Zonta Women of Achievement nominee: Dr. Jennifer Bengtson

Dr. Jennifer Bengtson earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology in 2012. She has spent her entire professional career at Southeast Missouri State University attaining the rank of Professor in 2022. A mentor and a scholar, she is also someone who has long provided personal and professional service to the university and our community, benefiting the families of lost loved ones and the students who receive her mentorship and instruction.

Mentorship is important to Dr. Bengtson because, as a first-generation college student, she has personally benefited from the guidance and encouragement of mentors. Reflecting on her role as mentor she says, “I don’t know that I have had a particularly wide-reaching impact as far as the number of women I have mentored but I do know that I mentored them intensively, hopefully to their benefit.”

Over the years, local law enforcement agencies have regularly sought Dr. Bengtson’s expertise in identifying human remains found in Southeast Missouri. As the founder of the Forensic Anthropology Cold Case Team at Southeast, she, along with her students, has successfully identified six individuals and returned their remains to families, who in some cases, had been waiting decades for answers. But Dr. Bengtson’s expertise goes beyond cold cases; she is regularly approached by local residents seeking to verify archaeological sites or artifacts from their personal properties. She provides all of her expertise free of charge.

In the past year alone, Dr. Bengtson has been recognized with the Governor’s Award for Teaching Excellence, the Provost Faculty Excellence Award, the McNair Scholars Mentor of the Year Award and the Outstanding Service Award from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

When not working or serving the community, Dr. Bengtson enjoys spending time with her husband Paul, their two dogs and three cats. She is extremely proud of her son, Gabe, a senior studying finance at SEMO.