Today’s certified persister is Nicole Dekort.

Nicole grew up in Scarborough, Ontario in a very political family. Her father served as a city councillor from the time she was two years old and her mother served as a returning officer and local campaign manager in multiple elections.

She served as an election volunteer in multiple campaigns before serving as a legislative assistant to an MPP and then Outreach Assistant to Opposition Leader, Dalton McGuinty. Ahead of the 2003 she would serve as Director of Operations for the Ontario Liberal Party and, after helping win a majority government, she became its Executive Director.

In government, Nicole served as a Senior Operations Advisor, Director of Operations, and Executive Director for Strategic Planning in several government ministries as well as senior Manager of Operations in the Premier’s Office.

Nicole joins us today to talk about how she got involved in politics, what it takes to be the Executive Director of a political party, and how we can encourage more women to get involved in civic life.

Production Note: This episode was recorded on August 22, 2022.

Today’s certified persister is Anna Bortolus.

Anna grew up in Burlington, Ontario in a family with progressive values and a strong social justice streak. She first got involved in politics as a child making phone calls for her neighbour as he ran for local office.

She began her career at a major appliance manufacturing corporation which led to her building her own business as she started her family.

Ahead of the 2011 provincial election in Ontario, Anna became the Riding Fundraising Facilitator for the Ontario Liberal Party, supporting the fundraising efforts of local riding associations while also volunteering her time supporting the fundraising efforts of the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission.

Anna joins us today to talk about how she got involved in politics, what it takes to fundraise at the local level, and how we can encourage more women to get involved in civic life.

Production Note: This episode was recorded on August 18, 2022.

Today’s certified persister is Patricia Favre.

Patricia grew up in Oakville, Ontario with her parents who, while not overly partisan, made it clear that voting was an important civic duty. Patricia first got involved in politics at Queen’s University volunteering on local campaigns before securing a summer internship at Queen’s Park.

In government, she served as a Communications Assistant and then Legislative Assistant to the Minister of Community and Social Services before becoming an Advisor to the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs. She then joined the Premier’s Office as a Special Assistant within the tour team.

Patricia has served as the elected VP Communications on the Executive Council of the Ontario Liberal Party, as the Communications Chair for the 2020 leadership convention, and as a Co-Chair for the party’s 2022 election campaign debrief.

Patricia joins us today to talk about how she got involved in politics, what it takes to be on the Premier’s tour team, and how we can encourage more women to get involved in civic life.

Production Note: This episode was recorded on August 17, 2022.