MEET JENN
Jennifer Vardy
Leadership Rooted in Community, Action Grounded in Experience
Jennifer Vardy is a lifelong community builder, advocate, and strategic leader who is running for councillor in Ward 1 of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB). With over a decade of experience in senior leadership roles in government relations, strategy development, child and family support services, and the non-profit sector, Jennifer brings a proven track record of delivering results for communities across the region.
Jennifer first moved to Fort McMurray as a teenager, and since then, she has made Wood Buffalo her home. She is a proud mother of two school-aged children and, together with her husband Nick, owner of the local Indigenous-owned business Moccasin Media, they are deeply involved in the community and are proud to call it home.
Jennifer is a strong community champion and has served on many boards and committees throughout the years. Her dedication to volunteerism earned the Excellence in Volunteerism award at the 2022 Heard of Wood Buffalo Excellence Awards. She served as Vice-Chair of the Wood Buffalo Development Advisory Committee, where she helped guide economic growth and development priorities across the municipality. With a deep commitment to empowering the region's leaders, she has served as a member of the Leadership Wood Buffalo Advisory Council, the Leadership Wood Buffalo Mentorship Program, and the Regional Recreation Corporation. Jenn brought her passion for inclusion as the Chair of the Rural Relations and Engagement and Torch Relay for the 2023 Wood Buffalo Arctic Winter Games.
Her commitment to community well-being has earned her recognition as one of Wood Buffalo’s Top 50 Under 50 and a recipient of multiple local, provincial and national awards, including the Prime Minister’s Award of Excellence, one of the most prestigious awards in Education in Canada.
Her career has included serving as Director of Government Relations and External Affairs for the Fort McKay Métis Nation, where she led regional policy initiatives, advanced economic and government-to-government partnerships, and negotiated agreements that helped secure funding for Indigenous-driven programming. She also served as the Director of Child and Family Services for the Fort McMurray 468 First Nation, overseeing community wellness initiatives, early learning programs, and child development supports. In 2016, she founded the First Nation Early Years Coalition, an organization that supported children with developmental delays in rural and Indigenous communities across Wood Buffalo.
Jennifer is also an ally and vocal advocate for equity and inclusion. She was the recipient of the Wood Buffalo Pride, Leadership in Advocacy Award and has proudly volunteered at every Pride festival over the past five years. She understands that representation matters and that real allyship means listening, learning, and standing up for marginalized voices, not just in times of celebration, but in moments of challenge.
With Jennifer, you’re not just voting for a name on a ballot. You’re voting for someone who understands this region deeply and who brings both vision and lived experience to the council table.