Who I Am – Valerie MacLeod

I am an experienced facilitator, coach and trainer – almost what I thought I’d be when I was a child. I always wanted to be a teacher, and with the guidance of two high school mathematics teachers, decided to teach math at the high school level. However, in my last year of high school I realized I wanted to be involved in business. So I kept my university major in mathematics but switched my minor from teaching to computer science and business. After I graduated, teaching was still calling so I taught computer science courses at two organizations and also did some computer programming.

I decided that a Bachelor in Mathematics was a narrow degree, so I went back to school in the evening to get an MBA. During these studies I realized that I should be teaching and facilitating in the Human Resources area and changed jobs upon graduation. After spending almost a decade as an internal Human Resources specialist I joined the Haines Centre for Strategic Management and am still doing what I’ve always wanted to do – teaching and guiding.

 

I realized that I had always coached the leaders with whom I worked. I am a certified coach and enjoy coaching, along with facilitation & training.