Jennifer Purcell, J.D.

As a self-described polar bear with an affinity for cold weather, Jen’s enthusiastic choice to settle down in Chicago for the past 15 years makes total sense. She lives here with her partner, pets, and too many plants to count.

Jen has been an attorney for 15+ years. She is currently VP & Associate General Counsel at one of the nation’s largest lumber and building material wholesale distributors. In her role, she is the primary commercial lawyer for the business, oversees a wide variety of legal matters, and serves as a frequent cross-functional collaborator on various key strategic projects for the business. Her friends find it hilarious that she works in the lumber industry and her wife reports that Jen’s flannel game continues to reach even higher heights as a result.

Before taking on her current role, Jen served as Senior Labor & Employment Counsel at Cook County Health, which she describes as a giant, joyful, chaotic system with a big mission and huge hearts behind it. Prior to that, Jen was an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Illinois Attorney General’s federal employment litigation unit. Jen originally started her career in private practice, where she represented clients in a wide variety of general commercial, labor, and employment matters. Jen is a frequent author and speaker on various legal and regulatory compliance topics. She is also an active advisor and board member to various organizations and ventures. 

Jen is honored to serve on the board of Howard Brown Health, energized by its liberatory mission, and forever grateful for the care and services she and others have received from Howard Brown Health.