Farah Fancy

FARAH FANCY Montreal/Tio:tia’ke, QC • - •- PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY Accomplished JEDI director with 25+ years of leadership experience as a Strategic Planner, Project Developer, and Business Impact Analyst to advance justice and belonging. Adept at global partnerships, mobilizing through resonating presentations, and impactful event planning to build empowered communities, collaborating teams, innovative economic solutions, and empathetic cultural understanding. KEY SKILLS Program Leadership Global Partnerships Strategic Planning Management Negotiation Facilitation & Mediation Collective Agreement Training & Education Community Advocacy Public Outreach Public Engagement Cross-Functional Collaboration Public Speaking Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility Practices Member Relations EXPERIENCE CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS, Ottawa, Ontario - Bringing the Arts to Life Program Officer: Explore and Create Program Development and Client Care • Managed a $10 mil. funding budget ensuring strategic allocation of resources to enhance accessibility and impact. • Led 18 public virtual events for equity seeking groups to improve engagement and understanding resulting in 145+ new applicants. • Co-developed a Peer Tracker to track peers to improve efficiency, accountability, collaboration and diversity for the Program team. • Oversaw operations for 2000+ successful grant recipients and provided dedicated client service for 2500+ applicants simplifying complex systems. Union Leadership – Elected Human Rights Officer • Co-lead on the Joint Employment Equity Committee with Senior Management to surpasses governmental legislative requirements including Co-lead on development the new Self Identification form for new hires and staff to improve equity tracking. • Spearheaded and development of the Employment Equity Action Plan aligning HR policies with the Collective Agreement and JEDI practices. Data-driven analysis, action, evaluation and report development resulting in improvement of communication and engagement statistics. • Implemented 12 new monthly sessions to mediate, train, and co-facilitate conversations on Human Rights and Truth and Reconciliation. • Elected Human Rights delegate for Union of National Employees (UNE) Congress: Presented on overcoming gaps in colonial systems, increasing engagement, and addressing Human Rights. • Negotiated and resolved more than 150 union complex conflict resolution situations at local. • Interviewed and collated collective agreement changes for collective bargaining team while improving membership engagement. Committee Participation • Active member of Accessibility Committee to comply with the Act: facilitating 3 events improving accessibility, Deaf Awareness and Disability Justice; collaborated on internal reporting; and proposed solutions to fill gaps including participation of a Deaf applicant Pilot. • Appointment to Labour Management Relations committee using impact analysis to advocate for membership needs and improvements. • Planned 15+ events on critical themes for equity seeking groups including co-founding a Capitol Pride Committee. • Collaborated with senior management including briefing notes on Program changes to better include Equity seeking groups internally and externally. • Leveraged change management tools with cross functional teams and consultation review to improve productivity and collaboration. Leadership | Management | Human Resources • Trained 15+ colleagues in proactive problem solving for operational, equity, and procedural situations. • Developed and facilitated 21 external peer committees leading to consensus on final ranking across a diversity of practice, including onboarding 69 new peers from racialized, indigenous and disabilities communities. Hired and trained 84 peers. • Identified success metrics and regularly reported on progress and gaps. Developed an internal survey to resolve inconsistencies in role practices. • Labour Management Relations Committee: Collaboration in a cross functional team to address challenging situations. SELF-EMPLOYED, Montreal, Quebec 2008-present Transmitting skills and leadership training to promote sustainable equity practices. Organizational and Change Management Consultant • Partnered with over 200 organizations to implement strategic plans, increasing engagement and revenue: including 6 community partnerships in 1 week and increased enrollment by 4 times, Increased revenue by 300% in 1 year for the Northern Lights School of Dance in Whitehorse, Yukon. • Conducted strategic planning and Board training for 12 organizations enhancing inclusivity and community engagement