Jennifer Kellee Salzman

1976 - 2025

With heavy hearts, the family of Jennifer Salzman announces that Jennifer passed peacefully in her sleep on October 9, 2025 at her home in Richmond, Virginia.

Jennifer was born in 1976 in Columbus, Ohio to James Terry Keyser and Melanie Keyser-Fechner. Jennifer would grow up in Ohio before moving to Virginia, where she would remain throughout the rest of her life.

One of her proudest pursuits, Jennifer began a lifelong passion for education at Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC), where she earned an Associate of Arts before completing her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Virginia (UVA) in 1999. She would go on to earn her Master of Science in Education and Human Resources Development from James Madison University thereafter in 2002. More recently, Jennifer had begun pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy at Old Dominion University in 2024 with plans to graduate upon completion of her final research project.

With a strong educational background, it was no surprise that Jennifer held many professional roles in such a short time. Combining her passion for people and professional growth, Jennifer worked in human resources throughout her career, exemplified by her proud work as President of the Richmond Compensation Association from 2005 to 2011. Jennifer was always happiest in roles that impacted her community, such as her time as the Human Resources Director for PVCC and Compensation Director for UVA. Most recently, she had served for the past year as the Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer at Virginia Commonwealth University – a role she enjoyed so much that she decided to make Richmond her home.

Never one to rest in one role, beginning in 2017 Jennifer operated her own compensation consulting company, Strategic Compensation Solutions, which focused on higher education institutions. She loved even more to give to others the educational experiences that she so valued and worked as an adjunct professor at PVCC from 2018 to 2022. It was her sincere hope that completing her PhD program would bring even more teaching opportunities.

Despite the demands of her many professional achievements, Jennifer always found time to be a dedicated mother, wife and friend. Even when commuting between cities, Jennifer was never one to miss a sporting event or social gathering. Earlier in life, Jennifer served as the team's "football mom" during her son's years of high school football, while later she would pour her planning skills into her annual Christmas party and many other events. All those who knew her will remember that Jennifer's joy for the success of others was always greater than her pride in her own accomplishments.

Jennifer will be remembered for the hundreds of different things that made her stand out. Her love of animals, her commitment to all Ohio sports (which she, with love, passed to her son), her encyclopedic knowledge of musicians across genres, and her insatiable appetite for holiday decorating are all things that those around her will miss. For all her ambition, Jennifer desired only to make her space one where friends and family felt welcome, home and loved. She will be deeply missed by everyone who had the pleasure to know her.

Jennifer is survived by her husband, Nicklous Salzman; her son, Michael Atkins; and by her two dogs, Brownie and Hans, each of whom she loved in equal measure. She is further survived by her father, James Terry Keyser; step-mother, Brenda Keyser; mother, Melanie Keyser-Fechner; and two brothers, Christopher and Jeffrey Keyser. She is preceded by her late step-father, Dr. Robert Fechner.

A celebration of life service will be held at Woody Funeral Home Huguenot Chapel in Midlothian, VA on Saturday 25 OCT 2025 at 11:00

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Dr. Jennifer Kellee Keyser Salzman, PhD Memorial Scholarship at PVCC established in Jennifer's honor in recognition of her love for education and community. https://www.pvcc.edu/jsscholarship.