If you’re part of the Accounting and Finance world at Kleinfelder, chances are you’ve crossed paths with Jennifer Daniel — and if you have, you know she brings equal parts precision, positivity, and rhythm to everything she touches.
As an Administrative Specialist supporting the Accounting and Finance teams since 2008, Jennifer has become a steady, trusted presence who helps keep the work moving and the team connected.
A Day in the Life
In her current role supporting the East Billing Center, specifically, San Diego-based Jennifer starts her day at 6am PST. As a self-proclaimed early bird, she says it’s the perfect schedule. “I start early and get off early and have a whole other part of my day to do what I love, whether it’s meeting friends for happy hour or dinner or watching sports — football and basketball are my favs!”
Her primary responsibility is uploading invoices for our clients, and she notes, “I like that what I’m doing really is important to the company: if we don’t get invoices out, we don’t get paid on time.”
Career Journey
Jennifer started at Kleinfelder in 2008 as a temporary administrative assistant, filling in for someone who was going on maternity leave. Her responsibilities included daily administrative tasks like filing, faxing, copying, mailing, and answering phones to name a few, and she was offered the position permanently when the person she was covering for decided to stay home with her new baby. From there, an opportunity came up to help in Accounts Receivables for an employee who had to take time off for personal reasons — a job she says she had to learn incredibly fast. She stayed in the role even when the employee returned, while also still handling many of her administrative tasks. Now, she is part of the East Billing Center responsible for invoicing.
Advice for Others
Jennifer says that if you find yourself getting comfortable, that’s when you should search out ways to move onward and upward to gain new experience. “When I was offered the opportunity to move to Accounts Receivable, my boss at the time told me about it and said he knew I wouldn’t look for it myself — which was true! I was comfortable and didn’t want to make a change at the time, but that opportunity came up to help out the department and learn new things, and I was happy I took it.”
Out of Office
Jennifer is (in her words) “a band nerd for life and wouldn’t change it for anything in the world!” She picked up the clarinet in elementary school, and from there, her musical journey took off: alto clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor sax … Jennifer mastered them all. When attending San Diego State University, she played in marching band, concert band, wind symphony, varsity band for women’s basketball, and pep band for men’s basketball: experiences that took her from the field to NCAA tournaments, traveling to support Aztec basketball and represent SDSU with pride. Today, after nearly two decades with us, she continues her musical commitment with the Grossmont Community College Concert Band, where she’s performed for 17 years and counting.
Aside from music, she also loves karaoke: “I can’t sing, but I get up there and kill it with stage presence!” she says. Other hobbies include attending live music events, dinners, and sporting events with friends; participating in community volunteer events with her coworkers; and she’s even taking up roller skating again.
Reflecting on Black History Month
February is Black History Month, and Jennifer says that, to her, it’s about representation and equality. “I’ve been lucky enough to not have personally witnessed or be affected by racism, so for me, this means realizing how my parents, who are still here and married for 55 years, were affected. My Mom and her sister couldn’t go to a certain swimming pool where they grew up. My Dad and his brothers couldn’t go to a certain ice rink where they grew up. You read and hear these stories in school, but when it literally hits home, it breaks your heart. Just to know it wasn’t that long ago.”
She also expresses that people can tend to focus on the negative, but there are a lot of positive things to celebrate instead. “Black people are out here doing great things! And it’s great to see people like us in positions of power and doing great things.”
Jennifer says that First Lady Michelle Obama is someone who inspires her in her own career and life. “She had the hard task of being the first African American First Lady, and she did it with class and style, but was — and still is — relatable.”
Why Kleinfelder?
Jennifer shares what’s kept her here since 2008
“The people. I’ve worked with some amazing people. Some who became some of my best friends. They’re like family! It makes coming to work easy when you have a boss who trusts you and knows you’re doing your job and doing it well. I like the flexibility that comes along with trust.”
Have you seen her?
Fun facts about Jennifer's appearances on the big screens
Did you know? Jennifer has performed at the 2003 Super Bowl in San Diego, during the National Anthem at Padres games, has appeared on TV many times during March Madness, and can even be seen in the 2000 movie starring Kirsten Dunst, “Bring It On.”