Life Can Be Amazing
Life can be pretty amazing sometimes. In fact, very amazing. That’s exactly how I’m feeling this morning as I write this post to announce that Sandra Griffin, MA has joined the #45Conversations Global Advisory Team! You see this is one of those moments in life when I’m reminded that everything we do contributes to the body of work we are each creating. (Thank you Pamela Slim.) Connections we make, relationships we build, conversations we have – they all matter. We carry them forward with us. They become part of our story.
Sandra Griffin Has Always Stood Out To Me
Shortly after I entered the field of early childhood education, Sandra became the President of the Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia (ECEBC). In the early days of my work in the field, she stood out to me as a role model and mentor who had a unique and open perspective when it came to creating opportunities and nurturing possibilities to benefit Canadian children, families and early childhood educators. Over the years, our paths crossed in various ways related to different projects and initiatives. Sometimes we connected a lot, other times only a little. Regardless of how we connected, Sandra always made me think about things in new and interesting ways. She just seemed to help me open my eyes a little wider and see things from another perspective.
And so fast forward to 2014. Through the power of social networking, Sandra and I have once again managed to have our paths cross again. However this time it’s a little different; you see Sandra recently retired from serving as the Chief of Staff with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation. As such, she has been travelling extensively throughout Canada & the United States. For quite some time I have been watching her adventures unfold online through a series of pictures and stories that she has shared with friends. It has been both moving and inspiring. She has embraced her new world of retirement and related travel adventures in the way that any great early childhood educator would. She has been both curious and present. It’s something that I have seen and felt through her amazing online storytelling.
Lending Her Heart & Wisdom
As I thought about the plans that I have for the future of 45 Conversations Media and Education, I realized that it would be both an honour and an asset if Sandra were to join the 45 Conversations Global Advisory Team. The team consists of an incredibly talented group of individuals who live and work in multiple countries and who have significant expertise related to content marketing & brand strategy, social media, new media & transmedia, Autism, early childhood education & education, business – from very small to very large organizations, photography & film, fundraising & NGO’s, collaboration & community building and writing & publishing.
And so with that thought in mind, Sandra and I ended up in a series of Skype calls last week. We discussed so many different things – work, life, children, grandchildren and travel adventures. We also discussed the work that 45 Conversations is doing through projects like the Conversations on Early Childhood Education & Child Care and my unique combination of expertise in early childhood education and online community building. We talked about how social media and content marketing presents interesting possibilities for the field to build local and global connections, to share learnings and to leverage opportunities for collaboration in new and exciting ways. It was an amazing discussion that lead to Sandra agreeing to become part of what’s coming next for 45 Conversations by officially joining the 45 Conversations Global Advisory Team. To say I’m excited is an understatement. More accurately, I’m both humbled and incredibly thankful that she has agreed to lend her heart and wisdom as things move forward for 45 Conversations Media & Education.
About Sandra Griffin, MA
Sandra is a dynamic people-centred Senior Executive with a strong social conscience. She is a team builder has a history of successes in the development and implementation of innovative research, policy and practice in the social development field, particularly for vulnerable populations. Most recently Chief of Staff with the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Sandra has served as the Assistant Deputy Minister, Integrated Quality Assurance and Child Care Operations for the Ministry of Children and Family Development in British Columbia, Director, Infrastructure and Development for the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, the Chief of Staff for the Honourable Ken Dryden, Minister, Social Development Canada and the Executive Director for the Canadian Child Care Federation. She is highly strategic and has a natural ability to devise big picture strategies and solutions. A gifted public speaker and communicator, Sandra is known for her ability to inspire others to reach further, invest more and accomplish much. She is the recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, National Award for Excellence in Child Care and the Canada Volunteer Award.
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