Jennifer Deka

A resident of Valley View, Jennifer (Jen) Deka is a longtime resident of the Cuyahoga Heights School (CHS). Her family has been in Valley View since the 1940s. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology from Eastern Michigan University in 1999 and a Master of Science Degree in Geology with an emphasis in Hydrogeology from the University of Toledo in 2002. She is currently an environmental project manager with experience leading environmental remediation projects, including budgets, contracts, document review, and subcontractor management.

In the community, Deka has coached basketball and softball for Valley View Recreation for the past 10 years.  She was a Girl Scout Leader for the past 10 years, guiding troops from Daisies to Cadettes. She has participated in the Cuyahoga Heights Schools’ BEST (Building Excellence and Success Together) Committee and is a past treasurer of the CHS PTO. She has also volunteered for many CHS events over the past 14 years, including wrestling functions, serving as a classroom volunteer, assisting with holiday parties for various grades, organizing Breakfast with Santa for many years, and helping with marching band/music boosters. She said she looks forward to serving the school district to the best of her ability.

In her spare time, Deka loves attending her children’s athletic events, school plays, and band concerts. She enjoys reading, watching Cleveland sports teams, hiking, and time at the beach.  Deka counts several family members as Cuyahoga Heights High School graduates.  These include her father Dennis Vagen, (Class of 1973), sister Amanda Vagen Sapara (Class of 2002), brother-in-law Joe Sapara (Class of 1998), and sisters-in-law Kristin (Class of 1999), and Ashley (Class of 2003). She and her husband, Shawn (Class of 1993), have three children: Colin (Class of 2022), Erin (Class of 2025), and Addison (Class of 2028).