It is our pleasure to welcome Monika Kawka (pronounced: “kaaf” + “kuh”) as the new Executive Director for Cowichan Hospice.
Monika’s passion for helping people grow personally and professionally shone through her interviews and she brings excellent perspectives to engaging with diverse community stakeholders.
Monika brings strong senior leadership experience in People and Culture (Human Resources), leading the growth and development of large and medium-size organizations internationally over the past 24 years. Born in Poland, Monika moved at the age of 19 to the United States to study and took her first job as a Psycho Social Aide in the Chicago area. Monika began working in Human Resources in 1998 with employment throughout the European Union with Pfizer and later in India, with Proctor & Gamble. In 2014, she immigrated to Canada, where she has been Senior Manager for People & Culture first with Arc’teryx, the outdoor clothing company, and then with Visier whose work is “people analytics.” Monika excels at building strong, inclusive and engaging cultures. As a certified Gallup Strengths coach, Monika has led and supported individuals and teams.
In 2021, Monika moved with her family to Maple Bay. She is passionate about enjoying the local outdoor lifestyle, and excited to join the community at Cowichan Hospice.
“I appreciate and value what the team at Cowichan Hospice has built with this community,” Monika says. “I am honoured to be joining Cowichan Hospice. I am committed to learn and grow with the team, and to help facilitate further unfolding of hospice care for our whole community.”
With Monika’s leadership, Cowichan Hospice will continue to be a welcoming, supportive and growth-focused environment for the people of hospice and our community – clients, volunteers, supporters and staff – to ensure that quality hospice care is available to all, whenever it is needed.
Gretchen Hartley says, “I look forward to working side by side with Monika in the coming weeks as she steps into the Executive Director role. I am filled with gratitude for my time working with the wonderful people of hospice and will always be a passionate supporter of the work that you do together.”
Warm regards,
Christa Fox, President
