Tanis Houck's Resume

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Tanis Houck Posted: 1-5-2010 6:15 PM

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EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

I am action-oriented and capable of bringing a wide variety of transferable skills to the forefront as a result of my professional experience in areas of sustainability planning, environmental design, corporate social responsibility, organizational change, governance, health, gender and human rights.  My ability to cross disciplinary boundaries is an asset to dynamic organizations and I am keen to contribute to an innovative team that values brainstorming and pioneers leadership.  I have extensive municipal government experience and I can contribute through my research, planning, policy development, implementation, communications and advocacy experience.  I have a Master of Environmental Design degree and I am well versed in environmental and social impact assessment parameters.  I am known for contributing through my multi-sectoral and cross-cultural team building experience and I capably demonstrate strategic thinking and problem solving skills.  My background and diverse international experience make me the ideal candidate for work with leading edge organizations. 

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Degree Master of Environmental Design, University of Calgary, 1999 - 2002

Diploma, Emergency Medical Technician - Paramedic, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, 1991

Undergraduate, Faculty of Human Ecology, University of Manitoba, 1983 

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

CITY OF AIRDRIE, Alberta • 2007 - 2009
Sustainability Coordinator

Planned a process to develop an Integrated Community Sustainability Plan for one of the 5 fastest growing municipalities in Canada.  Accountabilities included implementing a community visioning process (enVision Airdrie) and coordinating the development of long-term corporate and community programs for sustainable development.  Promoted organizational change around sustainability by building relationships with staff, Council and community members to integrate existing sustainability policies and programs fluidly into a long-term vision for sustainability. 

• Designed the project process plan and governance model and secured $171,000 in funding for the implementation of the plan. 
• Collaborated with The Natural Step (TNS) Canada to provide staff, Citizen’s Advisory Group and Council members with training in sustainability principles. 
• Boosted community awareness about sustainability as lead for the One Million Acts of Green sustainability challenge for the City of Airdrie, part of a national Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) initiative to mobilize Canadians around environmental stewardship to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Initiated and secured funding for the envision Airdrie Speakers Series. 

FEDERATION OF CANADIAN MUNICIPALITIES, Ottawa, Ontario • 2005 – 2007

Policy Analyst / Project Coordinator

Lead for the Increasing Women’s Participation in Municipal Government project in the Policy, Advocacy, and Communications Department.  Accountable for project logistics including budget management and reporting to the federal government funding agency, Status of Women Canada.  Responsible for providing policy advice to board members during quarterly board meetings.  Accompanied and provided briefings to municipal leaders for meetings with federal ministers at Parliament Hill. 

• Facilitated 9 workshops and 2 large scale media events as a part of a participatory workshop series in rural and urban communities across Canada representatives from municipal government, community organizations, academic institutions and other orders of government. 
• Coordinated and lead the team responsible for developing a national strategic action plan to increase women’s participation in municipal government to present to the federal government.
•  Designed and launched Getting to 30% (http://www.fcm.ca//CMFiles/wreport1UDO-3262008-929.pdf), a community mobilization plan for municipal councils and a companion document of the national strategic action plan, in conjunction with the communications team. 

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY, Alberta • 2004 - 2005
Research Coordinator

Conducted analysis of the participation of women in the development and implementation of effective domestic violence health policies, particularly focusing on the politics and processes of service delivery; Women’s Domestic Violence Health Project, University of Calgary, Faculty of Medicine. 

·         Responsible for balancing multiple priorities and tight timelines while overseeing team progress in each of the respective partner countries (Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada and Thailand). 

• Managed human resources, including research assistants, transcriptionists and volunteers, in Canada.  Project funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). 

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, Geneva, Switzerland • 2004
Intern

Contributed to World Health Organization’s Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments, Department of Ethics, Trade, Human Rights and Law. 

• Monitored the 60^th Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UN Human Rights Council) and conveyed pertinent information in weekly reports for distribution within the WHO. 
• Updated the on-line database for the Health and Human Rights Department, including reviewing article abstracts for eventual inclusion in the database.  Contributed organizational support during a “Workshop on Indicators for the Right to Health.” 

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY, Alberta, Canada and Hanoi, Vietnam • 2001 - 2002
Research - Masters Degree Project

Responsible for conceptualizing and implementing the research project entitled The Trafficking of Women – Community Development for Gender Equity in Vietnam. 

·         Collected qualitative data during interviews with 22 community members and 50 professionals, representative of International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Government organizations.  Conducted field work in Ha Tinh province and managed the project budget.  

·         Provided recommendations for a gender-sensitive community development framework to decrease the risk and incidence of the trafficking of women and children in Vietnam.  Addressed issues relating to health (HIV/AIDS), poverty, migration, human rights, xenophobia and gender inequality in order to determine how to strengthen local capacity.  Research focus included best practices and lessons learned from projects implemented in Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia. 

• Final project recommendations submitted to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) (Bangkok), Save the Children Sweden, Save the Children United Kingdom and the International Labour Organization (ILO) (Vietnam).  Results were presented during international conferences including the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (Geneva).  Proven track record conducting research that is considered sensitive in nature within challenging cross-cultural and political contexts: Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Vietnam.

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY, Alberta, Canada and Bangkok, Thailand • 2000
Interdisciplinary Group Project Team Member

The project, Sustainable Tourism Development Planning for the Greater Mekong Sub-Region: Had Bai Village, Thailand and Pak Beng, Lao People's Democratic Republic was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the University of Calgary and executed by the Urban Environmental Management Faculty, Asian Institute of Technology, Canadian Universities Consortium in Bangkok.  Member of an interdisciplinary team that consisted of 5 members with individual areas of expertise including community development, planning, environmental science, industrial design and environmental design. 

·         Conceptualized and conducted fieldwork in the villages of Had Bai and Pak Beng to determine the economic, ecological, social, and cultural sustainability of tourism in the two communities.  Personal contributions included knowledge of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments, Gender Analysis, Appreciative Inquiry (Participatory Action Research), and Sustainable Tourism techniques, in addition to environmental design practices. 

·         Completed a situational analysis of each village with identification of the issues and problems related to achieving sustainable tourism development.  Communicated alternative development scenarios to ensure community participation in sustainable development. 

·         Presented final recommendations to the Canadian University Consortium Board, CIDA representatives, and representatives of the Agency for Coordinating Mekong Tourism Activities and during the International Conference on Sustainable Community Tourism Destination Management: From Rhetoric to Practice. 

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

·         Canadian Institute of Planners (provisional membership, pursuing full membership accreditation). 

·         Leadership Calgary (Volunteer Calgary) Alumni member.  The program strengthens community leadership and enhances civil society by bridging business, government and non-profit sectors to promote community action between sectors. 

                                                                                                      tmarhouck@gmail.com 

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