“I heard about Sue long before I met her. Her reputation for thoughtful, high quality work preceded her. I was very pleased to be able to work with Sue on a number of projects. She is a leader in the field of workplace learning and evaluation – two areas in which we have limited expertise. Her extensive knowledge and experience and her broad range of skills have brought a depth to our projects that would not have been possible otherwise. Sue’s thoughtful, collaborative approach, coupled with her strong communication skills, immediately builds trust in any group. Her professionalism adds strength to the projects she is involved in. I particularly appreciated Sue’s incredible patience and willingness to mentor less experienced or younger staff. The NWT Literacy Council has benefitted greatly from Sue’s expertise. I highly recommend her work.”
Helen Balanoff, Former Executive Director, NWT Literacy Council
--------------------------------------
“Two words describe Sue: indefatigable learner. Throughout my years of working with Sue, she always challenged herself with understanding and trying out the most culturally sensitive methods in adult education and workplace education, then turning the lens on her own practice of photography. Operating from a "learner stance", Sue seeks a deep understanding of an organization's culture through ongoing collaboration to gain new understandings and insights and to constantly reflect on and refine ideas/methods/plans to match internal and external growth. Working with Sue, I experienced this convergence of learning and growth through the truly dynamic process that she shares with everyone who learns with her.”
Mary Ellen Belfiore
--------------------------------------
“Sue is an unrivaled non-profit literacy and evaluation professional. Building on her vast practical and academic knowledge and experience of workplace literacy, Sue is dedicated to the field of program and project evaluation where she has earned a stellar reputation as a thoughtful, perceptive and highly ethical collaborator. Through study, mentorship and her work, Sue has developed a wealth of expertise in and appreciation for evaluation in Inuit and First Nations communities. Sue serves as an inspiration in how to compassionately approach work in the context of reconciliation and decolonization.
Earlier in our careers, I had the pleasure of co-managing a provincial literacy organization with Sue and I found her to be extraordinarily kind and supportive. Sue is both a thoughtful mentor and a dear friend.”
Anette Chawla, Consulting to Non-profits, www.anettechawla.com
-------------------------------------
“Over the past year we had the opportunity to contract Sue Folinsbee to provide a review of the family literacy structure in Saskatchewan. Sue's professionalism, outstanding research and communication skills and her ability to synthesize a vast amount of information resulted in clear recommendations to strengthen family literacy work within our province. Throughout the project Sue was unwaveringly thoughtful, collaborative and a pleasure to work with. We thank Sue for her excellent work on this project.”
Lisa Erickson, Former ED, Saskatchewan Literacy Network, 2012
--------------------------------------
“I have known Sue Folinsbee since the early nineties...Her work at that time was always ground-breaking and showed a remarkable capacity for understanding and responding to broad systemic conditions and needs. Over the years, I have kept abreast of her research and writing because she remains a leader in this field and her areas of inquiry are always on the cutting edge of thinking. I have had the opportunity to experience first-hand her project management, including the key areas of diverse stakeholder management, communication, activity planning and research. Her work has been exemplary and I would highly recommend her services.”
Sandi Howell, Former Coordinator, Workplace Education Manitoba Steering Committee
--------------------------------------
“Sue is an experienced researcher, an outstanding project manager, and an engaging educator. She combines broad vision, deep understanding, and excellent communication skills. She's just the best there is!”
Nancy S. Jackson, Retired Professor, Adult Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
--------------------------------------
“Sue has been working with us pro bono on a project focusing on understanding better how to improve the engagement of our field workers. From drafting the survey, interviewing our staff, consolidating the information, to writing the report and giving recommendations, it has been a pleasure to collaborate with Sue. Very quickly and easily, she was able to grasp our needs, MSF culture and our goal with this survey. I really appreciated her professionalism, rigour and ability to summarize. Thank you very much for all your work, Sue! I hope we will be able to work together again in the future.”
Aude Jeannot - Project Facilitator, HR Dept - Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Canada
--------------------------------------
"Working with Sue is a breath of fresh air. Sue is genuine in her caring and compassionate ways of working that truly respect and support Indigenous people to build their own capacity and succeed. Sue encourages and motivates those she works with and brings out the best in all people and in the work they do. Her ability to collaborate across cultures, contexts and distance is a huge asset that has supported our organization. Her caring approach to the way she coaches and supports her clients goes above and beyond and meets clients where they are at. Sue has the distinct ability to comfortably work with all levels of employees and individuals to reach intended objectives and goals. Sue Folinsbee will always be a consultant of choice for our organization."
Adriana Kusugak, Executive Director, Ilitaqsiniq - Nunavut Literacy Council
--------------------------------------“For two years the Essential Skills Ontario was responsible for a complex workplace demonstration project that had numerous stakeholders including business associations, labour groups and training organizations. As the project’s lead, Sue’s leadership and knowledge proved to be the cohesive element throughout. Ultimately, the project surpassed each of the stakeholder’s expectations and did so both on time and on budget. It is Sue’s unique vision and inclusive methodology that was one of the key factors in the project’s success.”
John MacLaughlin, Former Business and Research Manager, Essential Skills Ontario
--------------------------------------
“We were introduced to Sue Folinsbee through the Northwest Territories (NWT) Literacy Council. I am so glad they suggested she work with us. Sue added a whole extra element by capturing through her own photography work hidden elements within the classes. As well she encouraged us to take lots of photos during all the workshops we held. This proved to be a wonderful added feature that has helped show the uniqueness of our program. With her help, our program now has the opportunity to greatly expand to aid with implementing sustainable farm and garden projects in the NWT. Thank you so very much Sue!”
Jackie Milne, President of the Territorial Farmers Association
--------------------------------------
“Thank you for your pro bono contribution towards the drafting of a Talent Management Strategy for Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Canada. You have been integral in supporting me on this important work from the early stages of brainstorming through to getting concrete ideas down on paper in a coherent way. Your excellent listening skills have been key in drawing out ideas, picking up on trends and finding ways to capture them concretely in a written document. Your skills in communication and layout of information helped to bring clarity by distilling complex topics down, and present them in a more simplified and coherent fashion. Your empathy and humanitarian spirit aligns well with the nature of our work. I would be happy to recommend you to others who require similar work done, and I hope to collaborate again with you in the future.”
Tiffany Moore, Director of Human Resources, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Canada
--------------------------------------
