Executive Director, Interval House Hamilton

Nancy Smith has dedicated her life to helping others, more recently focusing on women and children in need. For more than 38 years, she has held senior management and leadership roles in the not-for-profit sector, focusing on program development for both children and adults.

Her extensive work in children’s services and policy work at Queen’s Park has resulted in changes to the Young Offenders Act and the Child and Family Services Act.

In 1997, she joined Interval House of Hamilton (IHOH) as residential program manager before moving to executive director in 2015. IHOH provides emergency shelter, safety planning and support services for women with or without children  who have experienced abuse or violence.

Nancy has received a number of accolades for her leadership and career successes, such as the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Community Leadership, a Hamilton Hero award from the Woman Abuse Working Group (WAWG) and the Hamilton Tiger Cats, as well as an EMpower Strategy Group’s Women Who Rock award.