Pat Thompson helps leaders lead.

Pat’s a writer at heart and a strategic communications consultant by profession.

She wrote her first letter to a public official when she was eight, so it is not surprising that she began her career on Parliament Hill. From 1981 to 1988, she worked for her hometown Member of Parliament and two federal Cabinet Ministers before joining the staff of YMCA Canada as Director of Government Relations.

Almost thirteen years later, Pat left the YMCA with an indispensible collection of experiences from local, national and international assignments. For twelve years, she’s worked independently as a consultant to nonprofit leaders responsible for mature organizations facing adaptive challenges. To learn more about her work, click here.

Since 2007 Pat has also been a Metcalf Foundation Innovation Fellow. The Metcalf Foundation gives seasoned nonprofit leaders “the opportunity to investigate ideas, models and practices that have the potential to lead to transformational change.” Her research explores the connections between vocational, organizational and civic renewal. Pat is a Visiting Scholar at Massey College (University of Toronto) and has published two papers:

To join the conversation, check out one alpha avenue – a website dedicated to raising questions about the relationship between work and vocation in our lives, organizations and communities.