Proving that whether in industry or the arts, strong communities are built on connection
Age: 36
Job Title: Director of Community Engagement for Life in the Heartland and Co-Founder of Wild Ones Dance
Sheena Fitzpatrick had been working in community engagement for over 7 years when, in 2019, she decided it was time to take the next step in her career by pursuing a leadership role. To achieve this, she earned a master’s in communications and technology from the University of Alberta, which led to her role as director of community engagement at Life in the Heartland. The organization works with businesses across Alberta’s 582-square-kilometre industrial heartland, helping residents living in the region understand ongoing projects and development surrounding them.
The same talent for building connections also inspired her to co-found Wild Ones Dance, an adult recreational dance training company launched in 2024, with friends she met through after-work classes. Despite the demands of her day job, she continues to devote her free time to the studio. In the weeks leading up to Wild One’s first public performance, she was running back and forth between her office and dance company, where she planned, choreographed and administrated until late night — all in the name of creating an inclusive space where adults of all dance backgrounds could feel they belong. “The number one goal we want for our dancers is to have fun,” she says. She also envisioned a community where dancers could support one another, grow creatively and express themselves through movement, no matter their experience level.
For some people, Fitzpatrick’s dual roles in industry and performing arts seem like worlds apart. But to her, it’s fostering that sense of community that makes doing both jobs feel less like work and more like a calling.
This article appears in the November/December 2025 issue of Edify
