Master of Public Administration and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Utah. In 2014 she was invited to participate in the National Security Strategy Seminar at the U.S. Army War College and received a Certificate of Leader Development. Prior to her work at the University of Utah Dr. Robinson worked for the Utah House of Representatives.