Growing up on a farm outside of Fort Saskatchewan, it was natural for Vanessa to join a horse 4-H club at the age of 9. That first 4-H speech was all it took to spark a fondness for communications that would later become a career.

Her education path took her to the University of Alberta for a Degree in Agriculture and a Masters in Business Administration, including a study tour to China. Vanessa had various roles with the Government of Alberta in stakeholder relations and international trade policy before she launched her own consultancy. This allowed her to combine working as a communications consultant from home while raising three boys with her husband.

In 2017, she joined North West Redwater Partnership during the final stages of construction on the Sturgeon Refinery as their Manager of External Relations, and expanded her scope in 2021 to include managing Health, Safety, and Environment as well.

Vanessa is a Young Women in Energy award recipient and a relentless advocate of high performance. In the few brief spare moments she has between her hockey mom role during the winter and water skiing in the summer, Vanessa enjoys running and hiking.