Sarah Midanik
President & CEO
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (Ohsweken, ON)
Sarah Midanik is an Indigenous professional who is passionate about increasing capacity and social impact across Indigenous communities. Born and raised near the historic Métis community of St. Albert, Sarah is a proud member of the Métis Nation of Alberta and the Cunningham family. She is currently the President & CEO of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, a national charity that builds cultural understanding and creates a path towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. Sarah is the former Executive Director of the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT), a charity dedicated to providing resources and support to urban Indigenous women and their families.
Sarah is committed to advancing Indigenous programs and projects and has sat on many advisory councils and boards including the Indigenous Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Indigenous Professionals Association of Canada (IPAC), the Aboriginal Advisory Committee for the City of Toronto, the Toronto Indigenous Health Advisory Circle, the Toronto Police Service and was the co-chair and co-founder of the Indigenous Place Making Council. A dedicated volunteer, Sarah currently sits on the national boards for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada and Canadian Council for Indigenous Business.
Sarah is also a Founding Member of Honouring Nations Canada Circle of Advisors which is a collaboration between Fulbright Canada and the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and serves on the CRA’s Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector. Sarah completed her MBA in the Indigenous Business and Leadership program at Simon Fraser University in 2023 and was named one of The Peak’s Emerging Leaders of 2022.