Jenna Natale is a people person—a Long Island people person.
A Farmingdale State College (FSC) professional communications 2016 graduate, Natale has skillfully parlayed her degree into a successful career spotlighting, and inspiring, others in her community.
“I love people,” she said. “I love people and I love connecting people. And I love talking about amazing people.
“I also love Long Island,” she added immediately. “I always knew that I wanted to live on Long Island. I knew—probably from growing up on the South Shore and seeing how beautiful Long Island is.”
Natale, who is from Lindenhurst, New York, joined the Moxxie Mentoring Foundation, Inc. as associate executive director earlier this year. The Suffolk County-based non-profit works to cultivate professional advancement for local young women and women in job transition through mentorship, development programs and trainings, and networking events.
“After I had my daughter, I realized how hard it is for women to go back into the workforce,” said Natale, who is also a past mentee and volunteer with the organization. “I stayed in the Ms. Moxxie Program postpartum, and that was my lifeline. Those meetings and those women were literally piecing me back together. And when I went back into the workforce and I had my first big flop, because I was still a little frazzled, they were the ones who were giving me tips.”
After her positive experience, Natale now feels driven to lead other women, who “like me, want to live, work, and be here on Long Island, and build those connections to make it happen.”
“I was so happy with the support I had and then frightened for other women, who maybe didn’t have the network, and family support system I had,” added Natale. “I came to Moxxie to help empower other women.”
“Jenna was one of our star mentees, and her mentors and I saw her blossom into the intelligent, savvy, multitalented, and compassionate businesswoman she is today,” said Beth Meixner, Moxxie Mentoring Foundation founder and executive director. “Moxxie is proud to now have Jenna as our new associate executive director to help bring our non-profit into the next chapter of growth with a younger, fresher perspective.”
Over her career, Natale has earned numerous high-profile community positions and recognitions, including as a Long Island Association (LIA) Young Professionals committee member; a listee on Editor & Publisher’s 25 Under 35 2019; a member of Long Island Elite; Long Island Coalition Against Bullying board chair; and as “one of the youngest professionals ever elected” to the LIA Board.
In her personal time, she enjoys teaching self-defense as a black belt and instructor at Lionheart Jiu Jitsu. “I love working with people and helping them find their strength,” she said.
As a first-generation student at FSC, Natale took her first journalism course “to prove to my mother that I didn’t want to be a journalist,” she quipped. But Nancy Macri, Natale’s mother, knew it was a perfect fit. “From the time Jenna first learned words she wanted to use them,” Macri said.
Natale ended up liking the class and, through her professor, landed a summer internship at Long Island Business News (LIBN), a publication dedicated to Long Island commerce, which eventually led to a full- time position as its associate publisher.
“So, Farmingdale, quite literally, walked me across to my career in media,” she said.
“I ended up falling in love with it,” Natale said of her nearly 10 years at LIBN. “Because, unbeknownst to me, it put together everything that I was infatuated with as a kid. I just didn’t have the foresight to see it at the time. I love people, I love Long Island, and I love the business community here.
“We do business so differently here; and it’s a good thing, in my opinion,” she added. “And the more I can share that with younger generations, the happier I’ll be, because we have so much to offer on Long Island.”
