Jessica, a Boyd County, Kentucky native, earned her Bachelor of Fine Art with a concentration in Ceramics from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. 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. 

Prior to joining CEDIK in January 2020, 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. 

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. 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.

At CEDIK, 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.