including Revolution They Wrote, Art Not Shame, Metropolis Montreal, Ontario Presents, Quebec Drama Federation, Playwrights Federation Montreal. • Coached 500+ solopreneurs in reducing self doubt, identity resilience, finding purpose, and developing business strategy aligned with indigeneity. • Developed and Co-Coordinator of an in-house assisted care program, including interdisciplinary meetings, family conferences, scheduling, payroll, overseeing of 100+ staff and policy and procedure creation (first year $205,000 net). FARAH FANCY (SHE/HER) Montreal-Tio:tia’ke QC •- •- FREELANCE, Montreal, Quebec 2015-present Building Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Solidarity with under-represented populations. Project Management Human Rights Curriculum Development and Facilitation • Taught human rights and conjugal violence prevention for 1000+ community participants, a Montreal medical conference, and English School board. • Conceptualized, Planned and facilitated 12 Justice, Engagement, Community building workshops using UN priorities for 5000+. • Created a community outreach program to assist in the integration of 600 inner city isolated South Asian immigrant women who experienced discrimination, conjugal violence, war and human rights violations. • Developed a Provincial Elders Making Waves campaign for 2000+ women fighting elder abuse. Increasing elderly resident program participation from 47% to 88% in 2 years for 320 female residents. Equity and Reconciliation Advocacy • Formed a new Union and Union/Management liaison for 500+ staff in 3 facilities. • Conducted equity seeking group consultations respectful workplaces and then trained 200+ participants as Official Trainer for the National Campaign on Respectful Workplaces in the Arts for the Cultural and Human Resources Council (CHRC) including bias, harassment and intersectionality laws. • Developed and implemented DEI, anti-racism, and accessibility 25 organizational workshops for 10,000+. • Facilitated 6 First Nations Solidarity conversations on Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Appreciation. • Co-created Shifting Minds course with indigenous leaders on bias, anti-oppression, decolonization, and activating Reconciliation calls to action. Community Development • Community building in 17 organizations including: Ville de Vaudreuil Dorion, Women in Cities, Blue Metropolis, Lab for Artistic Intelligence, CEGEP • Facilitation and trained cognitive, diversion and physical programs for populations including teens, new immigrants, people with disabilities, children, seniors and the frail elderly for 4000+ participants. ONTARIO HIGHLANDS TOURISM ORGANIZATION(OHTO), Beachburg, Ontario - Developing responsible tourism using JEDI leadership and mentor models Consultant: JEDI Leadership towards Responsible Tourism Diversity and Inclusion Leadership • Implemented an operations, change management, and training plan through Business Impact analysis for the Ontario Highlands region in a cross functional team including a regional Board, Executive Team, Staff and local stakeholders increasing organizational membership by 210%. • Led in charge of JEDI tourism plan including internal and external training and awareness sessions on JEDI principles for the tourism sector to enhance inclusivity and sustainable business practices. • Mediated contentious conversations on social issues like Me too, Black lives Matter, 2SLGBTQAI+, and Anti-Asian Hate. • Updated organizational policies, guidelines, standards and procedures with a decolonized, JEDI, and anti-oppression lens. Collaborated on a communications and team building intervention to remodel organizational practices. • Partnered with Indigenous Tourism Ontario to promote cultural appreciation and find ways to accomplish acts of Reconciliation. Training, facilitation and education • Facilitated 5 training sessions for Tourism industry on how JEDI principles can help grow business. • Designed and facilitated 3 on location retreats to address team and operations challenges, develop JEDI strategies, and improve indigenous relations. • Harmonized Community Alignment Inclusivity and Sustainability principles in all areas of OHTO. LE GROUPE HERENCIAS, Montreal, QC 2009-present Creating opportunities in the arts for racialized people who have experienced trauma, violence, adversity, or disabilities to increase opportunities to share, learn and explore culture, identity, and heritage. Director/Artist Doula/Interdisciplinary Artist Producer and Artistic Direction • Producer, artistic director, and manager of 21 arts productions in dance and multi-disciplinary arts. 9 internationally touring. • Developer of 40 unique arts-based workshops as a