At the end of this year, we are saying fare-thee-well to two staff members who have made a huge difference impact here at PAN, and who each have offered up a long career of service and excellence in our sector! Reliable, supportive, and the generous with their time, both Janet Madsen and Stacy Leblanc have helped shape PAN into an organization rooted in compassion, humour, and a connection to community.
Janet first became involved in HIV awareness and activism as a volunteer in 1990, while attending university in Montreal. In 1993 Janet began working at Positive Women’s Network (PWN), providing front-line supports as well as working as their first Communications Coordinator. Between 1993 and 2016, Janet built her skills and passion for communications, developed a series of pocket guides for on various issues including aging, managed PWN’s newsletter, website and social media, and produced Springboard, an annual educational event for pos women. In 2017 Janet joined the PAN staff team as our Capacity Building and Digital Programs Coordinator, every so capably managing our website, social media and curating the weekly PAN e-news. Within the capacity building department, Janet developed and co-produced a myriad of webinars, virtual events, and in-person trainings. She also directly supported several community-based research projects led by PAN, including the BC People Living with HIV Stigma Index and the Organizational Stigma Assessment Cycle (OSAC) Project. You can read more about Janet’s career and contributions in our Annual Report.
Stacy’s career in our sector began in 1995, when took a position at AVI as executive assistant to the then Executive Director (Ruthann Tucker). Between 1995 and 2000, as part of his role at AVI, Stacy provided admin support to Ruthann and a small group of volunteers – a mix of Executive Directors and people living with HIV – who first came together in 1994 to form PAN. In 2000, Stacy left AVI to start his own consulting business, and in 2001 he became a contract administrator for PAN (working alongside of Erik Ages). One of Stacy’s first duties was to plan PAN’s first ever dedicated skills building conference/capacity building event, and for the next nine years Stacy continued to work for PAN as a consultant and administrator, helping the Working Group grow PAN’s services and supporting key developments in the network’s evolution such as becoming incorporated in 2003. In 2010 Stacy was hired PAN’s Director of Capacity Building Initiatives and over the past 15 years, Stacy has planned and delivered dozens and dozens of in- person capacity building events in communities across BC as well as virtually. Stacy also helped lead the effort to bring the Positive Leadership Development Institute (PLDI) training – created by the Ontario AIDS Network (OAN) – out to BC starting in 2008. Thanks to his work and the efforts of others, including Marc Seguin, PLDI Manager and the other PLDI trainers, today the PLDI is thriving here in BC and nationally. You can read more about Stacy’s career and contributions in our Annual Report.
We are circulating an e-card for Stacy and Janet to share with them –
If you would like to sign Janet’s, please click: Card for Janet – https://www.thankbox.com/app/thankbox/RXR3qjYW
If you would like to sign Stacy’s, please click:
Card for Stacy – https://www.thankbox.com/app/thankbox/y2szvdHo
Please sign by end of day, November 11th!