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BOARDMAN -- Military Women Across the Nation (MWAN) announced that Jennifer Baun, a 1984 Boardman High School graduate, has been elected to serve as its next national president.
Baun was installed during the 2026 MWAN National Convention Sept. 21 to 23 in Put-in-Bay.
Baun is a veteran of the United States Navy who served during the Cold War as an Ocean System Technician Analyst Second Class Petty Officer. She enlisted through the delayed entry program and reported for service after graduating in 1984 from Boardman High School and the Mahoning County Joint Vocational School, now known as the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center.
A longtime leader in the veteran community, Baun was installed into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2015 in recognition of her community and veteran advocacy. She is a past president of Northeast Ohio Women Veterans Unit 21, an Ohio unit of MWAN, has served as an MWAN Region Representative and other roles within the organization.
Her service also includes lifetime membership in AMVETS Post 44 in Struthers and membership in American Legion Post 301 in Austintown. She is a past -- and only female -- commander of the United Veterans Council of Greater Youngstown and Its Environs. Baun serves on the board of trustees for the Mahoning Veterans Memorial and was an emeritus member and past chair of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services Women Veterans Advisory Committee.
Following her military service, Baun earned an Associate of Arts degree from St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, graduating with Phi Theta Kappa honors. She studied health care management at the University of Phoenix, completed Six Sigma Transactional training through Air Academy Associates, completed the COVID-19 Contact Tracing program through Johns Hopkins, and pursued additional coursework at Capella University.
Now semi-retired, Baun brings more than 30 years of experience in managed health care and the pharmacy industry. She began her career after vocational training as a Registered Medical Assistant, working in independent and group practices and later teaching medical assisting, anatomy and physiology, laboratory procedures, and front-office procedures at a vocational college. She subsequently transitioned to pharmacy-focused roles centered on helping patients access benefits, medications and services, and she continues to consult today.
Military Women Across the Nation (MWAN), formerly known as WAVES National, is a national veteran service organization for women who are serving or have served honorably in any branch of the United States Armed Forces and in every military era.