AAA Academy

Jennifer McArthur,
Assistant Director

Jennifer McArthur always knew she would serve the public. As a very young girl she worked in her families catering business. She always had her hands in the pot.

Jennifer attended Washburn Trade School (Chicago) for her Culinary Degree as a Certified Chef. Jennifer worked in many positions in the kitchen while she was attending school. She started working at Illinois Masonic Hospital as a food service Manager. She enjoyed working with patients and decided to go back to school for her Associate Degree in Hospitality Management at Kendall College (Chicago).

As Director of food service at Swedish Covenant Hospital she worked closely with the dietitian, to assure patient satisfaction. She implemented a program called Plane Tree. The program was designed to bring comfort to patients. She thought Patients should feel at home. Jennifer trained her staff to prepare fresh bread and cookies on the patient's floors. At Swedish Covenant Hospital she worked in a very diverse community and she catered to the community by serving Thai, Mexican and Chinese foods. Jennifer McArthur received many awards for efforts to make a difference.

A person who needs to be a part of something Larger than herself she started working with Chicago Public Schools. After watching the news about how unsafe CPS buildings were, she knew she could make a difference. As district manager she worked with building inspectors and dining Supervisors, assuring that all of her buildings were in compliance of building codes. She trained principals, teachers, custodian workers and Kitchen aides on how to keep a safe, clean, and clutter free building. Jennifer was nominated all five years she spent with CPS for Employee of the year.

Keeping with her motto, being a part of something bigger than herself, she started working with AAA Academy as the Assistant Director.

"Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential." Barack Obama