Words by Rachel
Farewell to a Friend
Summary:Louise Kearney moves on from her role as Learning Centre Director, Tamarack.
Her staff bio says she works to implement and support interactive learning and communication initiatives. Her blog tells stories about collaboration, learning and community technologies. What these things don’t say is the invaluable difference Louise Kearney has made to Tamarack, her co-workers and peers, and the world of community engagement.
After seven years at Tamarack, Louise, Tamarack’s Learning Centre Director, has made the difficult decision to move on.
The Learning Centre was established in 2003 to provide learning resources and practical tools to improve the capacity of local networks to build vibrant and engaged communities. Louise played a vital role its development, and made a serious commitment to delivering the most important information she could to community leaders, practitioners and researchers across Canada.
As a bright and caring individual, Louise, through her creativity, innovation, knowledge and insight, has been a fundamental resource to communities across the country, and she has paved a path for us to champion community engagement once she is gone.
In her time with us, she helped Tamarack win the Community-based Learning Opportunities Award (2006) and the Showcase Ontario ITAC Merit Award (2007), host inspirational and thought-provoking learning events, including our popular tele-learning series, three Communities Collaborating Institutes, and produce more than 100 issues of our e-newsletter Engage! She is also the genius behind Tamarack’s “beautiful thinking” digest, Eunoia.
We will miss her compulsive chocolate habit, her ability to stay focused no matter how daunting the task, and her dedication to quality. “Her work and spirit will continue to live on in everything we do here at Tamarack,” says Laura Zikovic, who has worked with Louise since 2005.
From your friends at Tamarack and the world of community engagement: Thank you Louise. You will be missed.
Log into IGLOO to post your own farewell message to Louise in the comments below. We will make sure she receives your wishes.
5 Comments
Sylvia Cheuy
Louise:
I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet you and learn from you. I will certainly miss the opportunities to connect -- however infrequently -- with you via Tamarack. Good luck to you in future endeavours...and stay in touch if you can.
Sylvia Cheuy, Headwaters Communities in Action
Dan Latendre
Good luck in your next great adventure Louise!!!!
jacques Carrière
Bonjour Louise,
Louise, our roads have crossed a bit , here and there. I was always impressed by your vivid mind, you kind smile and your positive energy. I am sure you will be missed in Tamarack. The message does not say where you are going but they are a lucky bunch!. I hope our roads will cross again. Jacques Carrière .
David Hanna
Kia ora Louise
Rumour has it that you are moving to New Zealand to work as a part of the Inspiring Communities Team - the kiwi's have head-hunted you (the real reason so many have been turning up at Tamarack!). Of course this is just a rumour (or how rumours are started ....?) and if it's not true ... that's a big bother. We would love to have you here in NZ - go well.
Nga mihi mui e hoa
David Hanna
Louise Kearney
Thanks to everyone for your good wishes. I am so glad our paths have crossed because of our work together through Tamarack and I would like to stay in touch.
I would like to make that NZ rumour a reality! In the meantime, I've landed at an equally vibrant and engaged community at the University of Guelph, where I'm working with the Learning and Development team here to support and encourage learning and development for staff and faculty across the university. It's an exciting opportunity.
But I do want to stay connected because there is so much we can learn together. And, I am always interested in your incredible work at the community and systems level.
Best wishes,
Louise