I try to employ the nicest, brightest and the best at Speakwell. When you employ top young University graduates, it is natural for them to go on to study higher degrees, and that's just what Trina is leaving to do. She is studying for her masters' in Health Promotion while working with her graduate supervisor on a diabetes prevention initiative. She will be missed.

By October 1st, we will actually have 2 new employees working with Speakwell. My longtime friend, Bev. Mason, will be doing a lot of the office management duties and I guarantee that when you call the Speakwell office about a speaking engagement or any other matter, you will be delighted with Bev's warmth, follow through and problem solving.

Staying with my tradition of hiring former students, I am adding the remarkable Simon Ibell to the staff. Simon will be involved with research, writing, and marketing and will also help keep the office running smoothly. I wrote about Simon in the Spring 2002 edition of 'Well'. He was born with a disease called MPS, which stunted his growth, and led to a variety of related health problems. Simon took these challenges in stride and followed his passion for sports to university and completed his degree in the School of Physical Education. This past summer, he rode the length of Vancouver Island to raise awareness of MPS. He and his Bike 4 MPS team raised over $250,000.00.
[see 'Simon's Cycling Odyssey' by Simon Ibell in this issue.]

We have a new web master, Ron Nye. All the changes that you see in the newsletter and the web site will be the work of Ron, who has received a number of awards in the past for his work. Ron is an active participant in Speakwell and has contributed not only to the design, but also the content of this newsletter. We love Ron's wit, his insight and his technical skills.

One of our speakers, Lara Lauzon, can now put "Dr." in front of her name. In my final, official duty at the University of Victoria, I supervised Lara's Ph.D. She completed her defense in September and will now have more time to devote to her multiple careers which include university professor (she inherited my job), speaker, TV personality and most importantly, being a mother. The topic of her dissertation was Teacher Wellness.