DiverseCity onBoard celebrated four GTA-based organizations for their commitment to "embracing diversity in board governance" at an awards ceremony last Wednesday night at King Street's St. Andrew's Club & Conference Centre.
DiverseCity onBoard is part of the large
DiverseCity project. Launched in 2008 by
Maytree and
CivicAction, DiverseCity aims to increase the presence of qualified candidates from Aboriginal, visible minority and under-represented immigrant communities in leadership positions across the city (a 2009 report by DiverseCity found that only 13 per cent of the city's leadership roles were occupied by people of colour).
The OnBoard program connects these qualified individuals to boards and commissions in the public and nonprofit sectors.
Read more: DiverseCity documents benefits of diversity in nonprofit sector
At the June 19th Diversity in Governance Awards, DiverseCity onBoard recognized four GTA organizations that have already made a concentrated effort to increase diversity in board governance: the Blue Hills Child and Family Centre, the City of Markham, William Osler Health System and BMO Financial Group.
The Blue Hills Child and Family Center is a York-Region based community organization specializing in children's mental health. They've been recognized by DiveseCity for an ongoing effort, begun in 2004, to recruit board members from populations they felt they were not serving efficiently.
The William Osler Health System (winner in the public institution category), which runs the Brampton Civic Hospital and Etobicoke General Hospital, and BMO Financial Group (winner in the corporate category) were also both lauded for their commitment to building diverse boards of qualified candidates.
And lastly, The City of Markham, Canada’s most diverse community, was celebrated for its 2010 Board & Committee Appointment policy, a program that is helping underrepresented groups within the city find board and committee positions.
"Good practice in board governance includes finding the right people to lead," said Ratna Omidvar, President of Maytree and co-chair of DiverseCity. "In a region as diverse as ours, this involves embracing the full spectrum of skills, experiences and connections available. Capitalizing on our immense talent pool is an imperative for today's nonprofit, public and corporate boards."
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: DiverseCity onBoard