As the leaves change to shades of golden yellow and rustic red, we close out our summer of staff anniversary celebrations with one more.
Ursula Lawson, senior programs manager, is celebrating two decades of impeccable work at the National Screen Institute (with more to come!).
To know Ursula is to know she cares deeply about every single program participant she meets. She is dedicated to providing a positive experience, fostering growth and creating connections among program participants, staff and faculty.
Ursula began her tenure at the organization with a three-week administration contract to provide support during the NSI Film Exchange Canadian Film Festival. Those few weeks turned into years and then decades of work as a program coordinator, program manager and now, senior programs manager. Throughout that time, Ursula has had a hand in pretty much every program that the National Screen Institute has run over the last 20 years.
Given her adaptability, tremendous capacity for empathy and ‘mama bear’ reputation, it’s no wonder that she describes her experience as “challenging, invigorating and inspirational”.
We’ve all learned a lot from Ursula, whether we’ve been working with her for years or months. As Ursula reflects on her professional career thus far, she describes herself as, “very content with how things have progressed and all the things I’ve been able to do/learn.
I had 24 years of work experience before starting at [the National Screen Institute] and it was the first job I had where the majority of leadership roles within our program management and board were held by women.”
Ursula has been one of those women providing strong, thoughtful, impactful leadership. “Ursula (or ‘Urs’ as I call her) is one of the strongest and smartest women I know,” said Liz Hover, director of operations. “She’s tenacious and dives into projects, becoming fully immersed and leaving no stone unturned. Urs is a fountain of wisdom, always ready to share her knowledge at just the right time.
Her ability to provide meaningful (and often loving) support and make herself available to friends, family, colleagues and participants is kind of mind-blowing. The ‘mama-bear’ reference is justly earned a thousand times over!
She also has a wicked sense of humour, always managing to throw in the perfect one-liner. Case in point, a recent message from Urs read: ‘Happy September! Put my pants on backwards this morning but I’ve rectified that and anticipate smooth sailing.’ Working with you, Urs, is truly an honour!”
To anyone who has attended events with Ursula, the positive impact she’s had on our alumni is clear, but the feeling is mutual. She continues to be motivated and inspired by participants, past and present. To hear Ursula tell it, “Their work isn’t easy, but their dedication and commitment to telling their stories is inspirational.”
One of the keys to her longevity and success at the National Screen Institute is remaining open to learning from everyone that crosses her path and appreciating their perspective with the work we do – participants, colleagues, board members, partners, program managers and faculty.
“I first met Ursula when she was the program manager for CBC New Indigenous Voices,” said manager of programs and development, Jessica Gibson. “I was working at a local production company and we’d had several CBC New Indigenous Voices interns over the years. That was when I first learned that she was the ‘mama bear’ at the National Screen Institute. Her impact on all the budding filmmakers was obvious.
When I started working [at the National Screen Institute], it was in the fall of 2020, and we were all working from home. It was nice to see Ursula’s familiar face welcoming me to the job, even if it was over Zoom.
Ursula has seen it all over the last 20 years and is a person that I can always count on for her wisdom and perspective. She always has time for a chat and is generous with her encouragement and advice.”
Ursula has racked up 20 years of experiences and memories. A couple of her standouts are the NSI Film Exchange Canadian Film Festival. Ursula remembers it as, “a lot of work but also a lot of fun and an opportunity to have all our program participants, managers, faculty, board members, funders/partners and staff in one place.”
She also holds a deep appreciation and place of gratitude for the opportunity to be involved in our Indigenous programs and the ceremonies that are part of them.
She holds those experiences close to her heart, and we hold her close to ours.
