Jennifer Siebel Newsom is a filmmaker, advocate, actress, the wife of California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, and a mother.
Jennifer is, above all, committed to the empowerment of women and girls. She is the writer, director and producer of the celebrated documentary film Miss Representation, which explores how mainstream media directly contributes to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence via its cultivation of limiting and disparaging portrayals of women.
In January, 2011, Miss Representation premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews and sold-out theaters. The film was quickly acquired by OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, to be broadcast in October, 2011. In addition to the broadcast, Miss Representation will serve as the centerpiece for a global social action campaign that will formally launch in the Summer of 2011 at MissRepresentation.org.
Jennifer was born on June 19, 1974, to Judy and Ken Siebel in San Francisco, California. She became the eldest of four sisters after her older sister, Stacey, died in an accident when they were both young girls. Jennifer was raised in Marin County, California and spent her summers exploring wildlife and riding horses in Montana. She attended Ross Grammar School and later The Branson School, where she excelled as a varsity athlete in tennis, basketball and soccer.
Jennifer attended Stanford University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in 1996 and a Master’s of Business Administration in 2001, both with honors. Her undergraduate studies focused on Third World Development and Conservation Policy. Outside of the classroom she played on the Stanford University Soccer team and was a starter on the Junior National Soccer team, though a back injury ultimately ended her competitive sports career. Jennifer took her studies further by working in Africa, Latin America, and Europe on assignments with Conservation International, a global environmental organization, where her primary focus was providing micro-enterprise opportunities to women and working with indigenous communities on environmental best practices.
Upon graduation, Jennifer followed her passion for the arts and pursued acting. Moving to Los Angeles she landed roles in film, television, and theater including In the Valley of Elah, Rent, Something’s Gotta Give, Nanny Express, The Glades, Mad Men, Life, Numb3rs, Trauma and Strong Medicine.
While in Hollywood, she also founded Girls’ Club Entertainment LLC, an umbrella entertainment company to develop and produce independent films with strong social, political, and cultural significance, focused on empowering women.
In the summer of 2008, Jennifer married Gavin Newsom, then Mayor of San Francisco. Having returned to the Bay Area, she began fulfilling her many duties as the First Lady of San Francisco. Jennifer’s primary focus was supporting organizations and causes that empower women and girls.
In May 2010, Jennifer partnered with the Professional Business Women of California to create The First Lady’s Young Women’s Summit. The Summit was designed to educate young women about media literacy, introduce them to successful women mentors, and instill confidence in them to pursue their true passions.
On November 2, 2010, Gavin was elected Lieutenant Governor of California.
Jennifer and Gavin are the proud parents of Montana Tessa Siebel Newsom (born September 2009) and Hunter Siebel Newsom (born June 2011). They reside in the California Bay Area.
