Community Profile: Jennifer Sweeney, Vancity BoD Candidate

As promised, here is another profile on another nominee for Vancity's board of directors.

Jennifer Sweeney is currently developing a consulting and coaching service to work with women aspiring to be in leadership positions. She was born in Vancouver and worked in many different fields, from a typesetting company, to a brokerage firm and a summer camp, before returning to university to pursue a professional career. She graduated from UBC in 1989 with first-class honours, and was offered full funding to continue her studies in speech-language pathology at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana. She returned to Vancouver to practise her profession, and spent many years working with stroke survivors and their families. She now lives in Vancouver with her husband, Daniel Ouellet, who has recently joined BC Hydro’s Power Smart Program as a Specialist Engineer. She currently serves as Treasurer for the Vancouver Chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. She is also a director of the Canadian Women Voters Congress and co-chair of the 2008 Women’s Campaign School.

She and her husband are are both active in the community and participate in local arts and music festivals.

Read more about her on her website: www.readyforaction.ca

She had this to say about her campaign:

As a longtime member of Vancity, I have been proud to be part of a financial institution that invests in our community. Vancity is a place where people come first, and that philosophy is reflected in Vancity's investments in the social and cultural fabric of our community.

I believe that healthy communities are places where people live, work and play together. Vancity is a leader in engaging the creativity of its members to find solutions to concerns in our communities.

If elected, I will:

• support affordable and accessible housing development
• work to improve services for small business owners
• continue Vancity's legacy of creating inclusive communities
• promote initiatives to reduce social isolation

Please feel free to contact me at jennifer@readyforaction.ca . I look forward to meeting you!