According to the press release, Dazé boasts 15 years of experience with the organization and her knowledge of the area along with her numerous accomplishments over her tenure made her the best candidate for the position.

Dazé will be replacing Father Marc Frappier who had served with Le Patro for over three decades and the organization wishes him all the best.

Dazé said she applied for the job earlier this fall, when Le Patro announced that the position was going to be open.

“They did interviews,” she said. “They had a number of candidates and I think I was chosen, largely based on the experience I had accumulated over the course of the last 15 years.”

Coming off a one-year sabbatical, Dazé noted that she hadn’t been envisioning the position for very long before submitting her application.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever come back to work,” she said. “But then, I was proposed to come around and help out a bit with the organization’s current board of directors.”

Around the premises on a gradually more regular basis, Dazé realized that she simply couldn’t stay away from Le Patro and that perhaps applying for the Director General job wasn’t a bad idea.

Knowing it was a big task to handle, Dazé said she pondered her options for as long as she could, making sure she considered every consequence, before making her decision.

“I applied on the last day before the deadline,” she said. It was a delicate decision to make when you have a family, a spouse and an organization that demands a lot of your time, you have to commit yourself to staying involved and working while not damaging your family life at the same time.”

Previously, Dazé had worked with Le Patro as an administrative secretary, specializing in all sorts of paperwork-related duties, including accounting. After a few years, she got involved in event coordinating where she ran community activities, submitted grant applications and made a lot of relationships with local residents, organizations and educational institutions.

“Schools knew me because I regularly went to schools in Fort Coulonge,” she said. “Le Patro was offering activities, so I went to do them.”

“I did grant applications and also participated in all of the municipality’s programs,” she added. “I also involved myself with partners, meetings and all that. So, I kind of got used to everything that happened and that’s how I got the experience to be able to apply for the job.”

Along with the overall functioning of the organization, Dazé said her responsibilities as Le Patro’s DG will be to ensure quality coordination of employees and to raise funds to subsidize the organization’s numerous community initiatives and events.

Having been chosen by members of the organization’s administrative council, Dazé said she felt very touched because it proves that her relentless dedication and countless efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.

“It shows that the people with the organization know what I have to offer,” she said. “For the community, it’s touching to see them tell me ‘Suzanne, you’re going to do a great job.”

While the opportunity does provide a sense of uneasiness and unpredictability, Dazé said she feels comforted knowing that she has a great supporting cast of family, friends and co-workers to help her out when she needs it.

“It’s a little bit scary and very demanding,” she said. “But I have a lot of help around me.”

Along with plenty of experience in the field like in the office, Dazé said her likeable personality, open-mindedness and willingness to seek out assistance in times of need will greatly benefit her en route to plenty of success in her new position.

“I’m very sociable and people aren’t afraid to approach me and discuss things,” she said. “I’m very open to discussions about new projects and things like that and I’m very fast when it comes to answering e-mails, submitting grant applications.”

“I’m not afraid of seeking help and asking for it when there’s a conflict somewhere,” she added. “I try to do everything but with help. I don’t take all the responsibilities because at some point it’s too much. So, it’s important to have good support.”

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