SSLA’s VP of Events is Capt. (ret) Jennifer Espiritu, USN, a lifetime Sea  Service Leadership Association member and career Navy physician. Her  involvement with SSLA started in 2013, with the advent of the Norfolk Navy  Lean-In circle led by SSLA President, CAPT Emily Bassett.

Jennifer is currently the Chief of Public Health at Tripler Army Medical Center as a Defense Health  Agency civilian. An alumna of the University of California at Berkeley, she commissioned to attend medical school at the Uniformed Services University  in Bethesda, MD. Jennifer is a second-generation Navy flight surgeon, trained in preventive medicine at UNC Hospitals and completed a fellowship with the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an Epidemic Intelligence Officer,  aka disease detective. In addition to serving as the Officer in Charge of Navy  Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit TWO, Jennifer has been assigned  to the 2nd Marine Air Wing, VAW-120, US Fleet Forces Command, and as the  OIC of a Forward Deployed Preventive Medicine Unit with US Central  Command during OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. Jennifer’s final assignment on  active duty was as the Hawai’i Military Health System’s Public Health  Emergency Officer, leading military efforts to prevent and contain COVID19 in  the state of Hawai’i.

Jennifer is the current Chair of Education for the Hawaii  Pacific Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the  President of the Parent Teacher Guild at her children’s school. She lives in Hawaii with her family, and they stay busy volunteering with animal welfare  organization and with Scouting. 

Connect with her at ssla.vp.events@gmail.com.