Remembering Dianne Liscumb: A Legacy of Leadership, Learning, and Service

With profound gratitude and respect, we honour the life and legacy of Dianne Liscumb, who served as Executive Director of WCCRC from 1998 to 2012. Through her dedicated service, exceptional leadership, and unwavering commitment to our mission, Dianne helped strengthen our organization and enrich the broader community we serve.  

Through her vision, courage, and steadfast commitment to excellence, Dianne guided the organization through periods of growth and change, always ensuring that our mission remained at the heart of every decision. Her leadership inspired confidence, fostered innovation, and created opportunities that continue to benefit educators, children, families, and communities today.  

Dianne was passionate about ensuring child care providers, early childhood educators, and staff succeed. With a quiet, patient, and thoughtful approach, she inspired learning, built confidence, and encouraged others to discover their own strengths. To staff, she was a mentor and champion. To community partners, she was a trusted leader. To many, she was a source of wisdom, encouragement, and comfort.  

Her influence extended far beyond her years with the organization. It lives on in the culture she nurtured, the programs and resources she strengthened, and the countless people whose lives were touched by her guidance.  

Dianne will be remembered as a visionary leader whose passion for early childhood education shaped not only our organization, but also the broader child care community. She started her work with Westcoast as the Coordinator of the Family Daycare Support Program (now known as Child Care Resource and Referral) in 1990. She played a pivotal role in developing a model that would eventually become a blueprint for CCRRs across British Columbia.  

As the Executive Director she championed the development of resources and curriculum for early childhood educators and authored the first Responsible Adult Course Curriculum in response to changing licensing requirements. Her brilliance as an educator, strategic thinker, writer, and curriculum developer was extraordinary. She possessed a remarkable ability to balance the needs of the moment with the possibilities of the future—building upon the strong foundation established by those before her while helping position the organization for continued success.  

Through challenging times and periods of significant change, Dianne remained calm, professional, and resilient. She led with strength, integrity, and compassion, providing steadfast support to both her staff team and the Board of Directors. Her thoughtful leadership fostered confidence in others and helped create a workplace culture grounded in collaboration, learning, and respect.  

Dianne believed in mentorship and lifelong learning, encouraging those around her to grow not only as professionals, but also as leaders and as people. Many of us carry forward lessons learned from Dianne—not only about leadership and service, but about kindness, compassion, perseverance, and dedication to a greater purpose.  

We are privileged to carry forward the values Dianne embodied and the foundation she helped strengthen. Dianne’s leadership provided shelter during difficult times, encouragement during periods of growth, and a reassuring presence that brought people together.  

Her legacy lives on in all those she taught, mentored, encouraged, and inspired—and in the continued work of those who carry forward the values she held so deeply.