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A passion for education
TPT chief operating officer draws on ICD and OLPD experiences to drive success
As the chief operating officer at Twin Cities PBS (TPT), Amina Jaafar (BS ’05, PhD ’17) has a large portfolio. She provides oversight into such areas as strategic planning, human resources, events, marketing, and lifelong learning. It was probably that latter category that truly sparked her interest in the organization.
Photo by Jairus Davis
Back when she was an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), she worked in the teacher education program and regularly referenced TPT’s programming in her classes. “Having access to high-quality content and programming that is freely available is an important resource that supports children, families, and educators,” she says. “Having been a beneficiary of TPT’s amazing work, I was very excited to join the organization to support its mission to enrich lives and strengthen our communities through the power of media.”
Jaafar’s initial plan, however, was to be a faculty member when she enrolled in the Institute of Child Development (ICD) as an undergrad. “I sought out hands-on research experiences and was fortunate to be able to work in several research laboratories during and after I graduated,” she says. “Although I chose not to pursue an academic position, I deeply appreciated my time at ICD. I regularly talk about how the training I received profoundly shaped my thinking and helped me build foundational knowledge in research that I still use in my work today.”
Jaafar received her BS in child psychology in 2005. At the time, she was very interested in learning more about mental health fields and increasing access to mental health services. “Working with some of the best and brightest minds at ICD inspired me to want to take what I was learning from a research perspective and move into practical application,” she says.
Jaafar applied to OLPD where she could study the intersections of research, mental health, and education. “This allowed me to bring my diverse interests together and explore how we come to learn information about ourselves and others and how this informs the ways we communicate and interact with one another,” she says.
After receiving her PhD in 2017, Jaafar taught courses within CEHD while also working as a leadership and strategy consultant. “This work brought together my research, teaching, and training and allowed me to find practical and effective ways to support individuals and systems who wanted to create change within their organizations,” she says.
Jaafar also held various roles at the U, including director of communications and strategic initiatives and assistant vice president. “In these roles I was responsible for departmental evaluation, strategic planning, campus climate initiatives, marketing and communications, and events,” she says. “I also worked with the University system on several communications and policy initiatives and had the privilege of getting to travel across the state meeting with leaders and students with the goal of improving campus climate.”
After several fulfilling years at the U, she left in December 2020 to join TPT, carrying with her all the skills she acquired to drive organizational effectiveness.
Amina Jaafar, far left, with TPT leaders in Washington, D.C.
“CEHD truly changed my life,” she says. “I received an amazing education that allowed me to explore several different interests while also bringing them together in a way that has greatly enhanced my career. My training across child development, psychology, and education provided me with the tools I needed to succeed as a leader. As you can see from my role now, there are threads of what I studied in several of the areas that I provide oversight for at TPT.”
Jaafar also has brought a second generation to the U. Her children attended the Shirley G. Moore Laboratory School at ICD when they were younger and her oldest is now a first-year student in the College of Science and Engineering. “He likes to say it’s a full circle moment—starting at the U as a preschooler and now returning as a college student,” she laughs.
Her children are not the only way she stays connected to the U. “I continued to serve on doctoral dissertation committees even after leaving the University because it was one way that I could support students and faculty members,” she says. “I also stay in touch with my former colleagues and students and I am always looking for ways to give back, financially and through being a champion of CEHD and all of the great work it does. I am so proud to be a CEHD Gopher!”