April 24th, 2015
Fredericton – The Voices of New Brunswick Women Consensus Building Forum is proud to announce the selection of Jody Dallaire and Jennifer Richard as its new co-chairs.
Ms. Dallaire and Ms. Richard sit on the Forum as representatives of the New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity (NBCPE) and the Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre (FSACC), respectively. They were selected by their fellow Forum members on Sunday, April 19th, as the mandate of the Forum’s founding co-chairs, Kim Nash McKinley and Phylomène Zangio, ended.
Ms. Dallaire and Ms. Richard are both skilled community organizers and proven advocates for gender equality. Ms. Dallaire is a city councillor in Dieppe and, in addition to volunteering with the NBCPE, is a champion of early childhood education both provincially and nationally. Ms. Richard is a long-time Director with FSACC, as well as a co-chair of both White Ribbon Fredericton and the Fredericton Regional Resource Network.
“We are pleased to take on this leadership role and thank the outgoing Forum co-chairs for their work over the past year,” says Ms. Dallaire. “Ms. Richard and I are both committed to the work of the Forum to improve gender equality in the province.”
“With increased resources and a strong mandate for the Forum, this is an exciting time for women in our province,” says Ms. Richard. “We are going to build on this momentum to ensure that the concerns and needs of women in New Brunswick are recognized and addressed.”
Outgoing co-chairs Ms. Nash-McKinley and Ms. Zangio have offered their full support to the Forum’s new co-chairs and are eager to continue to work with them as members.
The selection of co-chairs took place during a weekend meeting of the Forum in which members engaged in strategic planning. The Forum also had the opportunity to meet with New Brunswick Premier and Minister responsible for Women’s Equality Brian Gallant on Saturday, April 18th, at his office. During this first meeting, Premier Gallant reiterated his commitment to women’s equality and the independence of the Forum.
The Forum was established in 2014 to promote the equality of women and girls in New Brunswick, to provide advice to government on matters of importance to women, and to bring to the attention of the public issues of interest and concern to women. The Forum is comprised of nine members representing equity-seeking organizations, as well as five individual members.
For further information contact: Beth Lyons, Executive Director