About me
Jessica, a Kentucky native, earned her Bachelor of Fine Art in Ceramics from East Tennessee State University. Jessica has held a variety of roles at galleries, museums and art centers including curation, graphic design/marketing, teaching, grant-writing, and project management. She has over a decade of leadership experience in non-profit and arts administration. As a Community Arts Senior Extension Associate with Community & Economic Development Initiative of KY (CEDIK) at University of Kentucky, Jessica develops arts-expression programming and publications, provides support to county extension agents and community partners, and helps highlight the department's research and programming through document design and other marketing/communications support. She currently serves as Board Vice-President for the Kentucky Craft History and Education Association (KCHEA) whose mission is to gather, conserve and present the history and ongoing impact of crafts in Kentucky. Jessica’s additional training as a Community Scholar and as a Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange Cohort drives her to bridge divides within communities through creativity and good stewardship. Prior to joining CEDIK, Jessica served as Executive Director of the Appalachian Artisan Center in Hindman, KY. There, she envisioned and implemented a Creative Place-making Initiative termed the “Culture of Recovery” which has gained national acclaim utilizing the power of the arts in addiction healing. Her connection to the people and cultural institutions of Hindman and eastern KY who were severely impacted by the flooding disaster of July 2022, spurred a burgeoning interest in using the inherent healing properties of the arts in disaster recovery.