Philippa Mennell

She is excited and humbled by the opportunity to bring her experience in organizational governance, financial oversight, policy development, and project management to this initiative, with such a wonderful team; and to be able to work in a dialogue space that is so personally meaningful for her. Having grown up in a region of rural BC frequently impacted by wildfire, Pippa appreciates the opportunity to support collaboration and problem-solving that will improve our ability to respond to this challenge.

Pippa completed a BA Honours at Queen’s University in Film and Sociology and a BDesign at Emily Carr University in Industrial Design. She worked in documentary filmmaking for a few years before becoming a business manager for organic farms on the coast and in the southern interior of BC. For the past ten years, she has worked in a variety of administrative roles in postsecondary, most recently as the University Secretary for Emily Carr University, where she worked with the Board of Governors and Senate. 

When she’s not at work, Pippa loves to spend time outdoors, playing basketball or tennis, exploring local parks, or growing food. But, it’s just as likely that she can be found curled up with a book on art and design or watching almost any film on offer. 

What is your role at the Centre for Dialogue?

I am the Coordinator, Admin & Engagement for the Mitigating Wildfire Initiative. So, I am responsible for coordinating day-to-day operations for the team, as well as for fundraising, managing project budgets, and financial planning. I also play an active role in outreach and engagement to advance our dialogue-focused work, helping to get the word out about what we do and to support our communities of collaborators throughout BC.

What does dialogue mean to you?

Dialogue presents an opportunity to bring forward collaborative knowledge, to challenge or re-affirm previously held ideas, to be seen and to be heard, and to be in company together. At its most successful, it might enable new understandings, respect and appreciation for one another. 

What is a common assumption you'd like to demystify?

Sometimes we assume that a plan may be fully understood in its broad strokes alone, and “the details” are somehow less important and can be sorted out towards the end of the process. In many cases, however, the actuality of what we’re trying (or likely) to achieve only takes shape once the details become clear. The fuller picture can sometimes look alarmingly different from what we had intended. So, it’s often well worth the time and effort to start working with details earlier in a process rather than later, and understanding the real directions a plan might be taking long before the panic of a deadline looms.