JODIE COOPER

JODIE COOPER

Profession: Director, Sport and Recreation
Age: 34 • Years in Wood Buffalo: 7

Seeking opportunities in need rather than focusing on the spotlight.

Playing a vital role in sport, recreation, health and wellness, 34-year-old Jodie Cooper is continually working to make a difference in the quality of life for the citizens of Wood Buffalo while finding creative ways to showcase the vibrancy, strength, and unique qualities of our community. Jodie is driven to tell the story to the nation of what truly defines Fort McMurray while making our community the destination of choice for future sporting events.

Upon graduating from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Kinesiology, Jodie got her start in professional sports with the Calgary Flames and Calgary Hitmen Hockey Clubs. After tremendous experience in the sport marketing industry, her focus narrowed in on directly impacting community sport and recreation and now she has over a decade of senior leadership experience.

After completing her first facility opening in a management position at the age of 23, she was named “Employee of the Year” with Canlan Ice Sports for her outstanding contribution to the River Cree Twin Rinks project in Enoch, Alberta. Jodie quickly found her niche with commissioning four more recreation facilities across the province which inevitably attracted her to the construction of the Suncor Community Leisure Centre.

She continued to push the envelope with driving sport tourism initiatives and creating millions of dollars of economic impact. With the start of a provincial hockey championship seven years ago, Jodie helped burst MacDonald Island Park onto the scene by leading the bids and co-chairing the 2012 AARFP Conference, 2013 Junior Canadian Curling Championships, and the 2016 Baseball Canada Cup. In 2014, Jodie also executed the Grand Slam of Curling presented by Syncrude and made her first “behind the scenes” debut on the international stage.

Currently the Director of Sport and Recreation for the Regional Recreation Corporation of Wood Buffalo, she works strategically each day to bring health and wellness and recreation programs and services to the citizens of Wood Buffalo. With a team of over 100 passionate individuals, they have lead multiple capital projects and enhancement initiatives to expand fitness and recreation services on the Island. She currently plays an active role on Fort McMurray Tourism’s Sport Tourism Committee.

Jodie is proud to raise a family in Fort McMurray and her husband and two daughters have called Wood Buffalo home for the past seven years. Her dedication to featuring Fort McMurray on the sports world’s stage is one of the many reasons she has been named one of YMM’s Top 50 Under 50.