The President's Award

The President's Award was created to recognize a member or volunteer who has helped to solve a critical problem, worked behind the scenes on a special project, provided a unique contribution or provided extraordinary leadership to the organization.

Heather has been working within the not-for-profit sector since 2003, moving into the sector after 12 years working Enbridge Gas (Toronto). Her current role as Director, Volunteer Halton affords her the opportunity to share her knowledge and expertise in support of the nonprofit sector in Halton Region. Previous roles include: Volunteer Toronto (Engagement Assistant), Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario (Senior Coordinator, Volunteer Engagement); Dixon Hall Neighbourhood Services (Manager, Volunteer Program and Human Resources), Hope Air (Business Development and Volunteer Manager), FOOTPRINTS 4 Autism (Marketing, Fundraising, and Administration Consultant), and Habitat for Humanity York Region (Volunteer Coordinator.

Volunteer engagement is in her blood; the opportunity to tell the story of an organization or cause with the purpose of exciting others to help make a difference is a passion for her. An active member of PAVRO, VMPC, and TAVA she currently serves as PAVRO’s President; she is also a former President of TAVA. With a recent move to Cambridge, she is looking forward to volunteering with local organizations in and around Waterloo Region.

Heather completed her BA (Honours) in Communication and Digital Media Studies with the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in 2019. She had the honour of presenting a paper on the ethics of communication at The National Communication Association Convention in Washington, D.C, and, recently, she delivered a presentation at Volunteer Toronto’s VECTor conference drawn from her Honours Thesis “Don’t Believe Everything You Read: Volunteering in the Media”. Heather successfully challenged the CCVA examination in October 2020 and has been awarded the designation of CVA for her knowledge and understanding of volunteer engagement best practices.

Recipients of the President's Award