These individuals are accelerating progress and building healthier, more prosperous and more inclusive communities…
By Jumol Royes
Women who make a difference in their communities deserve to be recognized and celebrated.
This is true every day, but it is especially true on International Women’s Day. This global day celebrates and recognizes the social, economic, cultural and political contributions of women and girls around the world while raising awareness about the efforts being made to achieve gender equality.
The Government of Canada’s theme for International Women’s Day 2024 is “Invest in women: Accelerate progress” – a call to action and an important reminder that gender equality helps build healthier, more prosperous and more inclusive communities.
According to the 2023 Canadian Nonprofit Sector Salary & Benefits Report published by CharityVillage, men who work in chief executive positions in the non-profit sector earn more on average than women at the same level. While the disparity has decreased in recent years, the gender wage gap still exists.
In honour of International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting inspiring women leading non-profit organizations supporting diverse 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Canada, like Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity; Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada; Maura Lawless, executive director of The 519; Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony, executive director of SKETCH; and Raegan Swanson, executive director of The ArQuives.
These women are trailblazers who work with and in 2SLGBTQI+ communities and are paving a path forward for the next generation of leaders and changemakers.
Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah
Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity
Since joining the Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity as executive director in 2020, the national organization based in Ottawa has grown to become one of Canada’s most influential 2SLGBTQI+ organizations under Owusu-Akyeeah’s leadership. With an organizational mission to empower gender and sexually diverse communities through education, research and advocacy, Owusu-Akyeeah is committed to championing the rights of youth and 2SLGBTQI+ communities. She has deep roots in program and project management, gender-based analysis, feminist foreign policy and international affairs, and holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs, specializing in International Development Policy from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University. She previously worked at Oxfam Canada and Global Affairs Canada, has served on boards for several organizations and is currently a board member and co-chair of Dignity Network Canada’s Advocacy and Government Relations Working Group. Owusu-Akyeeah is a first-generation, Ghanaian-Canadian, queer woman and award-winning feminist activist dedicated to the liberation of all her communities.
Helen Kenndey
Executive director, Egale Canada
Improving the lives of 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Canada and around the world is Kennedy’s raison d’etre and the foundation for her life’s work. She became the executive director of Egale Canada in 2007 and under her leadership, Canada’s leading organization for 2SLGBTQI+ people and issues has made significant contributions towards equality through research that reveals the current state of inclusion, awareness campaigns and education programs that shift the culture of inclusion and legal advocacy. She was also instrumental in establishing Friends of Ruby, Canada’s first custom-built transitional home for 2SLGBTQI+ youth experiencing homelessness. Beyond her work with Egale, Kennedy was a founding member of Canadians for Equal Marriage, a public interest group that led to Canada being the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. She also consulted on the US military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, was invited to consult with the Pope and Vatican officials about the decriminalization of 2SLGBTQI+ people globally and played a pivotal role as the former co-secretary general of ILGA, a worldwide federation of over 1,900 organizations campaigning for 2SLGBTQI+ rights. Kennedy has over two decades of experience working in politics and was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at Start Proud’s 2018 Leaders To Be Proud Of Awards.
Maura Lawless
Executive director, The 519
As the executive director of The 519, Lawless leads Canada’s largest community centre responding to the ever-evolving needs of diverse 2SLGBTQI+ communities, a City of Toronto agency and a registered charity. She joined the organization in 2007 and has worked tirelessly to expand programs and services, strengthen governance and financial systems and champion organizational development, productive enterprises and sustainable strategic planning. Lawless has positioned The 519 as a leading 2SLGBTQ+ community centre, with the support of her leadership team and board, by advancing important advocacy initiatives and supporting 2SLGBTQI+ communities and organizations across the country. She is a dedicated public servant with 30+ years of experience working with marginalized and vulnerable communities, including in frontline, management and senior leadership roles. She first joined the City Toronto in 2003 as manager of hostel operations where she started a dialogue about the barriers and systemic challenges facing 2SLGBTQI+ folks who experience homelessness. Lawless is inspired by the creativity and resilience of two-spirit, queer and trans communities in Toronto and around the world, as well as by the efforts and dedication of her team in advancing this critical work.
Paulina O’Kieffe-Anthony
Executive director, SKETCH
O’Kieffe-Anthony is an award-winning artist, arts educator, creative consultant, community advocate and executive director of SKETCH, a community arts organization that offers free art-based programs for aspiring and emerging creatives between 18 and 35 years old, with a focus on 2SLGBTQI+, Black, Indigenous and other racialized youth. She stepped into this leadership position in 2021 after working as SKETCH’s resource development and marketing manager for two and a half years, supporting the organization’s fundraising and grant strategy and initiating the development of the NextUP! Leaders Lab program and the Spotlight Scholarships for Black Artists. O’Kieffe-Anthony has been successfully writing grants for over 15 years and was previously a grant reviewer for the Toronto Arts Council and the director for ArtReach. She is also a two-time national team finalist in the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, a TEDx speaker and has been recognized by the CBC as one of 150 Black Women Making HERstory for her contributions to building the Toronto arts scene. O’Kieffe-Anthony has a proven track record as a transformational leader in both the social service sector and the arts community and is committed to reshaping and championing community arts in Toronto and beyond.
Raegan Swanson
Executive director, The ArQuives
Swanson has been the executive director of The ArQuives since 2016, leading an organization that aids in the recovery and preservation of 2SLGBTQI+ histories, stories, and lived experiences while aspiring to be a significant source and catalyst for those who strive for a future world where 2SLGBTQI+ people are accepted, valued and celebrated. She has worked as an archivist at Library and Archives Canada, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute, and as the archival advisor for the Council of Archives New Brunswick. Swanson holds a Master of Information from the University of Toronto iSchool and is currently pursuing her PhD focused on the importance of community archives in relation to cultural identity for First Nations and Inuit groups in Quebec. She also sits on the steering committee for Canada’s Archives Taskforce responding to the “Calls to Action” Report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is co-chair of the Association of Canadian Archives’ Indigenous Matters Working Group.
JUMOL ROYES is IN Magazine’s director of communications and community engagement, an Ottawa-based poet and storyteller and glass-half-full kinda guy. He writes about compassion, community, identity and belonging. His guilty pleasure is watching the Real Housewives. Follow him on Instagram @jumolroyes.
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