Jennifer Hamer earned her Ph.D. in sociology from The University of Texas at Austin and holds an master of science degree in sociology from Texas A&M University and a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from The University of Texas at San Antonio and currently holds appointments at Penn State. Her dedication to academia is matched by her commitment to advocacy and social justice, actively promoting equitable practices throughout her professional career in higher education, community engagement, and philanthropy.

Presently, Hamer is a professor in the Departments of African American Studies and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at Penn State. She is a scholar of African American families and working-class communities. She has authored publications on African American nonresidential fathers, single-parenting African American mothers and fathers, Black communities, Black women’s activism, and higher education. Her current research focuses on inequities in higher education.

Beyond teaching and research, she has served as editor for Race and Society, which was once the official journal of the Association of Black Sociologists; and founding editor of both Black Women, Gender, & Families  and Women, Gender, and Families of Color and currently serves as senior co-editor of for the latter.

Throughout her career, she has been deeply committed to teaching and mentoring, having previously served in multiple faculty-administrative roles, across several universities. Before joining Penn State in 2019, she held significant leadership positions at the University of Illinois and the University of Kansas. These included associate dean of graduate studies, head of the department of African American Studies, University-of-Illinois-president-appointed-coordinator of the University of Illinois 3-campus History maker's collaboration, head of the department of American Studies, inaugural liberal arts and sciences associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and vice provost for diversity and equity, and president of the Black faculty and staff associations at both the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Kansas.

At Penn State, she made significant contributions as the associate vice provost for faculty affairs and faculty development, where she led strategic initiatives to enhance faculty leadership and development. Additionally, she served as interim associate vice provost for educational equity, playing a crucial role in shaping the university's approach to inclusivity; served as the special adviser for institutional equity to the University President, Neeli Bendapudi, where she spearheaded a university-wide initiative to evaluate and enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) strategies across Penn State's twenty-four campuses; and served as one of two senior faculty mentors in the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity, where she founded and directed the Midcareer Faculty Advancement Program.

These experiences have provided her with a robust understanding of the academic landscape and the challenges of fostering inclusive environments. A passionate advocate for educational equity, Hamer’s career reflects her unwavering dedication to improving the academic environment for all students, faculty, and staff, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds. Through her leadership, scholarship, and advocacy, she continues to make a lasting impact in the realm of higher education.