Jennifer Vangolen was born and raised in New Jersey, where she started ringing handbells at Trinity United Methodist Church in Hackettstown, NJ, after convincing the director to let her join the youth choir even though she was several months shy of being the requisite ten years old. She’s been ringing ever since and most recently was a member of Bells of the Sound in Seattle, and served as a Member At Large on the National Board for the Handbell Musicians of America. She joined Bells of the Cascades for the first time in the Fall 2021 season.

Jennifer holds a BA in Chemistry from Brandeis University and is currently the senior product owner for Ellucian Degree Works. She lives in Bremerton, Washington with her three cats—Dungeness, Whistler, and Squamish—and enjoys gardening, traveling, hiking, and skiing any chance she gets.