“I’ve always cheered for the underdog,” says Pauline Smale, Social Work ’00 and Early Childhood Development ’84. “I have a vivid memory from elementary school:  there was some bullying going on, and I decided to take a stand. That was the first moment where I realized that I was always going to choose someone who was struggling over my peer group.”

 The 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award honoree has carried that mindset into everything she does, always looking out for those who need help. She began her career working with children and soon shifted to prioritize families as a whole.

“That’s how I ended up at The Family Centre,” says Smale. “We’re a very innovative organization, in my opinion. There are a lot of places to go if you want to learn something new.”

The ability to explore different roles and facets of the field within one company has allowed her to try a variety of positions, helping her to discover her strengths and passions. Smale pursued her MBA when she realized she had talent for the administration side of family care and currently serves as CEO of The Family Centre.

In this role, she says, she’s still able to help change people’s lives. Through program development and administration, she’s able to provide better conditions and experiences for her staff, equipping them to deliver better care to the families they support.

Even outside of her day job, her focus is always on improving quality of life in a tangible way. Smale is the former chair of the ALIGN Association of Community Services and Family Services Canada, currently co-chairs the United Way Workplace Cabinet and serves on the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations board of directors.

“It’s always about keeping the windows open and learning,” says Smale. “I get to meet other people and to understand how others are approaching problems. I get to participate in more systemic change, which really is exciting to me.” Being on boards has also allowed her to grow her network and learn from other family care experts.

“You can have mentors at every level of your career,” she says.

And mentorship is something that she appreciates on both sides of the relationship. During her time as a student, she valued MacEwan’s working relationships with local agencies. Now, she’s able to provide that same experience and support to current MacEwan students. In her role at The Family Centre, Smale helps to provide 15 student practicum placements each year.

She describes the placements as four-month-long interviews, where students can gauge if The Family Centre is the right fit for their future career goals. While they focus primarily on practice-based programming, The Family Centre also engages in research into potential new initiatives, which means practicum students often find a role that works for them – and many end up getting hired on after graduation. 

That desire to find a place for everyone, and looking at problems from multiple angles, extends from The Family Centre out to the whole family services sector. 

“We can’t do everything – and we shouldn’t do everything,” says Smale. “Our wish to work with others is what makes us stronger. I’m a strong believer in sharing. There’s just so much to do, and we’ll do it better together.”