Submitted Media Release
With our hearts full of gratitude for her service, the Board of Directors of St. Joseph’s Lifecare Foundation shares the news that Olga Consorti has announced her retirement as President and CEO of the Foundation, effective May 3, 2020. Olga will retire in her 30th year in this role.
Olga was raised in Brantford, attended Pauline Johnson Collegiate, has a degree from The University of Western Ontario in London and a Post-Graduate degree in Public Relations from Ryerson University in Toronto. She also attended the University of Madison-Wisconsin School of Business through a national scholarship awarded to one person annually across Canada, through her designated fundraising association.
Olga began her career at Queen’s Park in Toronto as a Legislative Assistant to then Brantford-Brant MPP David Neumann before transitioning to a role as MPP Liaison to Minister of Health Eleanor Caplan, where she gained a thorough understanding of the provincial healthcare system.
For three decades, Olga has served as the first President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Lifecare Foundation, where her portfolio has included fundraising, marketing and communications for then St. Joseph’s Hospital and the current St. Joseph’s Lifecare Centre, and Stedman Community Hospice. Under Olga’s successful leadership, the Foundation has grown exponentially from raising $15,000 annually to $3,500,000 per year currently.
While the list of Olga’s significant achievements is lengthy, she is most proud of leading the fundraising efforts and strategic redevelopment of the former St. Joseph’s Hospital into the current St. Joseph’s Lifecare Centre 205-bed long-term care facility and Stedman Community Hospice – the community’s only hospice for the terminally ill and the 5th of its kind in the province.
Most recently, Olga was instrumental in planning and implementing the successful $7 million capital campaign to build Stedman Community’s Hospice’s 25,600 sq. ft Hankinson House.
In recognition of her outstanding professional and civic contributions, Olga is the recipient of the lifetime achievement, Mission Legacy Award by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton, in honour of her longstanding commitment to health care and carrying out their mission, as well as the distinguished Paul Harris Fellow Award, presented to her by the Rotary Club of Brantford – the highest honour the Club bestows in acknowledgement of exemplary dedication and service to the community.
Upon reflection on her career, Consorti noted, “I have been inspired by the courage and conviction of The Sisters of St. Joseph who instilled in me that it is an honour to serve those in need. Helping ensure the most vulnerable in our community receive the compassionate care they deserve has truly been the greatest privilege of my life.”
She added, “Because of the incredibly generous hearts of our donors, I have been surrounded by the height of human kindness; their commitment to our cause is the true reason for our Foundation’s success. I am also grateful to all the exemplary Board members I’ve served alongside, and for the compassionate and talented Foundation and facility staff and volunteers that I have had the privilege to work with throughout my career.”
In her next chapter, Olga looks forward to travelling, spending more time with her family and friends, and pursuing other passions and interests.
“The Foundation is losing a genuinely compassionate and accomplished leader who truly embodies the values of our organization. We cannot thank Olga enough for the dedication, passion, and enthusiasm she has brought to this important role,” said Foundation Board Chair, Karen Robb. “While we are sorry to see Olga leave, we know the Foundation is in a stronger position because of her outstanding leadership and the processes she has put in place to ensure the Foundation’s long-term success. We are incredibly grateful to Olga for her extraordinary contribution and wish her every happiness in her well-deserved retirement.”
Olga will complete her tenure as President and CEO at the 16th annual Hike for Hospice on May 3, 2020 – an event that has been recognized as the top Hike for Hospice in terms of number of participants and funds raised among hospices across Canada.
Over the next several months, a formal process will be conducted to recruit a new CEO of the Foundation.
