Nadine’s roots within the community mental health sector and with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) date back to her childhood. Her father served as an ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) psychiatrist with CMHAs in Kenora and Simcoe, as well as working in hospital psychiatric settings. “I grew up seeing that tension between hospital care and community care, and the challenges with transitions between those settings. It was really indoctrinated in me from very early on that community mental health is incredibly important to people recovering and living meaningful lives,” she says. 

Earning a PhD in health services research, Nadine has focused her career on the mental health and addictions sector. She says she joined CMHA Toronto’s board of directors in 2018 “as an opportunity for leadership development and to learn more about governance in an organization that I already felt very connected to.”  

Nadine reflects that seeing CMHA Toronto become a leader in the sector, recognized for its impact and vision of high-quality community mental health care, has been deeply meaningful for her. The agency’s bold shift toward equity-informed governance is a natural fit for her professional experience and personal values. “When the opportunity came to chair the board, how could I say no?” she says. 

As CMHA Toronto reckons with its past, interrogates its present, and recommits itself to a future founded on the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, truth and reconciliation, “rethinking governance is another step on our equity journey,” says Michael Anhorn, Chief Executive Officer.  

He elaborates: “We’re now defining governance, per Matt Fullbrook, as intentionally cultivating the conditions for effective decision-making. This allows for decisions to be made as close to impact as possible. It challenges the notion that governance is the exclusive domain of the board since decision-making happens throughout the organization.” 

To work effectively as part of an equity-informed board, new competencies are needed from board directors. “We're in the midst of defining what those competencies are. CMHA Toronto is now a $52-million-a-year organization with over 450 staff and running 24/7 operations. We need sophisticated board to provide insight, oversight and foresight to a complex organization,” Michael says. 

The change “doesn't happen by accident. You need to be conscious about who you recruit, conscious about ensuring people know what their jobs are, and then also making sure that the decision-making parameters are clear,” says Michael. He adds that “ensuring that what is often implicit is made explicit” – that is, being clear about who does what, who is responsible for which kinds of decisions or conditions for decision-making, and who needs to be consulted and brought in – allows for what he calls “creativity within the frame,” and gives people new ways to manage the tension and confusion that can arise during times of change.   

As Michelle Christian, CMHA Toronto's Chief of Staff, points out, when the implicit is made explicit, it allows for a new kind of leadership to emerge, and for those who may not have been seen in leadership positions to reach for those roles and excel in them. “I'm Black. I'm a governance expert. When last did you listen to anything about governance from someone who came in this political body – likely never – but this organization didn't even blink. I would give a little insight, and then, they’d say, tell me more,” she says.  

There have been major structural changes already. Governance transition has required difficult conversations and new ways of relating. Michelle shares that when the board decided to embark on this journey in early 2023, they knew there would be some who wouldn’t be able to see or buy in to the vision. “That underscores the bravery of the board to embark on this. It's not been easy, nor should it be. Truth and reconciliation and equity work have a cost, and if they cost you nothing, you're not doing them. But that is the work needed to serve the mission and the agency,” she says. 

While there have been challenges along the way, there have also been many rewards. “The work has been deeply woven with joy. We are continually inviting each other in,” says Michelle. “As much as we often see the difficult bits, I hardly go a week when I'm not reminded about the utter beauty of humanity. People stepped up and are kind even in hard, hard places.” 

“I’m humbled by the work we're doing. I also think it's critical that we acknowledge that we have a long way to go – not that we're seeking perfection, because that's a tool of white supremacy. We've done some amazing work – but we are imperfect in it. There's a reality that we need to hold both as true,” says Michael.   

Michelle suggests that “the work can't be measured in traditional ways, because none of us has ever lived in a space that has been decolonized. We don't actually know what it means to dream beyond what the colonizer has asked of us, and that's every identity. So, I leave aside the idea that there's perfect; you cannot learn unless you step, quote unquote, wrong at times. I don't think we have anything to share other than to talk honestly about our journey, warts and all. That’s the journey work.”  

Nadine concurs and says that the innovation and leadership potential that the board seeks to activate are possible because of the agency’s past learnings and strengths. “We're in a highly developmental context, and this organization has been incredibly brave in its responsiveness. They have not shied away from problem-solving, evolving, innovating and leading – and bringing others along for the ride. There's so much potential for this organization, for the board, and for the sector. It's very exciting to be a part of it.”