workshop tool to teach and train on marginalization, violence, systemic racism, decolonization, and indigenous knowledge sharing. Therapeutic Practice/Artist Doula • Mentor and coach for 25 BIPOC artists who have experienced trauma resulting in 40 productions. National Research and evaluation • Co-researcher for Performing Mentorship: a SHRCH research project on innovation in mentoring after trauma, violence, and adversity. • Co-investigator for Project Rencontres/Encounters: Art for Social Change evaluation resulting in the International Centre for Art for Social Change. • Research and development of resources, metric tools, and workshop exercises in mental health. FARAH FANCY (SHE/HER) Montreal-Tio:tia’ke QC •- •- FESTIVAL ACCES ASIE, Montreal, Quebec - Increasing visibility and opportunity for Asian Canadians in the arts. Project Manager: 2nd National Asian Heritage Symposium Diversity Equity Inclusion Accessibility Leadership • Secured $400,000 in funding through successful grant writing, and another $100,000 in corporate partnerships. • Mobilized, maintained regular contact and led a national Think Tank, including partnerships with a First Nations/Metis guiding circle, Digital Council, Board of Directors Committee, Regional ambassadors, and consulting with 1500+ national and international participants. • Developed and executed needs assessment for 750+ people extracting 40 diversity promising practices. National Partnership Collaboration and Event Planning • Fostered 12 inter-provincial collaborations to expand opportunities for under-represented artists by creating tours and residencies. • Arranged 18 new projects through pluriversal relationship building for under-represented artists and community members to increase visibility. • Initiated a National Digital Strategy and a National Network for Asian Canadians in the Arts to support 2000+ Asian artists and cultural workers. • Conceptualized, Designed and executed 85 national, provincial, and local events. Extracted 100+ anti-racism, anti-oppression actions. • Organized 12 hackathon events to share best practices on combatting systemic racism, increase visibility/equity, improve wellbeing, organizational sustainability, and intersectoral collaboration. ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS NETWORK OF QUEBEC, Montreal, Quebec - Connecting, supporting, and creating opportunities for Quebec English speaking artists. Project Manager: State of the Arts Event Planning • Developed, facilitated, and managed a conference for over 150 artists, funders, and institutions on equity. • Consulted with over 300 artists and professionals connected to the arts sector about equity barriers. Consolidated over 30 recommendations to resolve systemic and structural barriers to arts. Facilitation and Training • Conceptualized and facilitated over 20 events on breaking barriers for under-represented stakeholders. • Trained 60 participants on professional business development resulting in 40 new artistic projects. Diversity and Inclusion Leadership • Developed inclusion and accessibility best practices recommendations. Forged new relationships with the First Nations and indigenous communities. EDUCATION Concordia University, Montreal - McGill University, Montreal -,1995 • Master’s in Psychology Classes (6 courses) • Architecture and Civil Engineering Courses (24 courses) McGill University, Montreal - McGill University, Montreal - • Bachelor of Arts and Architectural History • Business Organizational Behaviour Minor SPECIALIZED TRAINING • Masters Level Applied and Theoretical Psychology and Organizational Behaviour courses • Certified Embodied Social Justice Certification (800 hours) • Trauma Counselling and Healing – Indigenous Elder/Spiritual Leader Training (1500 hours) • First Nations and Indigenous elders, Babalawos, Shaman, Griot, Piers, Rabbis, Priest, Imams, Gurus training - ongoing • Concordia University - Movement therapy Field Work - Joan Abbey Sack (600 hours) • McGill University – 2006 Social Work Field Work Study - Madhu Ramnumbiar (100 hours) • Concordia University - Recreation Therapy Certification and Field Work – Ida Ladner (1000 hours) JEDI CAREER HIGHLIGHTS • • • • Designed 30 international events in 19 countries Facilitated programs and educational workshops for 1 million+ Devised and implemented 6 social advocacy projects Mobilized 4 Board level DEI and accessibility committees • Co-founded the CanAsian Arts Network and Dance Movement Therapy Association in Canada • Presented 100+ international in-person and online public talks LANGUAGES English - Spoken Advanced, Writing Advanced, Reading Advanced French and Spanish - Spoken Intermediate, Writing Intermediate, Reading Advanced