Jennifer Leaver is the senior tourism analyst at the Gardner Policy Institute, specializing in local, regional, and statewide tourism research.

Leaver authors Utah’s annual travel and tourism industry report, county tourism profiles, and visitor economy-related fact sheets and blogs. In addition, she has conducted economic research for the Utah Film Commission and the Utah Cultural Alliance. Leaver presents her research statewide at conferences and visitor bureau meetings. In 2019, she served as a speaker and panelist at Stanford University’s Rural West Conference.

Prior to joining the Institute, Leaver worked for Utah’s Department of Human Services in a variety of roles that included policy specialist, research consultant, and information analyst. Leaver received her master of applied anthropology with an emphasis in natural resources and community values from Oregon State University and her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Puget Sound.