HUNTSVILLE – Jennifer Geist is going back to school.

Geist, who served as executive director of the homeless advocacy center First Stop during three years of unprecedented growth, has been named the first advancement director at St. John Paul II Catholic High School.

Geist brings more than 25 years of experience in development, consulting, community affairs, fundraising, and nonprofit leadership to JPII. In her position, she will oversee the Advancement Office and be responsible for directing capital campaigns, planned giving programs, the school foundation, and other fundraising activities.

First Stop is a Huntsville nonprofit that works with the homeless in the community. Some of her prior places of employment were the Salvation Army, Downtown Rescue Mission, Teledyne Brown Engineering, and Huntsville Hospital Corporate Wellness.

Geist holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire and a master’s degree in behavior analysis and therapy from Southern Illinois University. She has professional certifications in finance, wellness, and human resource management.