Gyda Chud

Dr. Hillel Goelman Award for Outstanding Leadership in Professional Development in Early Childhood Intervention

Gyda Chud’s leadership and advocacy work in the world of ECE both provincially and federally has made her a worthy recipient of this award. What motivated Gyda throughout her distinguished career was not just professional and educational leadership but her passion for social justice to society more broadly.

In her distinguished career, she has served on important community programs, to cite a few: the Child Care Sector Council, the Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre, Westcoast Multicultural and Diversity Services, and the Federal Human Resources Round Table on Child Care in Ottawa. She has served as Coordinator of Early Childhood Care and Education Programs at Vancouver Community College and Langara College and as Dean of the Centre for Continuing Studies. She was a founder and Board member of the Pacific Immigrant Resources Society for nearly 40 years.

As a supporter of ECE research, she was an active supporter and consultant of ECE and Child Care Research for the federally funded Consortium for Health, Intervention Learning and Development (CHILD PROJECT). She has been a model of leadership and advocacy, inspiring younger generations of ECE professionals and in-service students, and has been a continuing inspiration to the continuing life.

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Vicky Roy

The Dana Brynelsen Educational Bursary

It is an honour to announce Vicky Roy as the 2024 recipient for the Dr. Dana Brynelsen Bursary. This bursary was created in 2010 to recognize the work of Dana Brynelsen and her commitment to professional development in the field of early childhood intervention.

Vicky Roy is a most worthy recipient of this bursary. She has worked for many years in the field of early childhood development and early childhood intervention. She is currently an instructor in Early Childhood Education diploma program at North Island College. She has a diploma in Early Childhood Education, a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education and is pursuing a Doctor of Education at the University of Calgary, specializing in Curriculum and Learning. Vicky’s research interests include: Reconceptualising ECE teacher education, activating anti-colonial pedagogies and interrogating narratives of normativity in ECE curriculum and practice. She is a strong advocate for change.

Her colleagues tell us that “soon after meeting Vicky she openly manifests her relentless commitment to her family and professional communities. We appreciate her enthusiasm, sense of humour, and creativity in her interactions with other students and faculty. At the same time she shows an incredible capacity to grapple with big ideas, deep concepts and keeps real in connection to her context and environment.”