Celebrating the Powerful and Thoughtful Women in our Communities

Behind every strong leader is a moment - or many moments - that shape how they show up, make decisions, and support others along the way.  

As part of our desire to amplify the voices and impact of women in leadership, we reached out to a group of powerhouse professionals and asked them to reflect on two simple but powerful questions:  

1. What experiences shaped the way you lead today? 

2. What do you believe will make the biggest difference for the next generation of women leaders? 

Their answers are honest, thoughtful, and grounded in real-world experience. Together, these perspectives highlight the importance of resilience, mentorship, community, and the courage to lead with authenticity. We are proud to amplify their voices - not just to celebrate their journeys, but ideally this will spark conversation or inspiration for you!  

DeDe DeRose 

DeDe is the fourth chancellor to be appointed to Thompson Rivers University and is a prominent advocate for Indigenous education. 

What experience or moment in your career most shaped how you lead today?   

“Although there are countless moments in my career that shaped how I lead today, when I went on an Indigenous Education Exchange to New Zealand in 2004 was when I realized that around the world, the most important tools to bring positive change in communities include: respecting where people are coming from without judgement, honouring and appreciating their input, and knowing that true partnerships can only be made if we listen more than talk. Ultimately, if people feel listened to and respected, they will feel like a valued member of a community and will contribute their thoughts and ideas openly and work as a team member to bring about positive change.   

What is one thing you believe will make the biggest difference for the next generation of women leaders?  

“In 1993 when I accepted my first position as a school-based leader the best advice that I received was from one of my favourite mentors, a Superintendent of Schools whose name was Dale Fiddick. His advice to me was simple: "Don't try to lead like a man. You are not a man. You are a woman and you need to lead like a woman." It wasn't until I was in my school that I understood what he meant. I also believe that the most successful women leaders are those who surround themselves with other women who provide support, encouragement and positive ideas.  Ultimately, if they create a tribe of passionate women who listen, honour differences, respect ideas, have fun and have your back no matter what, they will be successful.” 

Irene Johnson 

Irene is an elected Councilor with Esk’etemc and an advocate for the health and well-being of communities and community members. 

What experience or moment in your career most shaped how you lead today?   

“The thing that changed me and who I am today was my grandmother Amelia. She always reminded me that education was important.  She would tell me, “Go to school, ask questions if you don’t understand. When people put you down, walk away.” I worked hard in elementary school and attended as much as I could considering we didn’t have much. I dropped out of high school, but a few years later at the age of 26 I went and did upgrading so that I could apply to university.  I did well so I applied and wanted to work with children to help them succeed in life. I completed 2 ½ years of university and started to work. I got hired to work and complete the Health Transfer from Health Canada to Esket. When I completed that, I was hired as the Health Director. My main reason I stuck with the job for 15 years is that I know making our own decisions on health could move us forward as a Nation, especially with mental health. At the time, 95%of my staff were women. I always encourage our women and girls to get an education because we can change what we know. I also encourage sobriety and healing because we can’t change unless we change ourselves.  

What is one thing you believe will make the biggest difference for the next generation of women leaders?  

I believe our women and girls could do more for children. When we encourage our women to heal, they can move forward and not let trauma hold them back. I believe everyone has certain skills that we need to be helpful in our community and our Nation. Some of our strongest leaders were women!  

Siân Lewis

Siân is the Executive Director of Day One Society, and an advocate for the support of individuals struggling with substance use and the communities that surround those people.  

What experience or moment in your career most shaped how you lead today?   

I think what shaped my leadership most is having had the opportunity to work with both exceptional and unexceptional leaders. They all taught me a great deal. Regardless of gender, one can be exceptional or not. I just happened to work with amazing women and men who lacked integrity and preferred a power-over - as opposed to a power-with - approach. I was fortunate as several of my female leadership mentors demonstrated discernment, forgiveness, accountability (of themselves and others), generosity, kindness, whole-person consideration, and the willingness to do the scary stuff with courage and diplomacy. Equally important, I learned what poor leadership does to individuals and work culture. Those entrusted with the care and development of others in a work environment need to be brave enough to do the right thing for the right reason; and leave their ego at home. 

What is one thing you believe will make the biggest difference for the next generation of women leaders?  

As a society and global community, we are advancing at an exponential rate. Up and coming leaders would do well to remember that the original source of these advancements is the human spirit. To continue to advance, we must stay connected to ourselves, each other, and the environment. I think the next generation will be even more pressed to ‘make things happen yesterday’. Those who can slow down, reflect on their values consistently, and lead with patience and intentionality will redefine success and make for exceptional leaders. 

Sarah Candido 

Sarah is the Indigenous and External Relations Manager for the City of Kamloops and an advocate to help provide leadership and connection for communities and community members to thrive and shine. 

What experience or moment in your career most shaped how you lead today?   

