Hamilton, 9 June 2022 –
The Annual General Meeting of Goodwill, The Amity Group was held in Hamilton, Ontario yesterday on the 8th June 2022. Among the agenda items was the election of Directors and recognition of departing Directors.
Elected to three year terms following appointments earlier in the year were:
Akosua Alagaratnam
Akosua is the Executive Director of First Work, Ontario’s youth employment network. Prior to joining First Work she worked as a senior public affair professional, primarily focused on policy affecting marginalized communities and youth. Prior positions include roles with the Provincial Minister of Children and Youth Services and as a senior policy advisor with the Provincial Minister of Finance. Akosua also serves on the Board of The Canadian Coalition of Community-Based Employability Training (CCBET), and MABELLEarts. Akosua was appointed to the Board in January 2022.
Khadija Hamidu
As a sociology and anthropology McMaster Alumni graduate, Khadija Hamidu has extensive experience in community development, labour market statistics and social services. She is currently the Executive Director of Workforce Planning Hamilton and has held previous roles with Wesley Urban Ministries, the YMCA of Hamilton Brantford, Community Living and the Social Research and Planning Council. Khadija was appointed to the Board in March 2022.
Newly elected to a three year term was:
Carmela Trombetta
Carmela is currently RBC Royal Bank’s Vice President, Commercial Financial Services for the Greater Hamilton Market and has over 30 years of experience in the financial services sector with the bank. She has a BA in Economics from McMaster University, has completed Canadian Securities courses and has a Personal Financial Planning Diploma. Carmela has been a volunteer leader in the region, having served as a campaign cabinet member with United Way Halton & Hamilton, and on the Boards of organizations including the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, Mohawk College Foundation, and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation.
Re-elected to a three year term and re-appointed as Chair was:
Andrea Donlan, Chair and Director
Andrea joined the Board in 2019, when she was the President and CEO of Manifest Communications, a social change firm. In January 2020 she joined MacMillan Vantage Policy and serves as a Vice President, engaged in public affairs and strategic communications with a particular focus on corporate purpose and social impact. She has been Chair since September 2020.
Indira Naidoo–Harris, Director
Indira is a trusted public leader, policy-maker, journalist, and human rights advocate currently serving as the Associate Vice-President of Diversity and Human Rights at the University of Guelph. She is a former MPP for Halton and has held several cabinet posts, including Ontario’s first ever Minister of the Status of Women, Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care, Associate Minister of Finance, and Minister of Education. Before entering politics, Naidoo-Harris was an award winning journalist in Canada and internationally with outlets including NBC, PBS, CBC, OMNI, TVO, and CTV.
Glen Norton, CPA, MBA, Vice Chair and Director
Glen was first appointed to the Board in June 2020 then elected to his first three year term in September of that year. He was also appointed Vice Chair in September 2020 and re-appointed at the June 8 AGM. Glen spent over 22 years in Canadian mid-market commercial banking in Southwestern Ontario. Between 2009 and 2020 he worked at the City of Hamilton and retired in February from his position as Director, Economic Development. Glen has volunteered with community organizations including the United Way and is currently Board Vice Chair for the Muskoka Community Foundation.
Cortney Oliver, MA, Director
Cortney was elected to the Board in September 2020. She is currently Manager, Municipal Sponsorship for Metrolinx. Prior to that role she was Senior Policy Advisor at the LCBO. She served on the LCBO’s Employee Engagement for Sustainability Committee and has volunteered for Woodgreen Community Organization and United Way in the past. At the AGM Cortney was appointed Chair of the Board Development Committee.
David Rathbun, MBA, FLMI, Director
David was re-elected in September 2020 to a second three year term. He has 30 years of executive experience across a number of sectors. Previously an Executive Vice President of Bell Aliant, President of xwave Solutions and Chief Talent Officer at Clearwater Seafoods, he currently consults on strategy, organizational development, and change management. He is also a Senior Consultant with the Atlantic Leadership Development Institute, a former member of the Counsel of Human Resource Executives for the Conference Board of Canada and past Chair of the Prior Learning Centre.
Departing Board member recognized for their service were:
Martha Fox, M.ED., Director and Co-Chair of the Board Development Committee
Martha served on the Board since 2013. A former teacher, counsellor and mediator, Martha retired in 2012 after 26 years with Mohawk College, the last seven of which were as the Director of Accessible Learning and Counselling Services. She is a volunteer member of The Salvation Army Lawson Ministries, Ontario Special Olympics and Dundas District Civitan Club.
Linda Nazareth, MA, Director
Linda served on the Board from 2015 until September 2021. She is an economist, broadcaster, consultant, and speaker. She is a Senior Fellow for Economics and Population Change at the MacDonald Laurier Institute, a Globe and Mail columnist on economics and the labour market, and former senior on-air economic analyst with Business News Network/CTV. She is also the author of four books including Work is Not a Place, and the host of the podcast Work and the Future.
Vidis Vaiciunas, Director
Vidis served on the Board since 2019. He brought extensive finance and governance experience and has served on the Boards of Directors for Central 1 Credit Union, Canadian Credit Union Association, Talka Credit Union, and a nonprofit subsidized housing institution. He served as a grant review team member for Ontario Trillium Foundation.
About Goodwill Amity
The mission of Goodwill, The Amity Group is “changing lives and strengthening communities through the power of work.”
Since 1935, we have delivered that mission through Employment Services and Social Enterprises for people who face barriers to work. In Employment Services, we help people enter or re-enter the workforce and serve employers in recruiting and retaining the teams they need to meet their operational objectives. Our Social Enterprises, which include two thrift stores, recycling operations, and a café and catering division, generate proceeds for our employment mission and offer hands-on training to job seekers.
For our clients, finding work is transformational. It can lead to financial stability, provide food and shelter, give purpose to someone who has lost a career, help newcomers join the Canadian labour market, give an individual with a disability the skills to pursue employment, or launch a youth from school to work.
Goodwill Amity is proud to be a finalist for the Burlington Chamber of Commerce 2022 Business Excellence Awards in the Not for Profit category.
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Contact information:
Kelly Duffin, President and CEO
kduffin@goodwillonline.ca
905-526-8482 x 2222