Time for change: A farewell message from CCPA-BC Director Shannon Daub

Dear friends,

It is with mixed feelings that I share my decision with you to move on from the CCPA. Mixed because I am ready for a change in my career, but that doesn’t spare me the heartache of saying goodbye to an organization I’ve had the honour of helping to build over the past 25 years.

I am leaving with a tremendous amount of pride in what we’ve created—a thriving, mature research institute that sparks with energy, curiosity and ideas. Where people come together from so many different communities and movements to plot a better world. Where we ask, what is possible if we think big?  

I also leave full of gratitude to the huge community of people who have been part of what is very much a collective effort. The founding progressives who mentored me along with Seth Klein and Marc Lee in the organization’s early days. The wonderfully talented staff colleagues I’ve had the privilege of working alongside day to day. The board members, research associates and community partners who equally shape CCPA-BC priorities and work. The thousands of donors who make that work possible with contributions large and small.

I mean, how could I possibly walk away from all that? But my own mixed feelings aside, this is one of CCPA-BC’s greatest strengths; it’s a much larger organization than you’d think looking at our annual budget or staff complement. We’ve convened or been part of dozens of coalitions and major projects over the years—bringing people, organizations and movements together in common cause and having a vastly greater impact than we could in isolation.

Leadership at CCPA-BC is also highly distributed within the staff team. The Director shares management responsibilities with two fantastic Associate Directors—Mariwan Jaaf (finance and operations) and Lisa Akinyi May (communications). Intellectual leadership is shared with the brilliant researchers who are the public face of CCPA-BC—Iglika Ivanova, Ben Parfitt, Marc Lee, Alex Hemingway and our newest recruit Veronique Sioufi. Behind the scenes, talented communicators make sure our work gets out in the world—Terra Poirier, Marianela Ramos Capelo and Jean Kavanagh. Rav Kambo brings grace and warmth to her leadership of fundraising and engagement with donors. Bojan Stanojlovic coordinates major projects (involving dozens of partners, researchers, funders) and Sylvan Korvus keeps all manner of technical systems running smoothly with the utmost skill and professionalism.

CCPA-BC is seeking a new Director.
Check out the job posting here and please share it with your networks.

All of which to say: the CCPA-BC is in excellent hands going into this leadership transition. It will continue to be a high profile, credible, independent source of analysis and ideas. It will continue to speak truth to power fearlessly—and with all the facts.

As for me, I don’t know what comes next. These are fractious times and confusing in many ways. But whatever I take on, it will be driven by the same certainty that a better world is worth fighting for that drew me to CCPA all those years ago.

A few special thank yous…

Bill Kilgannon for stepping in as Interim Director this summer so I could take a sabbatical leave. And for taking the news that I won’t be coming back in stride. 

Ken Novakowski, who founded CCPA-BC along with Marjorie Griffin Cohen, for coming out of retirement to help negotiate important changes to the national structure of CCPA.

Emira Mears for her partnership, grace and phenomenally competent leadership as Associate Director from 2019-2022.

Sussanne Skidmore, who took on the CCPA-BC Chair role at the time I became Director—thank you for your support and solidarity over the last five years, pandemic and all…

And many more but I’ll leave it there for now.

Shannon

Topics: Features