The Mennonite New Life Centre and our Board of Directors share the bittersweet news that our Executive Director, Shelly D’Mello, is resigning at the end of the year.
We are very sad to see Shelly leave, but we know that change is part of life and that she is moving on to new challenges and achievements. We also know that she has left the Centre in a position of strength, and I am sure the leadership team, staff and the next ED will continue to ensure the strength of the organization for years to come.”
– Rochelle Fine, Board Chair MNLCT
Shelly has been a dynamic Executive Director who has shown great compassion and care for our staff, board, donors, volunteers, and clients. Her creativity and vision have inspired the best from staff and stakeholders alike.
What the world needs is dreamers,
What the world needs is doers,
But what the world needs most is dreamers who do.
This oft-referenced quote, found hanging on the wall in Shelly’s office, has been her guiding principle and has enabled her to unite the dreamers and the doers to work together for meaningful change. Shelly is a post-modern leader who has built an organization of talented people and empowered them to be the best they can be, creating a vibrant organizational culture of innovation and growth.
A corollary to dreaming and doing is learning, and Shelly has transformed the Centre into a learning organization. Trying new things comes not with “mistakes” but with “lessons learned” – lessons to be holistically problem-solved and applied to the next iteration and the next in a cycle of continuous adaptation and improvement.
As a racialized immigrant woman herself, Shelly has deep compassion for the clients and staff of the Centre and their lived experiences, and she believes that investing in them will ultimately result in better systems, social justice, and economic growth for all. She has championed technology and data not simply as tools but as important enablers for people to achieve their goals and dreams. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre’s technical tools and competencies meant staff were working from home within 36 hours of physical office closure so the Centre could support clients’ ongoing needs while keeping them and staff safe.
Shelly has proven to be an innovative, transformational leader with a keen eye to fiscal responsibly, and she has infused the Centre with her entrepreneurial spirit and heart. We offer our warmest thanks to Shelly and wish her only the best as she continues her journey in life of making the world a better place.
It has been my honour and privilege to work with some of the most talented, creative, and stellar professionals here at MNLCT. They are compassionate people who genuinely care about making Canada a welcoming place for all, and I will always be glad of all that we achieved together. MNLCT will forever be a place I call home and I can’t wait to see how it continues to make a difference in the communities it serves. Its future is bright.”
– Shelly D’Mello
In the next few months, the MNLCT will be conducting an in-depth search for a new Executive Director who will build upon the foundation we have established under Shelly’s leadership. Full details will be released soon.
Questions, comments, and/or messages for Shelly may be directed to Tracy Docheff, Communications Manager, at tdocheff@mnlct.org or 647-812-1332 x5014.
