Proctor is a full-time analyst at the OSU Foundation while also receiving her master’s in the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion
Jenna Proctor
By Jessica Florescu, CLA Student Writer - February 5, 2025
As a graduate history student and Associate Director of Relationship Insights for the OSU Foundation, Jenna Proctor, ‘16, continues to follow her passions towards highlighting the voices of people who haven’t had their stories told. She has aspirations to give justice to the lives of those who deserve to be recognized for their perseverance and accomplishments.
“My parents instilled a love of history in me from a young age,” Proctor explained. “I grew up watching history TV shows and going on family vacations to museums and national parks, which taught me about the importance of education and a love for history.”
Proctor’s family was also highly invested in the world of music; most of her relatives were piano teachers. She started learning how to play piano in 3rd grade and still continues to incorporate her love of music into many aspects of her life. By the end of her high school career, Proctor had already made outstanding academic progress in addition to playing French horn in her school’s marching band.
Following graduation, she decided to take a gap year to attend a theology program in Lancashire, England.
Proctor shared, “The gap year was incredibly beneficial for me. I was able to find clarity for my education moving forward. It wasn’t always easy to live with 160 people from around the world, and getting to know people with different cultural backgrounds was both challenging and rewarding, but looking back, it prepared me for college success.”
Proctor spent her first two years at OSU in the University Exploratory Studies Program, as well as minoring in piano performance. After taking classes in forestry, fisheries and wildlife, psychology, geography and more, Proctor eventually chose history as her major.
She was also a student in OSU’s Honors College, which meant that additional requirements were added to the standard history thesis needed for her major. With the guidance help from her capstone mentor, Ben Mutschler, she began conducting research about the history of liberal arts curriculum at OSU, when she came across plans for a large music hall that was supposed to be built on OSU’s campus in the 1970’s.
“The Great Hall, a predecessor to PRAx, was the first project that the newfound OSU Foundation tackled,” stated Proctor. “This would have been a huge transition to valuing and prioritizing the arts in a land-grant, STEM-focused institution.”
Ultimately, the Great Hall never came to be due to a combination of factors according to Proctor, including OSU’s leadership and donor base who were hesitant to invest in arts and culture programming, as well as a struggling national economy.
The College of Liberal Arts highly valued the significance of Proctor’s research, and she was awarded undergraduate researcher of the year by both CLA and OSU Libraries. Additionally, she was given the opportunity to present her thesis at aOSU Foundation’s Board of Trustees’ meeting.
“Research in relation to the arts is so deserving of recognition, but it tends to be overlooked fairly often,” Proctor explained. “My thesis gave me an opportunity to combine my two passions of music and history into one piece of work. I’m very proud that my research was still recognized for its historical importance.”
Proctor looked to enter into the museum world, hoping to be a curator. She interned at the Benton County Museum while a student, but ultimately couldn’t find a full-time role in a museum setting after graduating. Her undergraduate mentor, Associate Professor of History Ben Mutschlar, suggested that she apply for a research analyst role at the OSU Foundation. Now, after almost ten years, Proctor is associate director of relationship insights, leading donor prospect research and data analysis.
Proctor’s primary responsibility for the OSU Foundation is translating complex data sets that posit takeaways to guide decision making. In addition to prospect research, she recommends fundraising strategies, bridging the gap between fundraising and data analytics.
In 2020, wanting to continue to conduct research, Proctor joined the first cohort of the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion master’s in history program. Working full-time and in the program part-time, Proctor’s research explores demographic changes in Oregon over time, focusing on the lived experiences of nineteenth century Indigenous and mixed-race women after Oregon’s white settlement, their marriages to French Canadian fur traders and white settlers, and how their children navigated the rapidly changing Salem-region. Proctor is tracing the journeys of three sisters who grew up in a Methodist orphanage in French Prairie, yet went on to live completely different lives.
“My goal is to piece together each of my references to paint an accurate picture of their lives,” Proctor explained. “These stories have never been told before, but it is equally important to bring justice to their past experiences.”
Proctor’s current job focused on fundraising data analytics related to fundraising is very different from the museum curator role she originally envisioned or the history track that she’s on now.
“I ended up loving my position at the OSU Foundation, and I’m still here 8 years after being hired,” Proctor said. I’ve learned to keep pursuing my interests, but to also be open to any opportunity that presents itself. I want to highlight voices in the world of history. Regardless of my specific career, I’ve realized that I don’t need to be a practicing historian to use diverse stories to advance the field.”
Having a solid plan laid out for her life is more comfortable for Proctor, but college has also taught her that it is okay to not have everything figured out. She advises students to be open to exploring different career options throughout their time in college, so that they are able to find something they really love doing. Proctor believes that her liberal arts background gave her critical thinking skills that are transferable to many different fields, and she is grateful for her current job position.
Proctor is very appreciative of everything that she has learned through her degree within the College of Liberal Arts, and strongly believes in the importance of pursuing the things that you are passionate about. She expressed, “Much more enjoyable experiences come from striving towards something that you love, so don’t be afraid to take the time to find the right path for you.”