Meet the new United Way Campaign Chair

NEWS RELEASE

UNITED WAY OF SAULT STE. MARIE AND DISTRICT

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The Board of Directors of United Way of Sault Ste. Marie and district are pleased to introduce Kathleen McFadden, Chair of the 2016 Annual United Way Campaign.

The 2016 Campaign kicked-off on Tuesday September 27, 2016 at the Community Leaders Breakfast at Algoma’s Water Tower Inn & Suites.

Kathleen McFadden is the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Forest Industry Division with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and has worked closely with forest industries and their community stakeholders hard hit by changes in the forest sector during the past decade. Kathleen brings decades of community development and leadership experience to her new role as United Way Campaign Chair.

After receiving an MBA from York University, Kathleen moved to Saskatoon where she taught in the College of Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan and became involved in a variety of community economic development initiatives.

Kathleen first moved to Northern Ontario in 1991. Kathleen was employed with the City of Thunder Bay for more than a decade. She also taught part-time at Lakehead University.

Kathleen joined the Ontario Public Service in 2002 and moved to Toronto where she was confronted with the reality of homelessness on a daily basis. Invited to attend a Leaders of the Way breakfast in 2004, she was impressed by the testimonial of an individual who’s life had been transformed and has been a strong supporter of the United Way ever since.

“I value the strategic approach that the United Way employs to ensure that donations are invested wisely. I’ve seen firsthand the challenges that are faced by the most vulnerable members of our community and I am grateful for the opportunity to do what I can to help.”

Kathleen moved to Sault Ste. Marie in 2007 with the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines as Acting Director of the Strategic Development Branch and joined the Ministry of Natural Resources in 2009. She is delighted to be back in Northern Ontario and enjoying the quality of life that the area has to offer.

Kathleen and her fiancé, John Peluch, MNRF District Manager in Wawa, are parents to three sons. Avid fly fishers, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, they divide their spare time between their home in the Sault and property on St Joseph Island.

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