Jamie Lloyd-Smith has harboured a deep curiosity about global injustices for as long as she can remember.
However, it was a visit to New York City at the age of 17 when she witnessed first-hand terrible poverty and homelessness intertwined with social exclusion in one of the world’s largest and wealthiest cities.
The experience ignited in her a fervor for justice that would lead to her spending many years in the non-profit sector before joining the City of Penticton as its social development specialist.
Jamie’s quiet but strong impact in our community has been undeniable, and Kettle Valley Memorial along with the Penticton Chamber of Commerce are thrilled to announce Jamie Lloyd-Smith as a Top 40 Honouree.
Since its formation in 2020, Jamie’s department has seen a significant number of achievements including bringing in 200 new childcare spaces, investing in youth safety, supporting food security initiatives with community partners, and contributing to public safety through prevention and education rather than relying solely on enforcement.
Jamie also led the creation of Penticton’s first Social Development Framework, which solidified the responsibilities and commitments of the city in promoting a better quality of life for all community members in the areas of housing, homelessness, child care, support for people who use substances, mental health, and food security.
One of Jamie’s key approaches to overcoming complex community challenges has been to use the lens of “nothing about us without us,” meaning that gathering and listening to the feedback from those with lived and living experiences as well as those who work with vulnerable populations is now core to her department’s process.
A recent example was when Jamie engaged with Penticton’s minority voices and those community members who have experienced racism to help draft an anti-harassment bylaw. While that may seem like an obvious approach, policies and laws are still all-too-often written without any prior consultation with those it was meant to impact. Even though she is one of the youngest managers at city hall, what makes Jamie such an effective leader is the compassion and authenticity she brings to her work.
Her openness, ability to look beyond her own beliefs, and making decisions from a place of consensus rather than competitive positioning have already led to so many positive outcomes for the community, so it’s a pleasure to recognize one of the key leaders behind those outcomes as a Top 40 recipient.