Presentation speech

The following speech was made by HEIA(Q) President Rosemarie Sciacca at the opening of the HEIA(Q) 2022 state conference when presenting HEIA(Q) member Lyn McErlean with the 2022 Dr Janet Reynolds Award for outstanding service to HEIA(Q).

It is now time to announce the awardee of the prestigious Dr Janet Reynolds Award for outstanding service to HEIA(Q). I would like to invite Jan Reynolds to the stage to make the presentation.

The Dr Janet Reynolds Award is made to acknowledge outstanding service to HEIA(Q) over a period of time. It is my honour to announce that the 2022 award is being presented to Lyn McErlean. Can I ask Lyn to come forward to the stage?
Lyn is a sheer force of nature in our professional community, both within and outside of HEIA(Q).

Many of you will know Lyn from her extensive work as part of the HEIA(Q) Conference Committee. Lyn has been an active member of the team over past years, with many noting that she is often the source of new ideas for sessions. In fact, today’s conference has been significantly shaped by Lyn’s research into many of our speakers, both for the plenary and concurrent sessions.

Beyond securing new presentations, Lyn is also a source herself. Lyn is a collegial colleague, always willingly presenting at both state HEIA(Q) and national HEIA conferences. Her support of colleagues extends beyond these presentations. Lyn has been an invaluable source of support to many in our community in recent years, particularly with the recent implementation of new Senior syllabi. Those in the Food and Nutrition community can attest to the incredible support Lyn has continually provided, both at professional and personal levels. Whether it be sharing resources, taking phone calls from struggling peers, sharing information via her Facebook pages, leading communities of practice, or offering to moderate work, Lyn is always there for a colleague in need.

If there is one of Lyn’s qualities that shines more brightly than the others, it would be her integrity. Lyn is a fierce advocate for teachers and students, often being the voice for greater consistency and transparency for stakeholders in addition to expectations that balance academic rigour and wellbeing. In a time of much change, as a HEIA(Q) community we need these strong and compassionate voices to guide us towards practices that not only improve our teaching approach, but also our wellbeing as humans.

HEIA(Q) acknowledges Lyn’s extensive contributions not only to HEIA(Q) but also to the home economics profession. Thank you, Lyn. Words cannot adequately express our gratitude.
Could you please join me in congratulating and thanking Lyn?

Rosie Sciacca
President, HEIA(Q)