Leadership

Leadership has been a defining thread throughout my career, whether building community within the higher education communications industry or mentoring the next generation of social media professionals at Fanshawe College. For me, leadership is about connection, empowerment, and creating systems that make people feel supported and capable of doing their best work.

Over the past decade, I’ve grown as both a practitioner and a leader in the higher education communications field. From contributing to and moderating the #HigherEdSocial community, to speaking annually at #PSEWEB and presenting for organizations such as SEMM, Keystone Education Group, and Dr. Josie Ahlquist’s Student Social Media Academy, each experience has shaped my philosophy of leadership through collaboration and knowledge sharing.

I’ve learned that titles don’t define leadership, actions do. Confidence grows when we show up, share generously, and help others find their own voice. These experiences have shown me that leadership in this field is not about being the loudest voice in the room, but about creating spaces where others can speak, learn, and lead too.

At Fanshawe College, I’ve had the privilege of leading the Social Media Representative (SMR) team as it grew from 20 members to more than 120. This cross-college team, made up of students, staff, and faculty, represented a wide range of skill levels and comfort with social media. My role was to bridge those gaps by building tools, training, and systems that set everyone up for success.

Over my ten years at Fanshawe, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring and managing more than 25 student employees, many of whom have gone on to make meaningful contributions to Fanshawe’s digital presence and to build impressive careers of their own. Watching their confidence grow has been one of the most rewarding parts of my journey.

My leadership philosophy is rooted in empathy, accessibility, and shared growth. I believe strong leaders listen first, empower others through knowledge, and remain open to learning from their teams. One of my early mentors, Professor Barry Joe, often said he learned as much from his students as they did from him. That idea continues to guide me.

True leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about creating the conditions for others to shine. It’s about building confidence, nurturing creativity, and celebrating collective success.