Jennifer Lava lives in Austin, Texas, where she worked for years in retail and administrative positions in both the public and private sectors. Some of these jobs included working for the State of Texas, local real estate developers, and a custom frame shop. These positions taught her about customer service, records retention, preserving art and memorabilia, and what kept her most on her toes was working with people with demanding standards.
Jennifer has been researching her own family’s history using Ancestry.com since 2009. However, her interest in this research began in elementary school when her class did a unit on family trees. Her interest evolved further in college, where she majored in history and took a course in doing family history research.
Before starting her organizing business, her career experiences also contributed to Jennifer’s passion for history and saving precious memories. She worked for the Texas State Preservation Board, where she could help preserve the history and artifacts of the State Capitol Building and the Texas State History Museum. Later she worked in a custom frame shop, assisting people in preserving and displaying their art and memorabilia.
From all her working experiences, she realized that “the other duties as assigned” were the ones she liked the best. So, in 2006, Jennifer turned it into her own business. She works with creative and not-so-creative people who are ready for a one-of-a-kind organizing system for their home or office that reflects their uniqueness. She also speaks to women’s groups, civic organizations, and others ready to make something great happen in their work and life.
Jennifer is a Past President of the Austin Chapter of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO) and has held many roles over the years. In 2012, she was presented the NAPO-Austin President’s Award for Exemplary Service to the Chapter. In 2015, Jennifer was presented with the NAPO National President’s Award as a Marketing Committee member. Along with serving on the NAPO National Membership Committee, she is proud to be a member of NAPO’s Golden Circle, signifying an elevated organizing experience level. Jennifer continues her education with advanced classes as a subscriber to the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD). She is an Evernote Certified Expert and a Certified Virtual Professional Organizer. She also belongs to the Texas State Historical Association. In May of 2016, she was selected as a “10 Best Professional Organizer” in Austin by Spare Foot Moving Guides. For Seven years in a row, Jennifer was chosen as a “23 Best Home Organizer” in Austin by Expertise.com.
She is honored to have been quoted in several magazines and blogs, including Good Housekeeping, Consumer Reports, and Family Circle magazines.
Jennifer has a bachelor’s degree in History from St. Edward’s University. She started going to college to be a teacher but instead, her classroom is people’s homes, offices, and studios. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys learning even more about history, working on craft projects, and spending time with her husband, Jay, and their four-legged children, Josie, Taco, and Nacho.