Director of Membership Candidates

I am a nursing student with long-term involvement in student leadership, advocacy, and engagement, and I’m someone who genuinely enjoys working with people and supporting strong systems behind the scenes. My leadership style is hands-on and supportive. I tend to step into roles where I can guide others, keep things organized, and make participation feel easier and more accessible for students. I care deeply about making sure students feel supported rather than overwhelmed when engaging with national organizations. I’ve shown long-term commitment through sustained involvement across several organizations. I’ve been involved with an exercise club for seven years, and while my role became more advisory after high school, I’ve continued to stay engaged and plan to remain involved for years to come. I also served as a student ambassador for the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario for one year, where I supported student outreach and helped encourage involvement. Currently, I hold two student representative positions within RNAO Student Interest Groups, including the Retired Nursing Interest Group and the Staff Nurse Interest Group. In these roles, I help bring more students into the groups, contribute to social media engagement, share ideas, and assist with planning and running events that encourage active participation. I’m particularly drawn to the Director of Membership role because it aligns closely with how I naturally lead. Membership services are foundational to CNSA’s success, and I would be excited to contribute to strengthening and sustaining these supports at a national level.

I manage high volumes of communication and fixed deadlines by relying on structured systems used in real institutional settings. During my clinical placement at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, I worked in a fast-paced environment that required accuracy, confidentiality, and coordination across multiple teams. In that role, I handled hundreds of emails related to staff vaccinations and health services and coordinated scheduling under strict timelines, using digital systems including organized folders, consistent file-naming practices, and structured spreadsheets to track blood work, vaccination status, follow-ups, and outstanding tasks. These tools helped me stay accountable, reduce errors, and manage a high volume of requests without losing track of details. Just as importantly, they allowed me to respond to people quickly, so no one felt ignored or unsure about next steps. As Director of Membership, I would apply the same approach at a national level. I would use centralized Excel or Google Sheets trackers to monitor outreach to schools, membership submissions, deadlines, and follow-up status, with responsibility assigned to each item. I would also rely on Google Calendar and automated reminders to map out national timelines, build in internal checkpoints, and address potential delays early. My communication style is clear and professional. I would use standardized email templates for common membership communications while still personalizing messages when needed, so expectations and next steps are always clear. Based on my experience working within large institutions, I’m comfortable communicating with students, faculty, and administrators at different levels. Alongside structured systems, I also bring a creative approach to engagement. At CAMH, I supported participation through visual materials and targeted outreach, and I would use similar strategies to encourage responsiveness and engagement during membership campaigns. These experiences have given me confidence in managing complex workflows and coordinating large groups effectively.

I would approach this situation with professionalism, persistence, and an awareness of how institutional environments actually function. My first step would be to confirm that outreach was sent to the right contacts through the appropriate channels and to consider whether the approach itself needs to be adjusted. This could include varying follow-up methods, such as pairing email reminders with Regional Director support or offering brief check-in conversations when appropriate. From my experience working in structured, multidisciplinary settings and supporting student engagement initiatives, I’ve learned that non-responsiveness is often related to workload or capacity constraints rather than a lack of interest. With that in mind, I would frame follow-ups as supportive check-ins, clearly highlighting key deadlines, the value of membership for students, and how CNSA can help facilitate the process, while remaining respectful of organizational priorities. I’m especially mindful that delayed communication at the institutional level can directly affect students’ access to opportunities and representation. If schools continued to be unresponsive, I would escalate the situation thoughtfully by involving Regional Directors or faculty and administrative contacts who already have established relationships. Throughout this process, I would document all outreach efforts to maintain transparency and accountability. At every stage, I would maintain a consistent, respectful, and professional tone to preserve trust and uphold CNSA’s organizational credibility. My goal would be to work collaboratively toward meeting national membership targets while also supporting positive, long-term relationships with schools.

I see national elections and official membership materials as some of the most visible ways CNSA builds trust with its members. To ensure these processes are accurate and fair, I would ground all election activities in CNSA’s bylaws and established practices, while working closely with the Administrative Officer and Executive Committee to ensure alignment throughout the process. I would create a clear and transparent election timeline so candidates and chapters understand what to expect at every stage, from nominations through to results. Using consistent communication and standardized materials helps reduce confusion and ensures that all candidates are treated equally, regardless of their region or institution. This approach is especially important so students can trust that their voices and votes are being represented fairly at a national level. For high-visibility materials such as the OD/AD booklet, I would follow a structured review process to verify content and ensure accuracy before distribution. I would also be mindful of accessibility and bilingual considerations so materials are clear and usable for the full CNSA membership. When timelines are tight, I prioritize clarity and consistency over speed. If updates or clarifications are needed, I believe it’s important to communicate them promptly and transparently. Ultimately, my goal is for members to feel confident in the integrity of CNSA’s elections and governance materials, and to trust that these processes are handled thoughtfully and responsibly at a national level.

I believe strong membership services are built by listening carefully and being willing to improve over time. I would use feedback and membership data to better understand how CNSA’s services are actually experienced by chapters and students across different regions and school contexts. Throughout my term, I would gather feedback at key moments in the membership cycle, such as after renewal campaigns, orientation sessions, National Nursing Students’ Week, and elections. Rather than using surveys as a formality, I would design them to highlight what worked well and where chapters experienced challenges, confusion, or gaps in support. My goal is to understand where students feel supported and where processes may unintentionally create barriers to participation. I would then review this information to look for broader patterns, while also paying attention to differences across regions. Working closely with Regional Directors would be important in helping interpret the feedback and understand the context behind it. Instead of presenting raw data on its own, I would focus on summarizing key themes and turning them into clear, practical insights that can support Board discussions and decision-making. Most importantly, I would make sure feedback is used to shape future planning, not just reported after the fact. Insights gathered would help refine membership materials, communication timelines, and support resources over time, contributing to stronger continuity between terms. I would also prioritize closing the feedback loop by sharing outcomes with members, so they can see how their input informed improvements and feel confident that CNSA is responsive to their needs.