One area that has shaped my leadership is the influence of the remarkable women in my life. For example, my mother-in-law taught me the difference between a dream and a goal, while mentors and trailblazers like Sandra Seymour challenged me to reflect on my communication habits, like starting every statement with "I'm sorry" when I am not in fact sorry and do not need to be. These women have been instrumental in guiding me, challenging my thinking, and creating space for important conversations. 

What is one thing you believe will make the biggest difference for the next generation of women leaders?  

I believe the future generations of women leaders can stand on the shoulders of those who came before them and reach new heights. One key tool to achieve this is the growing dialogue around emotional health and overall wellness. By embracing and incorporating these aspects into their leadership and learning from the ancestors before them, they can redefine what success means and create a more balanced and inclusive definition of leadership to live by. 

Amy Hamilton 

Amy is an Investment Advisor and Client Services Manager with Generation Private Wealth, dedicated to helping marketplace leaders succeed and empowering them to lead with purpose and impact. 

What experience or moment in your career most shaped how you lead today? 

The experience that most shaped how I lead today was navigating our team through the COVID19 pandemic and its aftermath. At the onset, there were enormous unknowns with travel disruption, rapidly changing information, public fear, and a sharp stock market decline.  Our staff and clients were concerned about how this would impact their families and financial well-being.  That time taught me the power and importance of communicating during uncertainty, thinking creatively, making decisions quickly and adapting as information changed.   It taught me the importance of leading with confidence, transparency, and empathy.  

What is one thing you believe will make the biggest difference for the next generation of women leaders? 

I believe one of the most important influences on the next generation of women leaders is recognizing that they are different from their male counterparts and embracing those differences as strengths. Women often lead with empathy, listen deeply, balance multiple priorities, and build strong, supportive communities around them. When women lean into these qualities with confidence, they can have a powerful and lasting impact in the marketplace and in their leadership journeys. 

Acacia Pangilinan 

Acacia is the Executive Director of the Kamloops & District Chamber of Commerce and a self-described ‘Kamloops enthusiast’ who is dedicated to empowering others. 

What experience or moment in your career most shaped how you lead today?   

Leading through periods of financial pressure, uncertainty, and constant change — especially in the Chamber world — fundamentally shaped me. You don’t get to lead from theory in those moments; you lead from values. It taught me to prioritize clarity over comfort, to communicate early and honestly, and to make hard decisions while still leading with empathy. That balance is something I carry into every leadership situation now. 

What is one thing you believe will make the biggest difference for the next generation of women leaders?  

Confidence isn’t something you either have or don’t - it’s built through experience, feedback, and encouragement. If we invest in helping young women practice leadership early, take up space, speak publicly, and recover from failure, we set them up to lead with confidence that’s earned, not performative.  

Kelly MacGillis

Kelly is the Superintendent of Engineering and Projects at Highland Valley Copper and an advocate for empowering women to recognize their strengths and skills to take on leadership roles to make good change. 

What experience or moment in your career most shaped how you lead today?   

There have been a few pivotal experiences throughout my career. A noteworthy moment was when I became the first female and only Mine Operations Supervisor at the time amongst 40+ other Supervisors at one of the largest global independent crude oil and natural gas producers at a remote site in Fort McMurray. I had primarily held Engineering and Technical positions prior to this but felt that this pivot into Operations and Execution was integral to touch the steel and to develop my leadership. I approached this experience with strength, humility, curiosity, and perseverance. It is crucial to be dedicated to your decisions, passionate about your endeavours, and relentless in the pursuit of excellence. Within the first few shifts of working both days and nights in the middle of winter leading my crew of 25, I developed a motto called “safe, steady, reliable.”

I made it my priority to focus on increasing the safety and equality for safety measures on my crew, using actions and accountability to see initiatives that had an impact through to completion. This motto reverberated through the rest of the crews, and we reduced our incidents by 10% within that calendar year and increased our production by 6%. With this foundation, I was then put into an Acting General Foreperson (Supervisor) role, overseeing 200+ workers. I focused on people-first leadership; putting the safety and success of my teams first and foremost. I was fortunate to have exceptional mentors through this time and applied their teachings to coach and mentor other women who previously thought that the leadership roles in Operations were unattainable to them. Within 3 years, we increased female representation by over 100%. 

What is one thing you believe will make the biggest difference for the next generation of women leaders?  

Living through the values of Women in Mining – Educate, Elevate, and Empower. Our success depends on our ability to learn and work together, surrounding ourselves with the best people, both technically and ethically. Placing focus on supporting and connecting one another, driving transformative change even when it feels difficult, and promoting the advancement of women in the mining sector. Stay curious, optimistic, and resilient – “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” 

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While every journey shared here is unique, a common thread runs through each story: leadership is not built alone. It grows through challenges, opportunities, and the willingness to lift others. The insights shared by these remarkable women remind us that progress happens when experience is shared openly and when future leaders are supported with intention. 

As we commemorate International Women’s Day, we hope these reflections encourage more women to step forward with confidence, embrace their leadership voice, and shape workplaces and communities that are stronger, more inclusive, and ready for what comes next.  

The next generation is already watching and learning from the examples being set today.