Jen Kaden has been volunteering with Mercy For Animals as the Cleveland Regional Coordinator since 2007. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Jen graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Consumer Economics in 1991. Since then she's been employed in the non-profit field helping people as a financial counselor for most of her career.

Although she's always had a strong affinity for animals, it wasn't until she saw the film Peaceable Kingdom, while visiting Farm Sanctuary in 2004, that she became inspired to get involved in animal advocacy and speak up on animals' behalf. She began by helping the filmmakers bring this documentary to the Cleveland International Film Festival in 2005 and then started to arrange community screenings of Peaceable Kingdom, along with other documentaries on animal rights and environmental sustainability.

Prior to her involvement with MFA, Jen volunteered with a Cleveland-based non-profit called Vegetarian Advocates, staffing information exhibits at area festivals and arranging to bring in nationally renowned speakers to educate the public about the effects of animal agriculture on human health, the environment and animals. In her current role as regional coordinator for MFA in Cleveland, she organizes monthly vegan dinners and lectures by notable speakers in the animal rights movement, arranges public screenings of films related to animal rights and veganism, coordinates protests, sets up educational displays in libraries and distributes literature at area colleges and events in Northeast Ohio to educate the public on farmed animal suffering.

In addition to advocacy for farmed animals, Jen co-organized a group called "Concerned Citizens Against Petland" in 2006. The group initially distributed a community mailing to inform residents about the suffering of dogs in puppy mills and pet overpopulation. They continue to leaflet and hold regular demonstrations to educate their community about why stores that sell dogs for profit should be boycotted.

Jen was the recipient of Mercy For Animals' "Hope Award" at the 2008 Celebrating Compassion Gala, which honored her for her outstanding activism since becoming Cleveland Regional Coordinator.