Kourtney Parker, Student

More than 20 years ago, Kourtney Parker was drawn to a career in helping people. She’d hoped to make an impact on people and work nationally or globally, and education was the pathway to that future. However, in the late 1990’s, formal education in nonprofit leadership or philanthropic management was lacking. College offered applied skills in public relations, and after achieving two diplomas at Cambrian College, while volunteering with several nonprofit agencies, Kourtney entered the work force in philanthropy.

Progressively, Kourtney took on roles in the philanthropic sector with the National Ballet School, University of Waterloo, St. Mary’s General Hospital, Women’s Crisis Services and the University of Guelph.
Volunteering with nonprofits was also an important part of her interests.
Her pursuit of formal education lead to her Certified Fund-Raising Executive designation in 2010 and subsequent recertification every three years.

In 2022, Kourtney earned a certificate in Leadership from the University of Guelph. She’s inspired by the MPNL program, and is interested in nonprofit work with community impact for a potential global application.

Kourtney resides on the Haldimand Tract and offers respect to the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples who now call it home. She acknowledges her responsibility to the generations yet to come.