In 2021, Smarty Pants created a new position to ensure its boutique culture of happiness and loyalty scaled alongside the company’s client and talent growth. Company leaders felt strongly about two things: the role should be dubbed “Head of Happiness” and Jennifer Dixon should be appointed to the position.
Jennifer has played a key role at Smarty Pants since mid-2017. She began as a Business Analyst tasked with supporting the CFO on all things financial, the COO on business operations, and the President on growth and visibility initiatives. Her position provided her unique access to the company’s vision, processes, and employee culture. Along the way, she consistently improved operations and outcomes and helped Smarty Pants attract and retain stellar talent.
Now, as the resident Head of Happiness, Jennifer leads critical functions ranging from candidate recruitment, to benefits management, to professional development and long-term happiness. Employee onboarding, training, and wellness fall under her purview, as does amplification of the company’s dynamic culture.
Prior to Smarty Pants, Jennifer was the business manager for a successful, private medical practice in Johnson City, TN. During her 12-year tenure, she rose from an entry-level receptionist to a manager responsible for personnel and operations. She played an integral role in streamlining patient and employee procedures and transitioning practice management systems. She also excelled at bridging the gap between clinical and clerical needs, communications and tasks.
Jennifer began her education at Florida A&M and completed her degree in mathematics and statistics at East Tennessee State University. She kickstarted her career by serving as an assistant to the Dean of Mathematics, where she developed a passion for analytics and identifying ways to streamline organizations.
Jennifer is based in Johnson City, TN, where she works from Smarty Pants’ new corporate headquarters and lives with her husband and three active sons – ages 20, 14 and 10. A fitness and wellness guru, Jennifer boasts a custom-built American Ninja Warrior course in her backyard that allows her highly-competitive family to push themselves and each other to new heights–literally.
When she’s not in Ninja Warrior mode, you can find Jennifer on the sidelines of the basketball court or football field or tucked away recording a new episode of her Live Life Called podcast. She is also actively engaged in her community as a board member of Holston Habitat for Humanity and the Johnson City Public Library. She is a member of her church’s leadership council and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
