Celebrating two organizations that have met the diversity challenge

Meet this year's leading public and non-profit organizations that are changing the face of our region's leadership by creating inclusive boards of governance.

TORONTO , Feb. 3 /CNW/ - On Thursday, February 4 , DiverseCity onBoard will recognize the winners of the third annual Diversity in Governance Awards - United Way Toronto (nonprofit board category) and Women's College Hospital (public board category).

This year's winners are recognized for being well ahead of the curve in embracing diversity at the highest levels of their organizations. They exemplify good practices in building and benefiting from racially and ethnically diverse boards of governance. The two organizations understand that since the GTA is one of the most culturally diverse regions in the world, organizations and institutions should reflect the people they serve.

    
    What:
    2009 Diversity in Governance Awards

    Who:

     -  Ratna Omidvar, President, Maytree; Co-Chair, DiverseCity
    -   Alan Broadbent, Chairman & CEO, Avana Capital Corp.; Chairman,
        Maytree
    -   Frances Lankin, President and CEO, United Way Toronto
    -   Alnasir Samji, President of the Board of Trustees, United Way Toronto
    -   Marilyn Emery, President and CEO, Women's College Hospital
    -   Michele Landsberg, Board Member, Women's College Hospital

    When:
    Thursday, February 4, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
    Awards ceremony starts at 6:30 p.m.

    Where:
    Currie Hall, Canada's National Ballet School
    105 Maitland Street, Toronto
    

DiverseCity onBoard is part of DiverseCity: The Greater Toronto Leadership Project, a joint initiative of Maytree and the Toronto City Summit Alliance. The project aims to transform the leadership landscape across the GTA. DiverseCity onBoard connects qualified candidates from Aboriginal, visible minority and under-represented immigrant communities to agencies, boards and commissions in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Research conducted by The Conference Board of Canada in the fall of 2008 linked diverse leadership to greater financial and organizational performance and enhanced innovation and creativity, among other outcomes.

ABOUT MAYTREE: Established in 1982, Maytree is a private foundation that promotes equity and prosperity through its policy insights, grants and programs. The foundation has gained recognition for its expertise in developing, testing and implementing programs and policy solutions related to immigration, integration and diversity. www.maytree.com.

ABOUT UNITED WAY TORONTO: Established in 1956, United Way Toronto is a charity working to advance the common good and create opportunities for a better life for everyone in our city. Working in partnership with others, we mobilize people and resources to address the root causes of social problems and to change community conditions for the better. United Way supports agencies that provide services to strengthen individuals, families, and communities. www.unitedwaytoronto.com.

ABOUT WOMEN'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL: For the past 100 years, Women's College Hospital has been dedicated to groundbreaking advances in women's health. Women's College Hospital collaborated in the invention of the Pap test, opened Ontario's first regional Sexual Assault Care Centre and was the first hospital in the province to use mammography. Today, Women's College Hospital is Ontario's first and only ambulatory care centre and is a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto focused on state-of-the-art care, research and education in women's health. www.womenscollegehospital.ca.

For further information: Media contacts: Maytree: Markus Stadelmann-Elder, Communications Manager, p: [phone] x 284, c: [phone], [email protected]; United Way Toronto: Caitlin Stidwill, Communications Officer, p: [phone] ext. 396, c: [phone], [email protected]; Women's College Hospital: Jodi Salem, Media & Internal Relations, Strategic Communications, p: [phone] ext. 4054, [email protected]