Ten years ago, the SSC office moved into its own quarters for the first time, after sharing them with the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS) for several years. At the time, the office still shared some services like IT and financial matters with CMS. Over the next 3 years it transitioned to managing everything on its own. This coincided with the release of the new website and a new online customer relations management (CRM) system that offered our members more control over their member accounts, records, and more direct involvement in contributing to the program of annual meetings.

With the increasing complexity of the SSC website, the CRM, and the number of initiatives involving the SSC, the office team grew. Since January 2023, it has three full-time employees as well as me as executive director. Many members of the SSC, especially those who volunteer to work on committees and sections or are involved with accreditation, have occasion to interact with one or more of the office staff. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce to you these dedicated people and tell you about their roles in the SSC as well as a little bit about them personally.

But first, a few words about my own involvement with the SSC office. My first real interactions with the office began when I became president-elect of the SSC in 2015. Over the next few years, I saw the large quantity and excellent quality of work being done by the staff. It was because of this positive experience, and the decision to increase the staff to three people, that I took on the role of executive director at the start of 2023.

The office staff consists of Larysa Valachko (associate executive director), Michelle Benoit (executive assistant) and Clayton Forrest (electronic services administrator).

Larysa is the associate executive director of the SSC, a new position that came into existence in January 2023. Larysa is both the newest and oldest employee of the SSC! Her first stint with the SSC began in January 2014 when she joined as the first executive assistant. She played a key role in supporting the SSC executive committee in the establishment of the SSC independent office. She left the SSC in 2017 to live abroad for a few years and rejoined the Society in January 2023. As the associate executive director, she is responsible for the oversight of daily office operations and the office team.

Larysa was educated in three different countries: Belarus, the United States and Canada. Her studies included several statistics and probability courses. Her work experience in teaching, restaurant management, coordination, and stakeholder engagement equipped her with skills that are an asset for her current role. During her first stint with the SSC, Larysa was impressed by the many SSC volunteers who tirelessly dedicated their time to the Society’s mission. This was a key factor that motivated Larysa to rejoin the SSC.
Outside of work, Larysa enjoys hiking, dancing at the Ottawa International Folk Dancers Club, watching anime with her family, and, most of all, travelling and learning languages.

Michelle joined the SSC office in 2018 and was, for a time, its only full-time employee. As a result, she is knowledgeable about many aspects of the SSC operations. Much of her current work focuses on financial operations and accreditation support.

Michelle has had a variety of careers (not merely jobs, but careers) including nursing, substitute teacher, and various IT-related positions related to telecommunications engineering, mostly in the telecommunications area (e.g., Bell, MCI). She has lived and worked in both Canada and the United States. She was also a foster parent for 15 years, fostering over 35 children in that time, including eight children at the same time at one point. She was also a reservist with the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa and is a marksman specialist.

Outside of work, Michelle is a beekeeper and has a menagerie of chickens, ducks, and rabbits. She enjoys renovating and designing (she is currently converting a garage into an apartment) and knows how to fix her own appliances!  Michelle is a proud recipient of The Duke of Edinburgh Award which was established by Prince Phillip 60 years ago.

Clayton supports a vital pillar of SSC operations: electronic services. He provides website and membership support, including sending electronic communications, supporting the electronic services manager and the program chair in managing the online program for the annual meeting. He also ensures data quality and consistency of the membership database and website accounts.

Clayton is originally from Toronto and is still a Leafs fan. He graduated from Carleton University with a BA with honours in English literature. His work life began in financial services, and quickly moved into the tech sector where he worked as an instructor and later as a network administrator and then as a consultant. Through network support roles he became interested in the nonprofit sector, where he worked as a manager, and later as a director in IT and membership services. After several years of network and database management, he returned to the for-profit world working for a company supplying election materials and management services to new and emerging democracies.

Clayton’s interests outside of work are varied. He loves dogs, hiking, camping, canoeing, reading, watching hockey, and listening to music.

It has been a pleasure for me to work with these dedicated people over the past year. We as a team look forward to an even better future for the SSC office. We endeavour to serve the members of the Society as the SSC works to achieve its goals.

Jack Gambino, Executive Director, SSC