Jennifer Barnhill

Jennifer Barnhill, MPA, is a columnist, a freelance journalist and researcher, and the host of Military Dinner Table Conversations, a monthly reverse town hall elevating the stories of military families. She was named the 2025 Armed Forces Insurance Navy Spouse of the Year and is a 2023 Bush Institute Stand-To Veteran Leadership Scholar. Her reporting on military family policy has appeared on CNN and informed discussions on Capitol Hill, and her research has been cited by the White House, featured by NPR, and presented before Congress. Drawing on her lived experience navigating the military ecosystem, Jennifer uncovers how policies affect families in practice. Her debut book, The Military Stories You’ve Been Told and the Ones You Need to Hear, challenges readers to reconsider what they know about military life by listening to the often-hidden voices of military families.