Academic program manager’s the glue that holds all the moving parts together in the Department of Kinesiolgy

Faculty of Science chairs and directors are asked to recommend standout staff who go above and beyond for students and their colleagues. As always, the Department of Kinesiology is the first to respond.

“If you want to understand how Kin does what it does, you start with Jennifer Graci,” says Kinesiology Chair and Distinguished University Professor Stuart Phillips. “As academic department manager, she’s the glue that holds all the moving parts together, making complex work feel coordinated, calm, and doable. Jennifer supports staff with steadiness and respect, creating the conditions for others to do their best work. Jennifer makes the good ship Kinesiology sail well. She is simply awesome.”

Another kinesiology professor chimes in about Graci’s impact on the department. “The chip parties that Jen organizes are a key feature of the Kin culture,” says Provost Maureen MacDonald.

Before we get to the Kin chip parties, let’s walk through how you got to where you are today.

My path to McMaster wasn’t a straight line. Growing up in Hamilton, I chose not to go to my hometown university.  After finishing my business degree at Western, I explored a few different directions — including teacher’s college — and soon after started a family. After my second child, I applied for a temporary accounts receivable role in Student Affairs with the hope of building a career at McMaster.

Those first years were a blur of full-time work, two young kids, and doing everything I could to keep progressing. I leaned into every opportunity, eventually moving into permanent positions and later becoming finance manager in the Faculty of Social Sciences — all while completing my Chartered Professional Accountant designation after my kids’ bedtime and on weekends. It took grit and long days, but I was determined to build a career I could be proud of at McMaster.

In 2022, I joined Kinesiology as the academic department manager. Today, I manage the department budgeting, finance, human resources, and the administration of our academic programs. It’s a big job, but I genuinely love the work and the people. The journey to get here took persistence and a lot of support.  After 11 years of working at McMaster, it’s made me wish I’d gone to Mac as a student. It truly is an incredible place to work with so many opportunities to grow your career.

Stu Phillips said a lot of very nice things about you, and specifically mentioned your skill at organizing and running efficient and effective meetings. Describe the perfect meeting.

A perfect meeting is one where everyone knows why they’re there, feels heard and leaves with a clear understanding of what comes next. My goal is always to create that kind of environment – organized, steady and supportive.

I realized early on that if meetings aren’t structured, clear and predictable, the work that follows becomes more complicated for everyone. Over time, I’ve built habits that help meetings feel calmer, more focused and genuinely productive.

The most important part of running an effective meeting is clarity – before, during and after. A great meeting starts with an agenda that’s circulated in advance so that participants can add their own items and attachments – Microsoft 365 and SharePoint make this much easier.  During the meeting, structure and purpose keep things on track while still allowing space for discussion. And after meetings, I rely on Teams Transcription and Copilot to generate an accurate summary that highlights key decisions and outlines action items.

Now let’s talk about the famous Kinesiology potato chip parties.

The parties weren’t my idea – I just helped it grow. A few us were getting together over lunch to share bags of chips. Word got out and everyone started joining in. I bring a veggie tray and hummus to balance out the chips since we’re a department that champions nutrition and healthy living. We have a reputation to uphold, after all. We have a chip party once a term and we’re due for one soon. It’s one of the ways we maintain a strong sense of community in Kin.

Favourite chip? Least favourite?

My favourite is ketchup. A close second would be Miss Vickies’ salt and vinegar. We’ve had some interesting chips at our parties. I’m not a fan of squid chips or anything meat flavoured.

You mentioned chip parties are one way Kin builds community. What are some of the other ways?

We hold an annual holiday party where we take over an entire floor in our building. Doors get decorated and we set up hot chocolate and snack stations in meeting rooms and offices. There’s also a games room and a make-shift theatre where we stream all the classic holiday movies.

This past December, our department sponsored two families through Good Shephard Centres – a family of four and a family of eight. We took care of every item on their wish lists and then some. My children and I delivered all the gifts to Good Shephard. That was one of my favourite moments of the holidays. We’re going to make this annual tradition in Kin.

Recently, we held our first ever Family Night at the W.J McCallion Planetarium. Faculty and staff were invited, along with their kids. It was a full house and it was great to see everyone’s kids hanging out together. During COVID, our families would make unplanned guest appearances during Zoom calls so it was great to see everyone again in person.

Our latest event was an impromptu viewing party here in Kin for the women’s hockey gold medal game during the Winter Olympics. When I dropped off snacks and set up the game, there were just three people in the room. I couldn’t stay – my son had a hockey practice. I checked in a little later and there were more than 40 people cheering on Team Canada. The game didn’t end the way anyone of us wanted but everyone had a blast.

You talk a lot about “we organized” and “we run” but your colleagues credit you with doing the bulk of the planning, organizing and running when it comes to events in Kin. Community building’s not in your job description so why do you do it?

Because it’s fun and fulfilling. I find a lot of meaning in strengthening our sense of community and promoting an inclusive culture. Kinesiology is one of the gems of McMaster. We have something special here and this is one way I can contribute to that. The Kin community has helped me thrive professionally and in personal ways that I can never repay.

Last question – what do you do when you’re not at work?

I have two active kids who keep my evenings and weekends full with cheerleading and hockey. Running has become my way of staying active — I recently completed my first half marathon since becoming a mom. I also love hot yoga because it gives me a chance to slow down and recharge. Most importantly, I try to be intentional about finding small moments of peace and balance wherever I can, which includes playing Block Blast – it’s a classic Tetris-style puzzle game.  I’m currently chasing the highest score in the household…unsuccessfully!