Jo-Dee was born in Toronto to Dutch immigrant parents. She has lived in three countries, and along the way earned a BA in Liberal Arts and an MA in Communication Studies. Since 1999,
Jo-Dee has lived in Stratford, Ontario, where she currently resides with her three children. She runs her own businesses in graphic design and communications, and has published and edited an online magazine about the Arts in Stratford. In 2018 she became a City Councillor for the City of Stratford, running on a platform that included creating affordable housing, expanding public transportation, improving walking and cycling infrastructure, nurturing a vibrant City culture, and developing forward-thinking environmental preservation and protection programs.
She received Optimism Place's Woman of the Year Award in 2020 in the category of Allyship & Advocacy for her efforts focused specifically on anti-Black racism in our community