50 Ways: Leading Equality into the Future

Our 50th Anniversary year has been one of significant transitions. Most notably, our dear Executive Director, Jane Ledwell left the position after working at the ACSW in various capacities for 21 years! Since her resignation, we have been managing with reduced staff and new responsibilities and it has been a challenging year-end. Jane was an outstanding leader and we miss her daily since she took up a new position with Creative PEI in early November.

We will also be saying goodbye to Becky Tramley in 2026. When she retires in the spring, Becky will have been employed by the ACSW for 40 years! That is a significant accomplishment. She has seen the organization through many changes and challenges. Becky deserves to slow down now and decide where to focus her life outside of work.

But concurrently, saying goodbye to Becky means saying a resounding hello to Caroline Galloway. Caroline has been working part-time in the office for the past year and a half, and will take on the Office Manager position full-time when Becky retires. She brings unique abilities and perspectives to the organization, and we anticipate she will continue to grow and thrive and surprise us in the years ahead.

Trish Altass and Michelle Jay remain steadily in their positions as Research Coordinator and Program Coordinator at the ACSW.

 

 

And amidst all the farewells, we look forward with great anticipation to our new Executive Director, Vanessa Bradley, joining staff and Council on January 2nd! Vanessa is relatively new to PEI, having chosen with her wife to make this community their home five years ago, but already she has made her mark. She is well connected to various social justice and creative organizations and has been dipping her toes into tasks and activities on behalf of the ACSW in the past few months. We know she has skills and the heart for the position and look forward to all the learning and shifting that’s ahead with her at the helm.

And finally, the role of our Council members in the work of the ACSW cannot be overlooked. We have nine women who have been appointed by government to the ACSW. Nine women who represent a fascinating breadth of perspectives, expertise, and lived experience from many places in the world. Our Council is very diverse, yet collectively committed to advancing the equality of women in PEI. And this has been true over the past 50 years, with the many wonderful women who have served as Council members. They provide policy advice to government, guide the work of staff, and engage in the many public events and activities of the ACSW. Our current Chairperson Hsiao-Yu Liu, has been amazing during this time of transition, leading the hiring process and ensuring staff have felt supported through the past months. Her lively energy and commitment to doing her best for the ACSW are very apparent.

So, that’s us and where we’re at as 2025 and our 50th Anniversary come to a close. We will continue to advocate for equality and equity for all women and women-identifying people in PEI into the future, and will do so with passion, intelligence, kindness, and integrity.

Happy Everything Everyone – may this be a time to reflect, to work toward peace and justice, and to offer kindness and hope. We welcome the returning of the light for women and all genders everywhere. 

Photos of staff and Council members from the past 50 years: