This spring, the Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre marked a big transition with the hiring of our new Executive Director, Katie Bortolin. Here are a few words from her as she settles into the role:
“Hello! Bonjour! Boozhoo! Let me take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am Katie and for the past eighteen years I have been working in Thunder Bay supporting women alongside advocates, allies, and community members. I have sat in so many rooms where the stakes were painfully real and where the systems did not show up the way they should have. However, women continued to show up for themselves and for each other while refusing to let anyone push them further to the margins, despite it all.
I am inspired by women who do not take no for an answer and who take up space where there is not a lot of room for them. That is what calls me to this work. I feel a sense of responsibility to support my community. I do not see this leadership role as something where I am behind a desk and distant from community or where I am too polished to get my hands dirty. I see it something grounded, accountable, and deeply relational. For me, this is about honesty, urgency, community, and maybe just enough humour, creativity, and optimism to keep us from collectively screaming into the void daily.
Over the next while, I will be listening a lot. Please feel free to stop by the Centre and say hello! I want to hear what you are seeing, what you are carrying, and what you think needs to change for women in Thunder Bay. I am especially interested in the ideas that feel too bold or too out of the box. Those are often the ones that move us forward. Together, we can build something better—but only if we are willing to be honest about what is broken. In the meantime, thank you for showing up to work that is difficult, necessary, and too often under-resourced. We are in this together- undaunted! “
With great respect and love,
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