Upcoming Changes: Board & Advisory Group

February 05, 2021

As many of you are aware, in June 2020, our board and management undertook significant organizational restructuring, which resulted in hard-hitting questions being asked by the community. As a result, we formed an Advisory Group and started an Organizational Review. We continue to be committed to the JEDI framework developed and reported in the review Summary Report. This work has been ongoing and although some of the actions we want to take have not moved forward swiftly, we are pleased to share some recent updates.

Changes to the Advisory Group

We would like to express our gratitude to all Advisory Group members for their commitment and integrity during the first phases of the Organizational Review. After consulting with the group, we collectively decided that changing the structure of the Advisory Group will be in the organization’s best interest moving forward. Recognizing that each advisory member has different levels of capacity, along with areas of interest, it was determined that each individual could be more effective working independently rather than in a group. Kenji Maeda and Kaen Valoise will continue to act as independent advisors to provide feedback and perspectives to the board and staff. Camyar Chaichian and Jeanette Kotowich have both stepped down from their roles as advisors.

Updates at the board level

At the end of November, we shared that a number of board members resigned and that five directors agreed to stay on to ensure quorum and steward the organization through to the Annual General Meeting (AGM). At the upcoming, March 7, AGM these remaining directors will also step aside to make space for new voices, experiences and expertise, to usher the organization forward. PuSh thanks these five individuals for their dedication and tremendous contributions as volunteers.

We welcome those who wish to contribute to PuSh’s future and plan to ensure there are many opportunities for input in the weeks ahead. One immediate way to participate is to step forward as a candidate for the board or support others who do, at the upcoming AGM. The AGM notice along with a request for expressions of interest in serving on the board will be circulated on February 12.

How you can stay in the know 

To stay up to date with what is happening at PuSh, please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and turn on post notifications. We will also post regular updates on our website at pushfestival.ca. A report on the Community Conversation held in December will be published before our AGM on March 7.