by Chris Kupka
We welcomed Jennifer Beeman as BCA-Qc’s new executive director, in March 2014, after saying farewell to Rosanne Cohen, who had ably served as executive director since July 2011.
Originally from Long Island, New York, Jennifer completed her undergraduate degree at McGill University and chose to make Montreal her home. Her master’s degree in sociology, from UQAM, has proven to be a solid background for the career she’s forged in the nonprofit milieu.
After receiving her graduate degree, Jennifer worked as a researcher in the social sciences at UQAM, which is where she met Nancy Guberman (BCA-Qc’s current president) and where they collaborated on various research projects.
After leaving her research position, Jennifer worked with various women’s groups including the Conseil d’intervention pour l’accès des femmes au travail. As the project coordinator, she was responsible for managing studies, training sessions, and policy initiatives on a variety of issues regarding women’s rights in the labor market.
Jennifer has been deeply concerned about the issue of women’s empowerment, especially regarding health, which is what interested her in particular about our organization. She noted that she was very impressed by what she discovered while reviewing BCA-Qc’s website, newsletters, and strategic plan. She feels that BCA-Qc is “an impressive group that has been doing good work for a long time,” an organization in which she is happy to take a leadership role. She strongly admires the young, dynamic team of workers and volunteers who have helped to create and maintain a wide range of outreach projects, which have made BCA-Qc more visible while improving its reach via social media.
In order to continue the organization’s mission, Jennifer feels that her primary challenges include being responsive to BCA-Qc’s committed members—and encouraging new membership—as well as maintaining the current team of dedicated, experienced workers and volunteers. She would like to develop a “truly bilingual culture” within the organization in which everyone feels comfortable and that emphasizes the goal of inclusion. In addition, she is aware that it will be vitally important to ensure that the organization is sustainable through ongoing funding efforts.
Jennifer also wants BCA-Qc to become widely known across Quebec, and the country. Join us in wishing her great success! We are confident that she will continue the work that BCA-Qc began nearly 20 years ago by moving us into the future through new initiatives, objectives, and growth.
