Jessica Schneider – Candidate for Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors

Jessica grew up on a small farm in Wisconsin, which taught her the value of hard work and sweat equity at a very young age. Her parents also impressed upon her the importance of community service by being long-time Scout leaders, religious educator(s), and her dad was a volunteer EMT/firefighter for just over 40 years. She has an educational background in art/design as well as years of experience in the culinary/restaurant industry. These careers have provided her with a unique perspective and empathy that she utilizes when analyzing situations and finding creative solutions to problems, as well as connecting with people.

For the past 8 years, Jessica has been involved in the Bexley Homeowners Association in several different positions: Chair of the Architectural Committee, Board director for 2 years, and President for the past 4 years. During this time, 2 new developments were built within the community, requiring her to advocate on behalf of the HOA multiple times with county planning/supervisors and developers regarding issues that came up along the way. A process that should have been completely transparent and easy to navigate, turned out to be thoroughly frustrating. These interactions, along with the current attacks on our democracy and stripping of constitutional rights have propelled her to run for Chesterfield County BoS in the Clover Hill District.

Dr. Bowers is and has been an advocate for the Fairfield District for the last 15 years through her work as President and Member of the Northern Henrico Civic Association. She advocated to maintain Belmont Golf course as a golf course in Lakeside, advocated for equitable property assessments, advocated for improved infrastructure, advocated for education parity, and economic parity. She works closely with Henrico County Administrators and law enforcement to ensure highly maintained and safe communities. Dr. Bowers coordinates with VDOT regarding median maintenance and traffic flow concerns. Additionally, she is an advocate for the less fortunate, people who suffer with mental illness and are victims of Domestic Violence.

She is Founding President of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Richmond Metropolitan Area Chapter; Chairwoman, Renaissance Woman of Virginia; President of the Northern Henrico Civic Association; Vice-Chair, Capitol Square Preservation Council; Board of Trustee, Central International College; Board Member, Policy Pathways, Incorporated; and a recipient of the NAACP Community Service Award. Dr. Bowers holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics, a Master of General Administration in Financial Management, a Doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership and a Certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from Cornell University.