Trinidad-born Leader Receives U of T Honour
By Neil Armstrong
Jennifer Bernard, the president and CEO of the SickKids Foundation, is grateful to be among nine individuals who will receive honorary doctorates from her alma mater, University of Toronto.
“The fact that my mother is alive to see this day means everything. My parents left everything they knew behind to come to a cold country where they had no friends, no family, no jobs, no influence. Neither had completed high school. My mother had the grades, but as the 3rd child in a family of 10 her parents could not afford to send her. My father’s parents both passed before he was a teen and he worked until he was 70. Soon after they married, when I was still a toddler, they gathered a few belongings and crossed the ocean to come to Canada for a better life for me and my sister,” wrote Bernard on her LinkedIn page.
She was born in Trinidad and Tobago to Grenadian parents and came to Canada at the age of two with them.
Melanie Woodin, president of the University of Toronto, described the nine as exceptional individuals who exemplify excellence, leadership and a deep commitment to public service.
“On behalf of the University of Toronto, I’m honoured to celebrate their truly impressive achievements and look forward to the wisdom and inspiration they will share with our graduating students this year.”
Bernard is “recognized for mobilizing philanthropy to improve access to health care, education and opportunity for underrepresented groups. A U of T alumna with more than 25 years of experience serving in leadership roles at major organizations, Bernard is committed to advancing equity and inclusion in health research through initiatives such as Women’s Health Collective, the Emily Stowe Society and the Black Women’s Healthcare Summit,” notes the university’s announcement.
Before joining the SickKids Foundation in 2023, she served as president and CEO at Women’s College Hospital Foundation from 2018.
For over 25 years, Bernard has held leadership roles in provincial and national organizations leading and supporting teams that have raised more than $450 million.
During her tenure at Women’s College Hospital Foundation, Bernard doubled revenue and monthly donors, diversified the fundraising base, and co-founded the Women’s Health Collective Canada, a national fundraising organization supporting women’s health research.
She is currently the president of the Toronto Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the largest of 240 chapters worldwide supporting the global fundraising community. She also serves on the board of the BlackNorth Initiative and Telus Friendly Future Foundation Board for the Greater Toronto Region.
In 2018, Bernard was recognized as one of the 25 most influential women in Canada by Women of Influence. A couple years later, she was honoured as one of the 100 most Powerful Women in Canada and presented with the Inclusion Vanguard award by the Women’s Executive Network. This award recognizes an individual regardless of their gender identity who has made a profound, thoughtful, measurable impact on diversity within their organization and the broader community.
In 2022, Toastmasters International presented her with the Communications and Leadership Award recognizing her as an exemplary leader.