Dave Johnston – Chair
Dave Johnston is the CEO and owner of Johnston Group Inc., a Winnipeg based administrator of group insurance benefits and a partner in Payworks Inc. a Winnipeg based payroll service provider. Johnston Group has been named as one of Canada’s Best Managed Private companies for the past 19 years.
Mr. Johnston has been personally involved with many aspects of the community and served on a number of boards. He was president of the Children’s Hospital of Winnipeg Foundation for 3 years, a founding Director of the Foundations for Health campaign for what is now the John Buhler Research Center, the Campaign Chair for the 2001 United Way of Winnipeg Campaign and a board member and cabinet member of the Imagine a Place campaign for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy. In 2019 Mr. Johnston was awarded the André Mailhot award which is United Way Canada’s highest honor, given each year to one volunteer in Canada.
Susan Lewis – Vice-Chair
Susan is the outgoing President and CEO of United Way of Winnipeg and a visionary leader whose work has included leading the formation of the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council (WPRC) to address in real and measurable ways some of Winnipeg’s toughest issues.
Ovide Mercredi
Highly respected advocate of Indigenous rights, Ovide is the former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations and former Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Manitoba. As an accomplished lawyer specializing in constitutional law, he has and continues to be an integral leader in First Nations issues in Canada.
Kathy Knudsen
Kathy is the Vice President, Community Investment for United Way of Winnipeg. In this role, Kathy, together with the community investment team, collaborates with senior volunteers and staff to achieve the greatest impact possible on social issues in our community. Including numerous courses in leadership, change management, and project management, Kathy has attained a Bachelor of Nursing degree, a Master’s of Public Administration degree, as well as a Master’s Certificate in Municipal Leadership.
Dilly Knol
Dilly is the Executive Director of Andrews Street Family Centre and a strong advocate for Indigenous families. A woman of Metis decent, she was born and raised near Richer, Manitoba. She began her career in community development in her late 20s through volunteerism, and soon after made the decision to go back to school to obtain her degree in Social Work from the University of Manitoba. Dilly lives in the North End of Winnipeg and dedicates her life to making a difference in her community.
Gregg Hanson
Gregg was formerly the president and CEO of Wawanesa Mutual. Now retired, he remains active in Manitoba’s business community on several company boards, and has taken an active interest in the well-being of Winnipeg’s Indigenous citizens in particular.