PARENT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Jennifer Barnwell
BY ALEX KRUTCHIK
in downtown Washington (D.C.), and it was
manageable. I had moved down from New
York City, so I was used to the city life. And it
was OK with one child. But we ended up mov-
ing to Montgomery County, Maryland, in 2019,
and I wasn’t sure how it was going to be, just
because I felt like a city person. But it has been
fantastic for us. We’re very lucky in the posi-
tion that we’re in. We have so much more
room. It’s like all the cliches: We have a yard.

We have a bigger house, and we also have this
amazing community.

What challenges are there in
being a parent, especially when
you are so busy?
I think there are sacrifices and tradeoffs you
make. There are a few occasions where I’ll miss
something. My daughter had this amazing
parent event at preschool, and I couldn’t make
it to that because I was on a business trip.

Other times I’ve made tradeoffs where I’ve
pushed off some work so that I could get home
at a certain time. Once the kids are in bed, I’ll
reopen my laptop and work for a couple more
hours until 10 p.m.

It may not be every night, but it’s somewhat
frequent. With small children, there is a
very small window between dinnertime and
bedtime. I have made that conscious decision
ennifer Barnwell found a career path that combines her love for travel with her financial to come home sometime between 5 (p.m.)
and analytic skills. As president of Curator Hotel & Resort Collection since 2020, she gets and 6 p.m. so that I can see them before bed,
to create new memories and experiences while working with owners and operators of knowing that I still have a lot more to do.

independent hotels.

Curator, which was launched by Pebblebrook Hotel Trust that year, already has more than 90 What do you love most about
member properties since its launch.

being a parent?
You can often find Barnwell on the road, but she says it doesn’t compare to what— You can’t even imagine. I know it’s a cliche,
or whom—she has at home: a 5-year-old daughter and an 11-month-old son.

but there’s this love you feel for this little
person when they arrive. When they’re babies,
they are so cute and cuddly, and you want to
How do you balance your career important for me to be present for my husband take a million pictures of them. But it keeps
getting better and better.

while being a parent and raising and my kids.

You also can’t do it without having amazing
My little girl is turning into a real little
a family?
I tend to be an organized person. I’m really people to share the responsibility with and person, and she says the most hilarious
big on planning and just getting things done. rely on, whether that’s my husband—who is things sometimes. It shows me she’s really
I think that’s the key for me. I love my job, fantastic and definitely a partner in this—or growing up, but she’s also paying attention
to everything I say. I think the most
and I love working. It makes me a happier child care providers.

rewarding part is it enriches your life and
person. It definitely makes me a better
parent. Keeping that in mind, you have to What is it like to raise a family in brings a new dynamic to your life that
you didn’t expect, and you couldn’t have
figure everything else out so that you can the DMV?
be successful in your career. But it’s also We had our first child when we still lived prepared yourself for it. n
WashingtonFAMILY.com 27
DAVID STUCK
J