SERC’s board of directors is excited to announce that Gillian Roy will be stepping into the role of Co-Executive Director of SERC, effective May 1, 2023. Gillian will join established Co-ED Leigh Anne Caron in our co-leadership structure.
The board made a conscious decision to move toward a co-leadership model in 2021, and we stand by our decision. We wanted to re-examine traditional leadership structures through the lenses of anti-oppression and collaboration, with an eye toward reducing the effects of strict hierarchies. We want this structure to live, breathe, and adapt to a growing SERC in a forever-changing world.
When we said goodbye to one of our first two Co-EDs in the fall of 2022 as he pursued higher education, the strength of the co-leadership system shone. It gave the board the opportunity to sit down and consider our next steps while an experienced and strong Executive Director, Leigh Anne, remained in the role and preserved institutional knowledge. The co-leadership model’s uniqueness required us to take pause and inspect how the choices we make actually affect the structure and functioning of the organization. In the search for our next Co-ED, we decided that building capacity from within the organization was a way to achieve this goal. After all, no one knows SERC better than the people who give it life day to day.
Gillian is passionate about sexuality education, community, and life-long learning. SERC’s values, misison, and vision radiate throughout Gillian and her ways of walking through life. With a career in community health in Winnipeg spanning 20 years, Gillian brings a wealth of knowledge and a strong commitment to the role of Co-Executive Director. Most recently Gillian has held the roles of Program Manager at SERC and Board Chair of the West Broadway Community Organization. We are very excited to watch this partnership grow over time, and to build off of a culture of collaboration throughout the organization.
We recognize that these decisions are still being made within structures that are mired by colonial thinking and hierarchal structures. But just like spirit of the co-leadership model, we appreciate the opportunity to learn and grow from this experience.
We are very excited to watch Gillian bring new perspectives and experiences to the role. Join us in congratulating her!