What do you like most about retirement? The pace. I can actually get up and read the paper and drink my tea before I go to my desk - which I never used to do.
That sounds nice. So what would make you say yes to a new volunteer gig like this one? I had been a passive alumni member, to be quite honest, but when I became part of Alumni Council, my commitment escalated. I saw the quality of activity and started to really understand what it was all about. Alumni Council allows you to take your best skills and apply them. The [Alumni Relations] office creates that environment - they're building on the best skills their volunteers bring to the table.
You've worked with children with disabilities, communities living with poverty and recent immigrants. What draws you to advocate for marginalized people? Through my journey, I came to realize that I wanted to stand beside families who are marginalized. My first administrative position, at McCauley School, was one of the most exhilarating experiences I ever had. When I started at the school, we had no parental engagement. By the time I left, between myself and the principal, we were able to get 200 families to show up at events. It wasn't that families didn't care about their children before then; it was the way we invited them.
You were among the first administrators to send kids to U School, which connects students from socially vulnerable communities to the U of A. Why is U School important to you? So often we say to young people, "You should go to university," but they have no experience base. Many students that live on Edmonton's north side don't even travel to the south side. Some of the kids at Norwood or McCauley didn't know the university exists. And that persists today. U School provides kids with a concrete, lived experience of what university would look like. It's touching the lives of a lot of children - and changing their outcomes.
A lot of people hesitate to volunteer, especially if they can't spare the time. How do you convince those people they can still make a difference? I think back to my time at Norwood School as a principal. Every offer was valuable. It could be someone giving me a basket full of school supplies or it could be someone giving me $10,000. Each of them contributed. One of the things that drew me to Alumni Council, and keeps me committed, is the number of alumni we have. If each of us makes a small contribution, what's the cumulative impact of that? It's huge.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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