Frances Ennis

Frances Ennis has been a community worker as an adult education, program coordinator, evaluator, and researcher and writer for most of her adult life. She worked with the federal government for eleven years and, before that, with organizations whose mandates focused on health education, adult literacy, social justice, and women’s equality. Frances was co-founder of the first community-based adult literacy program in the province. She is a recipient of the Muriel Duckworth Award for participatory research, the Governor General’s Award in honour of the Person’s Case, and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador. She has co-authored, edited, and/or produced books and training manuals for adult literacy work. As a current textile artist, Frances has participated in provincial, national, and international exhibits. She helped to initiate and facilitate several large group rug hooking projects that produced one-of-a-kind rugs, books about the rugs and stories they depict, and exhibitions, one of which travelled to Ireland. Frances and husband Bill Coultas live in St. John’s. They are proud parents of three lovely daughters—Sheila, Laura, and Jennifer—and they have a very special granddaughter, Abbegayle.