A board member since 2017, Dana Granofsky has played a key role in guiding Nellie’s through a number of major changes, primarily the purchase, renovation and move to our new shelter.

“Being a part of ushering in this evolution for Nellie’s and seeing the final results come to life is something I’m really proud of,” says Dana, who first sat on the Fund Development Committee as a community volunteer prior to joining the board.

Dana is a single mother of two and the owner of a BGM Strategy Group, a Toronto-based consulting firm that advises governments, charities, non-profits and the broader public sector to design shared decision-making processes within complex stakeholder environments. She is also a Harvard trained mediator. In the spring of 2022, she took on the role of Nellie’s Board of Directors co-chair, alongside Donnalea Sparling.

“Volunteering as part of this organization, I’ve watched Nellie’s grow and develop. Right now, Nellie’s is in a really exciting place and I’m excited to be able to bring my knowledge and experience to further its evolution before my [three-term maximum] time on the board is up.”

With the move to the new shelter now behind us, Dana says the board can now shift its focus to leading social change through education and advocacy by introducing new vital programs and services that will meet immediate, specific and emerging needs. What Nellie’s has always known about the prevalence of gender-based violence in our society garnered more attention throughout the pandemic and is resulting in greater investment in services for women and children facing poverty, violence and oppression, says Dana.

“Nellie’s has been at the forefront of identifying needs, generating solutions and pushing the envelope for decades. It is what uniquely positions us to be a leader in this space,” says Dana. “We recognize that any woman, or woman-identifying person, could be a client of Nellie’s and unfortunately at some point in their lives, might have to.”

But, Dana says, the barriers and challenges faced by the women and their children at Nellie’s today are far more complex than our founders could have envisioned. She’s honoured to be leading the board toward building the next generation of approaches.

“Nellie’s is building the future, brick by brick. Change is not something you suddenly see, it happens gradually. First you build the necessary foundation, then you are ready to start placing all the rest of the important work on it.”

Thank you, Dana, for your time and service to Nellie’s.