Jennifer Byrne

Dr. Jennifer Byrne is the Vice-President and Co-founder of Shields & Stripes.

Jennifer was born and raised in Connecticut and attended the University of New Hampshire. Growing up caring for a younger brother with special needs, Jenn knew she wanted to enter into a career field to help others.

When her older brother joined the Army, she felt a call to service as well, joining ROTC while attending UNH and majoring in occupational therapy (OT). Jenn was commissioned in 2012 with a BS in OT, and entered active duty in January of 2014 after earning her MS in OT.

She spent seven years in the Air Force, creating numerous programs, including the Air Force’s first Special Operations Training Performance Team, amongst many other “out of the box” approaches to active-duty healthcare. In 2020, Jenn separated from the Air Force because she felt that she could help more people as a civilian.

Jenn earned her doctorate in occupational therapy through Boston University, and created a company providing a unique multidisciplinary and family-centered approach to care for special operators.

In 2021, Jenn met co-founder Steve Nisbit on LinkedIn, and they immediately created Shields & Stripes.

Jenn has dedicated her professional life to improving the lives of her heroes through the design and implementation of multidisciplinary teams with a family-focus approach and telehealth follow-on. She is an academic mentor for the occupational therapy post-professional doctoral program, and serves on the medical advisory board for the SEAL Future Foundation.

Jenn is married to an Air Force Special Operator and they have two children. They currently live in Alaska, where they enjoy many outdoor hobbies, including hiking, running, biking, fishing, skiing, and more.