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Jann Beeston
Jann’s passion is rural community capacity building. She works in the community based learning and Not-for-profit sector in Alberta, with experience in organisational leadership relevant to both Board governance and operations, and has established networks across sectors and ministries to support her work.
After moving from Australia to Hanna Alberta, Jann managed the Hanna Municipal Library for 12 years in a job share position, held concurrently with the position of Community Adult Learning Coordinator, where she provided non-credit learning opportunities to Hanna and the outlying communities. She established then coordinated an Adult Volunteer Literacy program, for a 2 year period before hiring Literacy staff. In 1992, Jann founded a non-profit society to develop the Community Learning Centre concept and has been the Executive Director of the “Hanna Learning Centre" for the last 14 years. This is a multi program facility offering learning, literacy, career and employment, and community information and volunteer services, which also incubated and housed the Business development program, an Outreach school. The Hanna Learning Centre is currently establishing a Community, Learning and Innovation Centre to connect clients to programs and services via technology as the eastern anchor of a regional project funded through Rural Alberta’s Development Fund.
As Executive Director of the Hanna Learning Centre Jann led a Board revitalization process that resulted in greater community participation and cross sectoral representation on the Board, as well as, the transition to a policy/governance Board and the development of the first of many strategic plans. As a result of the establishment of the Learning Centre and its’ contribution to the Town of Hanna Jann was awarded “Citizen of the Year” in 1999. The Centre was also nominated for “Business of the Year”. Jann was awarded the 2005 Centennial Award by the Government of Alberta for her contributions to the community.
In 2000 Jann was elected to the Board of the Alberta Community learning Network, and subsequently accepted the position of Regional Resource Person for the east Central region. She was awarded the “Outstanding Contribution to Community Adult Learning Award” in 2000, was elected to the CLN Board again in 2005, and currently serves as Chairperson. In 2007 she initiated a partnership with Volunteer Alberta, Literacy Alberta, in a successful $2million “Access to the Future” Innovation grant application to connect Community Learning/Literacy and Volunteer centres across the province to maximize the SuperNet and technology to enable networking, learning and skill development on a common platform. This project will also support rural connections to post secondary education delivery across the province.
She was recommended by the Deputy Premiere, the Hon. Shirley McClellan, and appointed by the Provincial Government to the position of Athabasca University Governing Council in Sept 2001 and was a member of the staff relations committee. She retired from this position after a three-year term. In 2004, she attended the International Volunteer Conference in Amsterdam, as an Alberta delegate selected by the Wild Rose Foundation, has served on their volunteer awards selection committee, has worked on a “Vitalize “planning committee and presented a session on “Community Innovation and Collaboration” at Vitalize 2007.
She had the privilege of participating in the National Volunteer Development Leadership Institute in Cornwall, Ontario in 2003. Over 250 leaders attended, representing Canadian Volunteer Centres, local and provincial professional associations for managers of volunteer resources, coordinators of regional leadership programs and regional Volunteer Leadership Development Services Programs. In 2004 she participated the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organisation roundtable, in 2005 a Literacy Alberta committee to develop a Literacy Policy Framework making recommendations for inclusive literacy policy across ministries, and in 2006 the Volunteer Alberta Roundtable, all of which were cross sectoral, funder and service provider consultation processes.
In 2004 Jann was invited by Minister Dave Hancock to attend a Council of the Federation Post Secondary and Skill Development Symposium in Ottawa and participated in the Alberta Learning Ministry “A Learning Alberta” consultation process. In 2007 was appointed by Minister Doug Horner to the Community Based Learning Working Group, for Advanced Education and Technology, to establish the “Roles and Mandates of Post secondary Institutions” in aligning the community based learning system with the post secondary system to best serve learners and provide greater learner access throughout the province.
In 2006 Jann was appointed to Rural Alberta’s Development Fund Board, is in her third year as Chair of the Program Committee. In 2007 she was elected to serve on the RADF Government and Community Relations committee and in 2008 was appointed to the RADF Community Capacity Building Taskforce. This fund has been an amazing opportunity for Jann’s personal and professional growth as well as an opportunity to advance rural development through the promotion of and support for engaged citizenship.
In 2007 she was appointed by the Minister or Municipal Affairs and Housing to the Alberta Non Profit and Voluntary Sector Initiatives Committee (ANSVI) Collaboration Committee which has since transferred to the Ministry for Culture and Community Spirit. This is a cross sectoral committee, with broad ministry representation, established to address the issues affecting the success and sustainability of the Voluntary/Non profit sector in a collaborative manner , addressing public policy and affirmative action.
Jann presented at the 2007 “Communities without Boundaries” Conference in Olds and has been a member of the 2008 Conference working group to develop and deliver a videoconference conference in 15 sites across Alberta for the “Communities without Boundaries” October 31 2008.
Locally, Jann has served on Boards for many organisations and is an active volunteer. Currently, she serves as Chair for the Hanna Volunteer Association and for four years was Advisor to a Youth Leadership Project engaging a youth committee to establish, plan, fund and facilitate a summer rock music school in Hanna. Her personal strengths are vision, passion for the sector, leadership and mentorship. Her interests are family, food, learning, reading, travelling and working out because it is stress relief. She loves her job, the people she works with, and really enjoys change, it makes life interesting!
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