| Jennifer Alden | |
| Mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo | |
| Term Start: | 2020 |
| Term End: | 2021 |
| Deputy: | Andrea Metcalf |
| Predecessor: | Margaret O'Rourke |
| Successor: | Andrea Metcalf |
| Title2: | Deputy Mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo |
| Term Start2: | 2017 |
| Term End2: | 2018 |
| Predecessor2: | Rod Fyffe |
| Successor2: | Matt Emond |
| Term Start3: | 2022 |
| Term End3: | 2023 |
| Predecessor3: | Matthew Evans |
| Successor3: | Matthew Evans |
| Title4: | Councilor of the City of Greater Bendigo for Lockwood Ward |
| Term Start4: | 2016 |
| Term End4: | 2024 |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Party: | Greens |
Jennifer Alden is an Australian former politician and health broker who served as Mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo from 2020 to 2021 and as a councillor from 2016 to 2024.[1] She served as Deputy Mayor twice.[2]
In 1995 Alden Co-founded the Bendigo branch of the Australian Greens.[3] In the 2006 Victorian State Election, Alden ran as the Victorian Greens lead candidate for the Northern Victoria Region, although failed to be elected.[4] In the 2014 Victorian state election she unsuccessfully contested the division of Bendigo East.[5] In the 2016 Australian Federal Election, she was listed as the eighth candidate on the Greens' Senate ticket for Victoria. [6]
Alden was first elected to the City of Greater Bendigo Council in the 2016 election, where she received 8.86% of the primary vote in the Lockwood Ward.[7] In 2017 she was elected as Deputy Mayor of Bendigo, serving under mayor Margaret O'Rourke until 2018.
She was reelected in the 2020 election with 18.23% and was subsequently elected by the council to the position of mayor, with Andrea Metcalf serving as Deputy Mayor.[8] [9] During her one-year term as Mayor, she worked to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022 she was elected as Deputy Mayor for a second time, serving until 2023.[10]
Alden did not contest the 2024 election, citing in part the changes to the ward system under the Local Government Act 2020.[11]
Alden holds a Doctorate of Public Health, Masters in Women's Health and is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at La Trobe University.[12] [13]