Speaking, Workshops, and Family Meetings
Jennifer Strom speaks, leads workshops, and facilitates family meetings and retreats on family enterprise governance, family office purpose, and the relationships that shape decisions across generations. Her sessions help families and advisors examine the questions behind complex situations and identify practical ways to move forward.
Her perspective combines family enterprise advising with business training and an understanding of family systems. Sessions are tailored to the audience, whether family members, family office leaders, or professional advisors.
Governance and family relationships
How do family dynamics affect authority and decision-making? This session examines the relationship between clear roles, appropriate forums, and the conversations that allow governance to function.
Wealth and fairness
Why can equal treatment feel different to different family members? This session explores how expectations about contribution, opportunity, and responsibility influence conversations about shared wealth. Families often are concerned about entitlement, and there is discussion about wealth and values systems that may vary within families, across generations, and in different branches.
Ownership and generational transition
What changes when responsibility moves between generations? This session considers owner expectations, leadership roles, communication, and preparation for changes in shared wealth.
Purpose and the rising generation
How can families support individual ambitions while preparing future owners? This session addresses different forms of participation and the education that helps younger family members engage thoughtfully.
Family office purpose and design
How can a family define what it needs from an office before choosing a structure? This session explores mission, service expectations, internal and outsourced resources, and the governance connecting the family with office leadership.
Family meetings and retreats
Jennifer designs and facilitates family meetings and retreats, from a focused session on a pressing decision to a gathering of several generations. She works with family leaders in advance to set goals and an agenda, guides difficult conversations, and helps the family leave with clear decisions and next steps.
Meetings may focus on governance, a transition, rising generation education, a family office, or philanthropy, and are coordinated with the family’s advisors where needed.
Formats
Keynotes, moderated conversations, educational workshops, and facilitated family retreats can be adapted to the audience and setting. Workshop formats allow participants to explore questions relevant to their own families or advisory work.
Selected speaking
- YPO Gold Family Office Symposium, Miami — 2024 and 2026: “Navigating Wealth and Values in Family Enterprise” and “The ‘Family’ in ‘Family Office’”
- Opal Group Endowment & Foundation Forum, 2024 — panel, “Charity Begins at Home: The Role of Philanthropy in Family Office Dynamics”
- Transitions Conference
- Industry association events, including the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA)
- University family enterprise peer group programs
- Kellogg School of Management, John L. Ward Center for Family Enterprises — Executive in Residence and Adjunct Lecturer
- The Mack Podcast — panels on family constitutions and family office distribution policy
Speaker background
Jennifer is an Executive in Residence and Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, in the John L. Ward Center for Family Enterprises. Her writing addresses family office decisions, fairness, generational purpose, and family dynamics.