Our Director of Governance and Corporate Secretary, Stéphane Dorge, works hard every spring to support network organisations as they recruit for their board of directors. We talked to him about his personal experience with boards, to better understand why he’s passionate about this form of volunteerism.
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Réseau Compassion Network (RCN): To those of us who know you, it seems you’ve been on every possible board in the francophone community. You’ve been on boards your entire adult life. Tell us what drives you.
Stéphane Dorge (SD): First and foremost, it’s the modeling I grew up with. My father always sat on boards and so it was natural for me to start to do it, as well. I truly believe that people want to give back. We like to help.
I joined the board of the Société de la francophonie manitobaine when I was 18 or 19 and haven’t stopped. As a lawyer, it’s part of our code of conduct to give back and it was really hammered home from an ethics perspective. I enjoy being a part of boards as it gives me a lot of perspective for my role here at RCN. Plus, it would be hard for me to say, “Join a board!” if I wasn’t on a few myself!
RCN: Can you tell us about any highlights for you in your career as a board member?
SD: I’m currently the chair of the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA), and I was appointed to the board in 2017 just as the federal government was legalizing cannabis. It was historic in that it had been 100 years since we’ve been called to regulate a new industry. We created everything from scratch. In terms of learning experiences, that was a big one. I’m really proud to have been a part of that.
RCN: With a few decades of board participation behind you, what changes have you seen that get you excited for the future?
SD: I’m a big proponent, as many people in the network are, of the idea that our boards should reflect those we serve. I would suggest that in my four years with RCN, I’ve seen boards intentionally diversify and that’s very encouraging. I see younger board members, people with different experiences and qualifications. It’s a trend that I hope continues because they will all be better organisations for it.
RCN: Some folks might find the idea of joining a board a little bit intimidating. What does RCN offer to support board directors?
SD: We’re very proud of the investment we make in governance. We offer all of our board members access to education, professional development and board development workshops. That’s important to us because yes, we’re helping our directors to be better, but it’s a gift to our community, too. People won’t sit on our boards forever, but hopefully they go on to sit on other boards. To the extent that we’ve helped form and train people, we can help make the city and the province a better place through the directors that have gone through our organisations.
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If you’re curious about joining a board of any of our network organisations, get in touch with Stéphane at sdorge@reseaucompassionnetwork.ca.