National Director, Corporate Affairs, Microsoft

Marlene leads Microsoft’s corporate affairs, public policy and advocacy efforts in Canada. Prior to joining Microsoft, Marlene was responsible for the execution of national stakeholder engagement and outreach campaigns while serving as the Director of Operations and Outreach to the Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau in the lead up to the 2015 federal election. Marlene has previously worked as a partner in a government and public affairs firm and has served as an advisor to Prime Ministers and several federal Ministers on a diverse range of public policy matters. An avid volunteer, Marlene sits on several national and community boards and is the founder of Dress for Success Ottawa. For her career and community achievements Marlene has been a recipient of a Forty Under 40 award, Y Women of Distinction award and a Leading Women Building Communities award from the province of Ontario.

Founder and CEO, Hillberg & Berk

Rachel Mielke is the founder and CEO of Hillberg & Berk jewellery, an iconically Canadian company that was founded at her kitchen table in 2007.

Through grit, determination, and vision Rachel grew her one-woman brand to a multi-million dollar enterprise that now has corporately owned stores across Western Canada and adorns customers globally. Rachel’s vision for Hillberg & Berk has always been more than just creating beautiful jewellery, she has used her company as a tool for social good focusing on combating gender-specific issues women face through philanthropy, campaigns, and organizing her business around a social enterprise model.

Hillberg & Berk has proudly supported hundreds of organizations across the globe that uplift women and has contributed over $10 million dollars in cash and product to these organizations.

Rachel is an Honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Navy, honorary Chair of Women Leading Philanthropy, and sits on various other boards and committees which support the economic development of women. By far her proudest accomplishments are being a mom to 3 beautiful children and having been married to her best friend, Zlatan for over a decade.

Vice President and Market Leader, BMO Private Wealth

As a Vice President, Market Leader and member of Private Wealth’s Senior Leadership team, Roxanne is accountable for day-to-day oversight of Private Bankers, Investment Counsellors, Investment Advisors and Directors of Trust at BMO Private Wealth.

Fully bilingual in French and English, Roxanne employs a holistic approach to collaborating with her colleagues and designing integrated solutions to enable clients and achieve their personal Wealth goals. With more than 20 years of both Domestic and International industry experience, Roxanne knows how to navigate the nuances and complexities of Wealth Management so that clients can have confidence knowing that their goals are within reach.

Prior to joining BMO Private Wealth in 2018, she held progressive Senior Management positions with another financial institution consistently leading a team to qualify and surpass benchmarks and expectations.

Roxanne holds an Honors Bachelor of Commerce degree with a Double Major in Finance and Accounting from Laurentian University. In addition to earning her CFP (Certified Financial Planner) and CIM (Chartered Investment Manager), Roxanne is also a CPA/CGA (Chartered Professional Accountant) through the University of Calgary.

Bonnie Goldberg is a lawyer by education and currently presides over Coroner’s Inquests for the Coroner’s Office. Bonnie recently completed a one year role as Special Assistant to the then-Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Anita Anand, M.P.

Bonnie has many years of experience as an adjudicator with a variety of provincial tribunals and has taught Administrative Law to first year law students at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at TMU University, to internationally trained law students in the Osgoode LLM program, and at Seneca in the paralegal program.

Prior to working as an instructor and adjudicator, Bonnie held senior administration positions with the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. In particular, she ran the Career Development Office at the law school from 1997-2005, where her primary focus was on preparing law students for the job market.

Bonnie has served on a number of Boards over the last two decades, most notably on the University of Toronto Academic Board, the National Association for Law Placement and the Leo Baeck Day School.

Brenda Saunders/Todd is founder and CEO of The Social Boutique (a non-profit, social enterprise that financially supports Dress for Success Halifax) and continues to move women forward by serving as CEO of Dress for Success Halifax. Brenda currently serves on Dress for Success Worldwide’s Board of Directors, as well as, founding board member of the Dress for Success Canada Foundation. Additionally, Brenda serves on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters Halifax – the largest on the Atlantic coast. Brenda graduated with distinction from the Canadian Women’s Foundation Leadership Institute at St. Francis Xavier University and is an International Award-Winning Speaker.

Linda Reid is the Founder and Executive Director of Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie, a volunteer board member for Elizabeth Fry Simcoe Muskoka and First Vice President of BPW Barrie.

Linda has a background in retail banking and spent 13 years with Canada Trust as a lender and Branch Manager.

Linda has worked over 20 years in the not-for-profit sector as a Fundraiser for national health Charities such as The Heart and Stroke Foundation, Diabetes Canada, Parkinson’s Society and smaller grass roots social justice organizations in the Riverdale, Beaches and Regent Park communities of Toronto. Linda worked as a fundraiser for both the Liberal and NDP parties, and has worked for Elections Canada managing over 1,000 employees on various elections.

Linda is a champion of social justice and when moved from Toronto to Orillia in 2011 noticed a lack of resources for women living in poverty and decided to bring an affiliate of Dress for Success to Simcoe County to help build the confidence of women looking to rejoin the workforce and help lift themselves out of poverty. Dress for Success Orillia and Barrie is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2024.

Michele C. Meyer-Shipp began her new role as CEO, Dress for Success Worldwide on February 16, 2022. Previously, Michele served as Chief People & Culture Officer with Major League Baseball. While at MLB, Michele led the human resources, diversity and inclusion, and office operations functions for the League Office with an emphasis on launching new programs and policies to recruit and develop talent, advancing diversity and inclusion efforts, and enhancing workplace culture. She also served as a senior advisor to the Commissioner as well as leaders across 30 major league baseball teams and multiple Minor League teams.

Prior to MLB, Michele served as Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at KPMG LLP, where she led initiatives relating to talent recruitment, development and retention, supported the efforts of leaders across KPMG’s 85+ national offices, and managed a portfolio of external strategic partnerships. Previously, she served as Global Chief Diversity Officer for both Prudential Financial and the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Michele spent the first decade of her career practicing employment law in both the private and public sectors, where she advised clients on optimizing talent and implementing equitable workplace initiatives. Meyer-Shipp is a graduate of Rutgers University and Seton Hall University School of Law.

Catherine Curtis joined Dress for Success Canada Foundation in April 2021. A contagious and inspiring non-profit professional, Catherine brings 30 years of experience, a proven record of leadership success, and exemplary interpersonal skills to her role. Catherine is a passionate advocate of helping women move forward from a position of surviving to thriving, and looks forward to offering leadership centered in collaboration, creativity and connection. Responsible for oversight of fundraising, building and maintaining internal and external relationships, and advising on the strategic plan of the organization, Catherine is excited to lead the Foundation forward, expanding revenue and awareness to support the work of Dress for Success affiliates across Canada.