Jennifer Speelman, Ph.D.

Jennifer Speelman grew up in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Cedar Cliff High School. She attended Penn State University, where she played in the Marching Blue Band and majored in English. After graduating, she developed an interest in military history and continued her studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she earned her M.A. and Ph.D.

Jennifer has taught at the Mystic Seaport Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Her research interests include American maritime history, U.S. military history, and the history of Philadelphia.

Her current research project focuses on Operation Pedestal and the SS Ohio, a Texaco tanker built in Philadelphia that played a crucial role in the 1942 Allied relief convoy to the island of Malta.