Executive Director of OCASI -the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
Through her work in the NGO sector and particularly at OCASI, Ms. Douglas has highlighted issues of equity and inclusion including race, gender and sexual orientation within the immigration system and promoted the creation of safe, welcoming spaces within the settlement and integration sector. Ms. Douglas worked for many years in frontline, management and executive positions with community based service agencies. As a management consultant she worked both with Non-Governmental Organizations and public institutions on organizational development and change.
Ms. Douglas was the co-founder of Zami, a political and support group for LGBTI Black and Caribbean people in the early 1980’s. She is the co-editor of Maka Juks: Writings by Queers of African Descent and co-wrote and produced Canada's first docu-drama on women and AIDS, AnOther Love Story. She also produced and co-wrote Tama Ba, Tama Na: Enough is Enough, a film on immigrant women and intimate partner violence.
A well-known face in Ontario and across the country, Ms. Douglas is often called upon by governments to share her expertise. She was a member of the provinces’ Expert Panel on Immigration which published the report Routes to Success and led to the province’s first immigration legislation (2015); sat as a member of the provincial government’s Income Security Reform Working Group (2018); A member of the Immigration and Refugee Advisory Committee of Legal Aid Ontario and the federal government’s National Settlement Council. Ms. Douglas co-chairs the Newcomer Leadership Table at the City of Toronto and is a member of the management Board of CERIS – Centre of Excellence for Research in Immigration and Settlement.
Ms. Douglas is the recipient of several awards including the Women of Distinction from YWCA Toronto (2004); the Amino Malko award from the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (2008) and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations Anti-Racism Award (2014), among others.
