Penny Deathe

Penny Deathe

Job Description

As a Founder of an organization you need to first and foremost be clear on your vision. What is it you want to do, why, and how. Next you need a team to help bring the vision to life. You’ll need to develop a business plan, strategic directions (goals, mission, vision) and establish governance (who’s in charge), what the roles & responsibilities will be for you and your team, what partners do you need, and how will you fund it. I established HYN as a Federally incorporated non-profit and applied for charitable status. This means my name is on all the legal documentation and I need to be sure we are meeting all the requirements to maintain our status.

As the Executive Director, I oversee the day to day operations and programs, ensuring we stay true to our mission and stay on budget. As we are a small charitable organization, I do all the hiring and oversee the staff. I’m responsible for developing partnerships, policies, programs, budgets and branding, applying for funding and reporting to our funders. I report to the Board of Directors and act as the Secretary of the Board, setting agendas and taking minutes.

Relevant School Subjects

Guidance and Career Education

Areas Of Expertise

Education & Social Services

Career Story

Upon graduation I had no idea what I wanted to do so went directly into the workforce. At 17 I was hired by Rothmans Canada in Toronto to work in the Word Processing Department. At 18 I took the opportunity to move to Alberta with a friend. I landed a job as a copywriter at the Calgary Sun where I became fascinated with advertising. I was encouraged to apply for a junior advertising executive position even though at the time I didn’t have any experience. After being hired due to my commitment (I’d spent many extra hours helping out), I was enrolled in night school for an advertising course. A year later I moved back to Ontario and was hired by the Burlington Gazette (a division of the Hamilton Spectator) as an advertising representative. I was recruited by a small newspaper in Oakville and placed in charge or opening and running a newspaper in Milton by the time I was 22. A few years later I was recruited by the Burlington Post, owned by Metroland, and placed in charge of special sections. I later moved into Metroland’s Mississauga office as part of a new advertising agency. Having kept in touch with the partner of my former boss at the Oakville newspaper, I was offered a job in her advertising agency. This led me to applying for the position of Marketing Director at Oakville Place Mall, where I worked for several years before leaving after my second child was born. I stayed home for several years with my children, taking on a few consulting roles. Spending many years on school councils, I orchestrated a community meeting to address youth issues. Supported by a number of organizations including Hamilton Public Health Services, the John Howard Society, YMCA and Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB), I founded Healthy Community – Healthy Youth (HC-HY) Flamborough in 2009, which was a community initiative to support positive youth development. Trained by health professionals and youth experts, I continued to develop HC-HY and recruited a former Principal to help train adults on positive youth development. Through our partners, we obtained funding and I took on the role of Program Coordinator. In 2014 I was elected as a Trustee for HWDSB for 2 terms (2014 – 2022). I continued to develop HC-HY and in 2020, one week prior to Covid, we re-branded and re-launched as Healthy Youth Network. After becoming an independent charitable organization in 2021, I took on the role of Executive Director.