As we kick off a new year, MakeWay is excited to welcome Katie Johnson, Mritunjay (MJ) Sinha, Cathy Galligos, and Barend van der Vorm to our dedicated Board of Directors. Bringing a wealth of experience and wisdom, they will guide MakeWay’s work at the intersection of social justice, and economic, cultural, and ecological wellbeing.
“I am thrilled to welcome these four exemplary individuals to the Board,” said Denise Williams, MakeWay Board Chair. “Their perspectives, knowledge, and passion will certainly deepen our contributions to MakeWay, as we work together to steward our shared vision.”
Meet our New Board Members
Lasänmą—Katie Johnson
Lasänmą—Katie Johnson is a member of the Agünda (Wolf) Clan and a citizen of Kluane First Nation. A creative visionary working with northern peoples for the past two decades, she is committed to generating positive outcomes for Yukon First Nations through community-led initiatives. Katie has had a successful career promoting Indigenous arts, culture, and tourism, notably co-founding Adäka Cultural Festival in Whitehorse. Katie is also a successful entrepreneur and contributes to her Nation as Chair of Kluane Dana Shäw Corporation. Honoring her ancestral roots, Katie renews her energy and maintains connections to traditional values through learning her Southern Tutchone language and spending time on the land with her daughter Bella, family, community and Elders in Asi Keyi—Kluane country.
Mritunjay (MJ) Sinha
Mritunjay (MJ) Sinha is passionate about social change and brings diverse experiences in impact and responsible investing to MakeWay. As a social entrepreneur and investor, MJ helped build a micro-loan portfolio in rural India and create a co-operative that served more than 200 entrepreneurs. Since moving to Canada, MJ has helped deploy over $400 million through private-market impact investing, and another $500 million through responsible investment strategies for several family offices, foundations, and financial institutions. MJ is a Board Director and Treasurer for Definity Insurance Foundation; a Board Director for Philanthropic Foundations Canada, Tapestry Capital, and now MakeWay; and sits on the Impact Investment Committee for the Laidlaw Foundation. MJ holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Business Administration.
Cathy Galligos
Cathy Galligos is a proud Indigenous woman from the Tla’amin Nation, a wife, and a mother to three children. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Thompson River University and a Bachelor of Law degree from UBC. Since 2008, Cathy has worked in the lands and natural resources field and has a variety of experience working with First Nations organizations, municipalities, regional districts, non-profit organizations and provincial and federal government departments. In her spare time, she enjoys watching her kids’ sports activities, walking her husky in the forest trails, ATVing, harvesting berries, and fishing and hunting with her husband.
Barend van der Vorm
Barend van der Vorm has dedicated his career to supporting non-profits and social enterprises. He served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of British Columbia and as a member of the impact investment committee at Vancity. Barend also co-founded the National Social Value Fund, now Propel, a student-led impact investment fund active at seven universities across Canada that provides financing to social purpose organizations. Barend served on the board of Pharmaccess Foundation and chaired the investment committee of the Investment Fund for Health in Africa. He was the founding president of Maitland Valley Conservation Authority and chaired its impact investment committee. He is also the founder of Helder Ventures, an impact investment and advisory firm based in Vancouver.
We are fortunate to have these remarkable individuals join MakeWay and look forward to working with them to support a future where nature and communities thrive together. Please visit our Team and Board page to get to know the rest of MakeWay’s leadership.
Header image: In Summer 2022, MakeWay’s Board of Directors gathered with partners in Dene First Nation Territory, in the Northwest Territories, for time on the land to connect and learn from partners.
