Learn about Board Members in the Community...Meet Samantha Brown

• March 20, 2026

  Posted by: Kamillah El-Giadaa

At Volunteer Manitoba, we know that strong boards are essential to strong communities.

Non-profit organizations rely on volunteer board members to guide their mission, provide oversight, and help shape the future of the work they do.

We thought we'd take this time to highlight an incredible board member in Winnipeg's non-profit community.

Our conversation is with Samantha Brown, an Indigenous leader living and working in Winnipeg on Treaty 1 territory.

Samantha currently works at Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre as the Theatre Circle Manager and has extensive governance experience.

She is the Board Chair of End Homelessness Winnipeg, a board member with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Manitoba, and also serves on the board of The Jubilee Fund.

We sat down with Samantha to talk about her journey into board service, what serving on a board means to her, and why more people should consider getting involved.

You can watch the full interview here!

What first inspired you to join a board?

Honestly, it was about two things.

First, it was a real desire to serve the community. As I got further along in my career and in my life, I realized I had all this energy, all these ideas, and all these hopes for Winnipeg. I wanted to contribute in a meaningful way.

Volunteering felt like the natural place to start. But I also realized that my time is limited, just like everyone else's.

Being on a board is actually a really impactful way to volunteer because it's a defined commitment of hours, but it can have a significant influence on an organization and the work it does.

The second reason was that I noticed there were skills I wasn't getting anywhere else.

Early in my career, I recognized that there were rooms I wasn't being invited into. Spaces where strategic planning, financial oversight, and high-level decision-making were happening. I realized I couldn't just wait around for someone to invite me into those spaces.

So I asked myself: how do you get into those rooms?

One answer is to take a seat at the board table.

What does being part of a board mean to you personally?

The word that comes to mind is accountability.

Being on a board means being accountable to something larger than a job description or a contract. Staff can leave, contracts can end, and funding can shift. But governance is what shapes an organization's direction over time.

Boards help define an organization's values, its trajectory, and its roadmap for the future. They ensure the organization is actually serving the people it says it serves.

I've been part of boards during some genuinely difficult seasons, and what keeps me there is the knowledge that the work matters long after any one individual moves on.

That kind of stewardship and responsibility is rare, and I don't take it lightly.

Why is it important for people to serve on boards?

Because the people most affected by non-profit work are often the least represented in the rooms where decisions are made.

Boards need people who are willing to ask uncomfortable questions, who care about outcomes rather than optics, and who are willing to challenge assumptions.

The entire non-profit sector becomes stronger when governance actually reflects the communities it serves.

How did you find your first board opportunity?

Through Volunteer Manitoba.

When I first started thinking about joining a board, I had no idea how people actually got those roles. I remember doing a Google search trying to figure out how to get involved.

I searched something like "boards Manitoba," and Volunteer Manitoba popped up. That's how I discovered the Board Connect program.

I filled out the form and waited.

Soon after, someone reached out to me and started a conversation about what I was passionate about and what kinds of issues mattered to me. They shared a few board opportunities that were open at the time.

I ended up joining End Homelessness Winnipeg.

Six years later, I'm now the Board Chair.

You really never know where your leadership journey might take you.

What advice would you give someone thinking about joining a board for the first time?

Start by connecting with organizations like Volunteer Manitoba.

Once you start thinking about board service, the next question is usually: What does that actually mean? It can feel intimidating at first.

But there are resources and people who are there to help guide you. Volunteer Manitoba offers board training, and there are lots of opportunities to learn about governance.

My biggest advice is this:

Go in curious.

Ask the questions that other people assume are too basic.

And read everything. Even the dry documents you might not understand at first. That's actually where you learn the most about an organization, its values, its priorities, and how it operates.

Also, don't hesitate to reach out to current board members. Most organizations list their board members on their website. If someone contacted me and said they were interested in joining the board I sit on, I'd happily sit down and talk with them.

Board members are usually really proud of the work their organizations are doing.

Final words for someone who might be nervous about joining a board?

Just do it.

I was nervous. I didn't know what I was doing at first.

But joining a board helped me grow not just professionally, but as a person.

You learn skills you never expected to learn. You gain experience in leadership, strategy, governance, and decision-making. And you meet some of the coolest people along the way.

Honestly, some of the most inspiring people I know sit on boards.

A big thank you to Samantha for taking the time to share her story and reflections on board leadership. We hope her story inspires others to get involved in community!

Board Connect

Volunteer Manitoba's Board Connect program helps connect passionate community members with non-profit boards across the province.

If you're ready to explore board service and make an impact in your community, we're here to help.

Click here to learn more

 

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