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How Anne Finds Inspiration

In accordance with the ³Ô¹ÏÍø motto "Inspiring Lives of Leadership and Purpose," who is someone that you aspire (either someone current or in the future) to inspire? 

I hope that younger ³Ô¹ÏÍø staff will consider governance as a career path – it’s endlessly interesting, and gives you a look behind the scenes at so many areas that support the University’s mission. I have a liberal arts degree and a meandering career path in several sectors; working for the Board of Governors brings together my work experience in a great mix of strategy, administration and logistics.

Working at ³Ô¹ÏÍø, what inspires you?

When I first heard about a job opening at ³Ô¹ÏÍø, I found the tag line “Inspiring Lives of Leadership and Purpose” online, along with the values, mission and guiding principles. It may sound corny, but I found it very appealing to work for an institution who made a public commitment to integrity and strong leadership, respectful relationships, and sustainability. I have seen these ideas modelled by members of the ³Ô¹ÏÍø community at every level, from undergraduate students up to the President. I’ve experienced ³Ô¹ÏÍø as a great work culture, from tremendous colleagues to ³Ô¹ÏÍø as a compassionate employer.

How Anne Inspires Others

In what ways do you see yourself as a leader within the ³Ô¹ÏÍø community?

Leading by service or “leading from behind the scenes” is the model that resonates for me. My role is to bring people and content together to allow for meaningful discussion on key issues. I need to weigh strategic focus and oversight, and balance transparency and discretion. My responsibility is to help key stakeholders to be able to make the tough decisions. If I’m doing my job right, I’m nearly invisible – sort of like glue.

What is unique about your ³Ô¹ÏÍø community?

I feel so lucky to work closely with a talented, committed and hard-working team – while we each have our own area of focus, we have each others’ backs and jump in to help whenever it is needed. The Secretariat office really is the best team I’ve ever worked with. Beyond our small team, I connect with senior leaders and staff from across the university to pull together the content for Board consideration. It offers me insights into ³Ô¹ÏÍø and allows me to meet people doing great work in so many areas of the university’s operations.

How Anne's Career is Inspiring

How does your career at ³Ô¹ÏÍø exemplify your commitment to inspiring lives of leadership and purpose?

I have worked at a number of not-for-profits, assisting people with literacy, as well as helping them find jobs and access resources. My role at ³Ô¹ÏÍø continues that commitment to helping. Doing this work in the context of a university, where we impact the lives of young adults and create a better future through that work… that adds the meaning to the effort!

My job at ³Ô¹ÏÍø supports my own commitment to life-long learning – the content for the meetings that I manage covers everything from the big systemic challenges to post-secondary, to investing to employee relations and so much more. I appreciate the opportunity to always learn something new and find that it keeps me inspired.