Vice President, Membership
As an experienced educator, community advocate, and fund development professional, Jessica Shaw has devoted her career to mentoring and empowering students and advocating for community arts. Jessica holds a B.M. in Music Education from Hastings College in Nebraska, where she taught 6-12 Vocal Music before moving to New York City to pursue a M.A. in Music Education from Columbia University. During her graduate studies, Jessica focused on creativity and problem solving in the classroom for at-risk youth populations. Outside of the classroom, Jessica has held positions in higher education, nonprofit management, and has also led a large early childhood center. In her current role as Director of Development at Fort Wayne Ballet, Jessica manages donor cultivation, fundraising, and marketing efforts to grow the impact of dance throughout Northeast Indiana, both as a professional art form as well as a tool for economic growth and community development. After moving to Fort Wayne in 2018 from NYC with her husband, Jessica has continued to join community initiatives helping other new transplants get plugged into Fort Wayne. Jessica is a 2020 graduate of Leadership Fort Wayne and serves on the Onboard Fort Wayne council as a founding member. Jessica also participates in the Greater Fort Wayne Women’s Network and serves as a grant panelist for the Indiana Arts Commission. In her free time, Jessica can be found chasing her 2 year old son around outside, riding bikes on the trails with her husband, or exploring the many coffee shops throughout Fort Wayne.
Email Jessica at jshaw@ylni.org.
