Jenifer Asher-Mensi, President / CEO

Connections, Inc. was founded in the fall of 1998 by Jenifer Asher who continues to function as the Chief Executive Officer of the agency. Jenifer has been a friend and support professional to persons with disabilities and/or mental health issues for over twenty years. Her primary interests and professional experiences have been in supporting children and adults with significant behavioral issues due to autism spectrum disorders and youth with post traumatic stress experiences.  Jenifer is recognized as a passionate advocate for those she serves and was past President of the Central Indiana Autism Society of America, an invited member of the Governor’s Children at Risk Task Force and serves on many advisory committees related to children’s mental health.  She has also received awards and merits of appreciation for her service and contributions to children by Camp Awareness, the National Campaign for Tolerance, and the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.  For her leadership in business, Jenifer was honored in the past by the Indianapolis Business Journal as having one of the largest women owned businesses in Central Indiana.  She was also grateful to be nominated for the Mayor of Indianapolis’ Diversity in Employment award.

Jenifer has worked primarily in the State of Indiana but also throughout Western Europe for most of her career.  She is fluent in French and is “slowly” learning Arabic.  Jenifer completed Bachelors degrees from Purdue University in biology and secondary science education.  On a more personal note, her interests include traveling, cycling, SCUBA diving, and taking care of her many pets. She also volunteers part time at the Indianapolis Zoo as a Marine Mammal Keeper and is an active member of the American Red Cross Local Disaster Response Team.  She and her husband, Hazem, live in Indianapolis but enjoy traveling to North Africa to visit his family, spend time on the beaches, and go shopping in the souks!!