Communications Lead
415 Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building
University Park, PA 16802
Websites:
Education:
Biography:
Jenna Spinelle is a writer and podcaster who tells stories that inspire hope and change in trying times. She hosts the podcasts Democracy Works When the People Decide, both productions of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State, and is the founder of The Democracy Group podcast network.
In that role, she’s talked with hundreds of people who are working to strengthen American democracy at the national, state, and local levels. She’s bringing those stories to her first book, Be the Spark: A Field Guide to Changing American Politics. She is a visiting fellow in media and democracy at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University for the 2026-27 academic year.