CAPSA is a forward-thinking Canadian organization dedicated to advancing substance use health at a systems level. Internally, equity was already embedded across its operations and leadership culture. However, its board of directors, while committed, were less equipped to apply an equity lens to their governance work.
This gap became increasingly evident as board members began to reflect on their own learning needs. Some lacked the language or confidence to participate in EDI conversations. Others questioned how inclusion efforts might impact their roles or worried about unintentionally doing harm. The board chair, for example, held a more traditional leadership style and was initially hesitant to engage. Not out of resistance, but due to past negative experiences in equity conversations.
Recognizing the need for alignment at the governance level, CAPSA’s leadership engaged C2K to support their board in deepening its equity capacity. Having seen our success with other teams, they aimed to increase the board’s clarity, confidence, and ability to apply an EDI lens in their work, and to bridge the gap between intention and practice.
CAPSA, a national leader in substance use health, partnered with C2K to support their board of directors in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) at the governance level. While the organization itself was already applying an equity lens operationally, the board had varying levels of comfort, understanding, and confidence in doing so. C2K provided a tailored, year-long capacity-building initiative that included a custom EDI training, steady participation in board meetings, and structured reflective practices. This low-lift, high-impact approach created the conditions for deeper dialogue, mindset shifts, and more consistent inclusion of equity considerations in strategic board decisions.
As Chair of the Board for CAPSA, I’m pleased to recognize the exceptional service delivered by Natalie Duchesne of Connect2Knowledge (C2K) Consulting. CAPSA engaged Natalie to help us deepen our understanding of DEI and explore how to authentically embed these principles into our governance. Natalie brought a rare ability to create an environment of safety, curiosity, and reflection. This work went far beyond learning — it was transformative. ~Patrick Dion, Chair, Board of Directors, CAPSA
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