This page will be updated every now and again to reflect what’s going on in my life that’s fun and exciting for me, and would hopefully be of some interest to those who stumble on this site!
Work and Related
My main “day job” is my consulting work as Founder and Connector-in-Chief for Strong Roots Consulting. In that role, I support non-profit organizations and government agencies through strategic planning, community-based research, and program evaluation so that they can be more effective in the work that they do. Further information about my work and the services provided through Strong Roots can be found at the above link.
In connection to that work, particularly the program evaluation aspect, I co-host a podcast called Eval Cafe with my friend and colleague, Carolyn Camman. It’s a friendly chat between us (and occasionally a guest), the type you might overhear at a coffeeshop if it were frequented by evaluators. We try to keep the conversation accessible to anyone who has an interest in the field, whether expert or novice, long-time practitioner or just starting in the field, and even those who don’t identify with the term “evaluator”.
Community Commitments
I am currently a board member for The Princess Shop, a Saskatoon-based non-profit that provide an enhanced graduation experience for female-identified students in need alongside mentorship and other supports for post-graduation success. As part of that commitment, I serve on the Governance committee.
In December 2019, I officially “retired” (i.e. completed the number of terms allowed by our bylaws) after six years from the board of the Friends of the Broadway Theatre – a community-owned theatre located in the heart of Saskatoon’s Broadway district that aims to entertain, educate, and inspire. Part of my tenure there included serving as the Vice Chair, and I was also a stalwart on the Governance committee – notice a trend? #governancenerd).
I limit myself to serving on a maximum of two boards at any given time, in order to ensure that I can commit fully to the organizations I’m volunteering with. I’m enjoying the break of being on “only” one board, but if there’s an opportunity that you think would be a good fit for me, drop me a line and I’ll consider it!
In addition to my board work, I volunteer as both a presenter and a mentor for the Leadership Saskatoon program.
Creativity
Music has always been an important part of my life. When I moved to Saskatoon several years ago, I decided to dust off the trombone and join the Saskatoon Community Bands. It’s basically like playing in high school band – the conductors are retired band teachers and we meet in a high school – but we’re all adults, at least chronologically. Rehearsals are weekly and we play in 3-4 concerts a year. In addition to playing trombone in the Wind Ensemble section, since 2018 I’ve been learning how to handle a drum set in the beginning jazz band.
I also consider myself an amateur photographer, with an interest in urban landscapes. My current gear is an Olympus E-M10 MarkII Micro Four Thirds digital camera. Photos will be shared primarily in the Photo category of this blog.
Wellness
Despite growing up on the prairies, I had never curled until 2018, when a friend convinced me to join the Prairie Lily curling league. It continues to be a learning experience, but I’m slowly getting the hang of it!
For general fitness, I hit the mats for twice-weekly kickboxing cross-training at Momentum Martial Arts.
Odds and Ends
While I’m based in Saskatoon and call it home, work and life take me to cities across Canada, including Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Victoria. I share life with my partner Carolyn and our pug Gizmo – well, at least when the three of us are in the same city at the same time!
Last updated January 17, 2020