WATCH: Building Diverse and Equitable Nonprofit Boards: A Panel Discussion with Sector Experts

On September 29, 2021 Senator Omidvar participated in a panel discussion hosted by Charity Village and Imagine Canada. Fellow panelists included:

  • Tania Cheng, Director of Process Innovation at SheEO and Director, Design and Strategy at Feminuity. Tania serves on the Board of Directors of Imagine Canada, and previously served on the boards of Inside Out, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and The Otesha Project.
  • Trish Mandewo, a Coquitlam City Councillor and Co-Founder and CEO of Synergy Executive & Boards Consulting Group. Trish currently sits on the Women’s Enterprise Center Board, Union of BC Municipalities, Indigenous Relations Committee chair, Metro Vancouver Electoral Area A Committee, and the Black Opportunity Fund Governance Committee.

They discussed the results of a Statistics Canada survey released earlier this year exploring the diversity of charity and nonprofit boards in Canada. The results confirmed what many in the sector already know – that those who identify as immigrants, persons of colour, LGBTQ2+ individuals, persons with a disability, and First Nations, Metis, and Inuit are vastly underrepresented on nonprofit and charity boards of directors. The panelists discussed the implications of these findings and what organizations can do to build a more diverse and equitable sector, starting with their boards. Watch the recording:

Click here to learn more about the event