About Us
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Launched in 2021, The Women’s History Project is a not-for-profit organization focused on public education through an events program and development of the Women’s History Production Fund.
We believe that by knowing our shared history, women in Canada can be better advocates today and change-makers for tomorrow. By using an inclusive, intersectional, and inter-generational feminist perspective, we create experiences across various platforms to make history relevant.
We have partnered with the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW) who provides charitable receipts for donations earmarked for The Women’s History Project.
There are many great women whose campaigns, achievements and contributions have led to substantial change in Canadian history. Their stories need repeating!
We will shine a light on those stories of past change-makers in a modern way, capturing the hearts of those new to history and the equality movement and honouring the women who came before us.
As a national non-profit, volunteer organization, The Women’s History Project’s ambition is to advance women’s equality by promoting the role, achievements and contributions of women in Canadian history.
Working with partner organizations, we will provide opportunities for discovering women's history through conversations, discussions, storytelling, multimedia productions and art. We aim to generate awareness, educate, advocate and create future change.
We continue to attract experienced and senior women to our Board. We also have a stellar, youthful team who make it all work!
Board Members
Debra Davis
President
With over 40-years of experience in strategic communications, engagement and project management, Debra has an extensive background in the private, volunteer and public sectors working at local, national and international levels. She is an active feminist, supporting women candidates in her career as a political organizer, managing a Canada-UK women’s program as Counsellor Public Affairs at the Canadian High Commission in London (1999-2001), serving as a board member of the Arab International Women’s Forum (2001-2010) and the Ottawa Women’s March, (2019-2020). Debra returned to Ottawa in 2016 and rejoined the public service. She has had a long interest in the history of women, the equality movement and social justice. debradavis@womenshistoryproject.ca
Deborah Morrison
Vice-President
Deborah Morrison joined Universities Canada in March 2023. Previously, she was the president and CEO of Experiences Canada, a national charity that supports youth development through experiential learning, youth travel and exchanges. Much of her career has been devoted to media production and educational programming: she was publisher and CEO of Canada’s History and Kayak magazines, director of operations for Historica Canada and director of marketing and development and production coordinator for the CRB Foundation, creators of the Heritage Minutes.
Catherine Bélanger
Director, Sponsorship and Fundraising
Catherine Bélanger is the President of KatiCorp Inc, a strategic consulting company based in Ottawa. Catherine started her professional career as an executive search consultant before joining the public sector, developing expertise in public policy development, strategic planning and strategic communications. She has worked with the Canadian Coast Guard, the National Capital Commission, the Treasury Board and the Correctional Service of Canada. Catherine is Co-chair of the REACH Auction Gala in Ottawa, supporting legal aid for disabled persons, and is a member of several boards of directors, including the ALS Society of Canada and the Canadiana Foundation supporting Canada’s Official Residences.
Talia Chung
Director
Talia Chung is University Librarian and Dean of Libraries at the University of Ottawa, a position she has held since 2018. Under her leadership, the University of Ottawa Library has continued to advance cutting-edge research and support transformative learning, notably through launching Omni – an academic search tool connecting the libraries of 18 Ontario universities – and spearheading open scholarship practices. In 2023, she was reappointed to lead the University of Ottawa Library for a second five-year term.
In addition to serving on the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) Board of Directors, Talia is currently Chair of the Association of Research Libraries’ (ARL) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committee. She previously worked at the Library of Parliament for 16 years.
Lai Hoang
Director
Lai holds a senior role with the federal government, bringing over 14 years of experience in policy development and strategic advisory roles. She has advanced national initiatives in areas of ocean protection, cannabis legalization, and drug and health policies in Canada. An economist by training, she is dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, so that the policies she shapes are fair and accessible for all communities. Lai is also passionate about community advocacy and civic engagement, striving to make a positive impact beyond her policy role.
Penney Kome
Director
Journalist and author Penney Kome has been reporting on women’s issues in Canada since 1971 – as an independent journalist, then as a national and local columnist; then as popular feminist author addressing essential issues such as housework, childcare, and contraception; and in the mid-1990s, as a feminist pioneer on the Internet, as a co-founder of two of Canada’s independent online news magazines, Straight Goods and rabble.ca. Penney still publishes occasionally in The Globe & Mail and the National Observer of Canada.
Her books include Somebody Has To Do It: Whose Work Is Housework? (McClelland &Stewart 1982); The Taking of Twenty-Eight: Women Challenge the Constitution (Women’s Educational Press, 1983); and Peace: A Dream Unfolding (Sierra Club Books 1986).
Penney’s honours include the 1987 Toronto YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Communications, and a 1992 Governor-General Sesquicentennial Medal for making “significant contributions to Canada.”
Dawn Lavell-Harvard
Director
Dr. Dawn Lavell-Harvard, Ph.D., is a proud member of the Wikwemikong First Nation. The first Aboriginal Trudeau Scholar, Lavell-Harvard has worked to advance the rights of Aboriginal women as the President of the Ontario Native Women’s Association from 2003 to 2021. Dawn has been the Director for First Peoples House of Learning at Trent University since 2016, having left her previous role as President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada in order to return to her roots as an educator.
Who we are
Amy Mapara
Director
Amy Mapara is a dedicated leader with over 30 years of experience at the Canadian Red Cross. She has a strong background in strategic planning, facilitation, and conflict resolution, and has led initiatives to empower youth at national and international levels. Amy is an award-winning public speaker and a recipient of the Dr. Graham Chance Award for her contributions to child health. She actively volunteers on various boards, and is excited to join The Women's History Project Board.”
Jackie Neapole
Director
Jacqueline Neapole is the executive director of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women. A committed feminist, she has also worked at the Feminist Alliance for International Action and as an activist in various social justice movements.
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Andrea Salguero
Director
Andrea Salguero is the Director of Public Affairs for the Bahá’í Community of Canada. Prior to this role, Andrea held several human rights related advocacy and research roles. She completed a clerkship at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica and worked at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.A), and joint Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L.) / Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees from McGill University. She is a licensed lawyer in Ontario.
Frances Wright, C.M., A.O.E.
Director
Based in Calgary, Frances is an entrepreneur who has launched several businesses specializing in economic development, public engagement and government relations. From 1996 to 2005, Frances served as the Co-Founder and CEO of the Famous 5 Foundation. As of January 2022, Frances is the CEO of the F5F once again in preparation of the 95th Anniversary of the "Persons" Case on Oct. 18, 2024. In February 2019, Frances completed an 18-year-old project when the Senate of Canada finally agreed to restore O Canada to its inclusive nature – True patriot love, in ALL of US command! She has been instrumental in launching charities such as Women’s Justice, Youth Clubs of Calgary and the Canadian Centre for Adult Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (cc4ms).
Communications and Marketing Team
Ellen Beveridge
Researcher / Writer
Based in Vancouver, Ellen is TWHP's researcher, writer and project coordinator.
Leah Bethel
Social Media Officer
Based in Montreal, Leah provides TWHP with all our social media and technical support.