Renée Watters

A leader in Francophone Education, Mrs. Renée Popov Watters has served on various regional, provincial and national committees and boards dedicated to the promotion and delivery of education. In addition to her involvement at the local levelin the Greater Vancouver Area, she has been a member of provincial committees dedicated to the improvement of education, was Chair of the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique (British Columbia’s Francophone School Board), Vice-President of the Federation of Francophone Parents, Founder of the first Regional Association of Parents in British Columbia, Spokesperson and Co-Founder of the French-language Coalition in British Columbia, represented the province on the National Federation of Francophone School Boards and the National Commission of Francophone Parents and served on British Columbia’s Provincial Council. As president of the Education Committee, she championed inclusiveness and strongly supported policies and practices in education, training and employment for students with disabilities and special educational needs.

In May 2004, the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation presented her with the Volunteer of the Year Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the Vancouver community. In recognition of her great contributions to the promotion and development of French-language education in Canada, Mrs. Popov Watters received l’Ordre des francophones d’Amérique. She was also inducted in the order of the Compagnie des Cent-Associés francophones. In 2014, she was recognized nationally as one of the 100 most remarkable women in French Canada in the past century.