Career and  Community Highlights:

(Present) She is the Vice-Chair of the Nova Scotia Assistance Appeals Board for the Western Region, where she adjudicates appeals relating to Employment Support and Income Assistance. As a government-appointed member of the Appeal Board, she helps provide independent and objective reviews of decisions made under the Employment Support and Income Assistance Act in Nova Scotia.

(Present) She is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia. She works with philanthropic funding committees and donors in co-creating fund criteria, funding development, convening on social issues in rural communities, and adjudicating grants through the Communities Foundation of Canada. In 2022-2023, She was proud to have helped adjudicate over 2.1 million dollars in granting money to Rural Nova Scotians. She feels pride in helping lead our Rural Community Foundation of Nova Scotia's signing of the Philanthropic Community's Commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. She was also an instrumental player in RCFNS' becoming 100% Socially Impact-invested. Jessica was also the grassroots creator of the David Gunning Zero Hunger Campaign to help with student food insecurity in Schools across Nova Scotia. Since she has taken on the role of board chair, she has fully implemented Canada's 50-30 challenge, working hard on board member diversity in the hope of sharing multiple perspectives, skills, ages, genders, cultures and ethnicities to represent rural Nova Scotia.

(Present) She is on the Board of Directors as a government-appointed public member; where she sits on the adjudicating and vetting committees, as well as, on the discipline and registrations committees for the Nova Scotia College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists. She works with their Registrar in vetting and licensing Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists in Nova Scotia.

(Present) Fundraising and Community Outreach Director for the Federal Liberal Electoral Directors Association for South Shore St Margret's.

(Present) Vice-Chair of the Lunenburg-West Provincial Liberal Electoral Association. She will step down as the nomination commences.

(Present) She has extensive coaching and community involvement, such as coaching cross-country, track and field, soccer, and basketball. She has been active with minor hockey and local soccer clubs, helping to manage teams and organizing events. Over the past decade, she has Emceed numerous events across Nova Scotia.

(Present) Annually attends (both in person and virtually) the National Congress on Rural Education, Saskatoon, SK, as a Nova Scotia Delegate.

(November 2021) Awarded a Fellowship of the School of Graduate Studies from the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador as a top Graduate Student. Completed an award-winning thesis entitled, "Prioritization of Rural School Youth in Nova Scotia: Understanding Rural School Success with Policy Gaps".
Citation:
Fancy-Landry, Jessica (2020) Prioritization of rural youth in Nova Scotia: understanding rural school success with policy gaps. Master's thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

(May 2016) Completed a master's in Leadership and completed a dissemination plan on "Administrator's Roles and Responsibilities in Technology Integration in the School: Maneuvering through Web 2.0"; highlighting areas of administrators' roles and responsibilities, barriers to ICT integration, current research, and variations in student learning.

(May 2015) Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation (NSSAF) Outstanding Service Award.

(April 2013) Volunteer Recognition Award from the Town of Bridgewater in Partnership with the Bridgewater Jr/Sr. High School Advisory Committee, for her volunteerism throughout the school and community.

(August 2004) Compliancy Training through the Parks Canada Warden Service while working at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site as a university student.

Strengths and Professional Development:

She is known for her organizational skills and in-depth knowledge of human-centred leadership, community engagement, and policy development.

She is a self-starter, with highly developed research skills. She is often approached by peers for her knowledge of policy, current practices, performance standards, and how to implement theory and vision into action.

She has honed her interpersonal and leadership skills through a wide variety of participations both as a leader and team player. She has participated in many advisory groups and regional, provincial, and national-level committees. She has also sought out and completed many professional development seminars.

She is actively involved with her current employer, SSRCE, in developing inclusive and equitable instructional and assessment practices that will positively impact the students that she serves.

When she is not working or volunteering, she is found at the sports fields with her daughter Olivia, in her garden, walking or jogging around the South Shore with her Shar Pei Vincent, or exploring the many treasures of Nova Scotia's South Shore.