Jena Kleindl is a 2025-2026 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow and teaches 10th grade English and journalism at Freeport High School in Freeport, Illinois. She develops students’ 21st century communication skills. Jena is National Honor Society chapter advisor and coaches the speech team. She was named Outstanding Early Career Educator of the Year (2025) by the Illinois State Board of Education for her work creating a dual-credit media pathway at Freeport High School and is a member of the Journalism Education Association. Jena previously worked for WREX-TV, where she earned an Emmy nomination for coverage of the 2021 ChemTool fire. She obtained a BA in journalism, advertising, and media studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a master’s in biology education from Western Governor’s University. She is pursuing a master’s in communication from Eastern New Mexico University.
