Seeking diversity at the top
This column previously appeared in the Telegraph-Journal on November 10th, 2009.
The article was written by FUSION Saint John’s Claire Ryan:
This week FUSION Saint John is putting out a call to members interested in joining its board of directors.
“We are looking for people who want to get involved in a working board,” says FUSION chairman Shawn Peterson. “Being involved in FUSION at this level is a great opportunity to collaborate with other individuals and organizations to help make great things happen in this city.”
Positions FUSION is seeking to fill include treasurer and secretary, as well as directors who will also chair the economic and urban planning committee and immigration committee.
“In most instances, board members also serve as committee chairs or co-chairs,” says Peterson. “We’ve found this system to be very effective in maintaining the synergy between the many different things we have on the go at any one time”.
The economic and urban planning committee participates in economic development and urban planning initiatives in the city, plans events and executes its own projects designed to move urban renewal forward. The immigration committee acts as a liaison with the city’s immigrant community, serving to ensure that all FUSION members have a place to display, promote and share their culture.
Applicants are selected by a nomination committee, who review the applications, nominate candidates and make recommendations to the board. The nomination committee seeks to ensure the board represents the diversity that exists in our community and includes people from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, expertise and experience.
“Ultimately, FUSION exists to help make people feel at home in Saint John,” says Peterson.
“Our hope is that by encouraging our entire membership to consider being engaged at these levels is helping us to meet this goal.”
By giving people an opportunity to be active participants in their city, FUSION strives to help people recognize that they have a stake in their community, and the ability to affect the kind of change that will make Saint John a more vibrant place. FUSION members who are involved at both the committee and board level will attest that organizing and executing events and projects requires lots of time and resources, but by the same token will express how rewarding it is to bring these initiatives to fruition and witness how their efforts are helping shape people’s views of Saint John.
“Ideally, every applicant, and more broadly, Saint Johners, will choose to be involved with FUSION in some capacity, at either the board or committee level,” says Peterson.
“The strength of our organization depends largely on the level of involvement of our members, and we are fortunate to have so many people who bring such different strengths and perspectives to the table”.
Applications for the FUSION board can be submitted via email to info@fusionsj.com. Deadline is Nov. 25. For more information please visit us online at www.fusionsj.com
Claire Ryan works with MT&L Public Relations Ltd. and is a member of the FUSION Saint John board. Her column appears on Tuesdays. She can be reached at cryan@mtlpr.ca
