Elevating Women.

Transforming the Industry.

Our Purpose

WORTH Association is a non-profit society working to advance equity across the visitor economy. We champion self-identifying women and gender diverse people working in recreation, tourism, and hospitality through mentorship, leadership development, advocacy, and community connection. While women represent a significant share of the industry’s workforce, they remain underrepresented in decision-making roles. WORTH exists to change that, equipping women with the tools and networks they need to thrive, and partnering with industry to build a more inclusive and resilient future.

Our industry is a significant employer of girls, women, Indigenous women, new Canadians, and 2SLGBTQIA+ populations. Women working in the Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality sector continue to experience limited upward mobility, underrepresentation in executive roles, wage disparity, work/life balance challenges, retention challenges, sexual harassment, and seasonal or precarious employment conditions. Many of these industries rely heavily on women as frontline workers, yet few are positioned in leadership or strategic roles. Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our efforts are part of a larger system-wide shift to dismantle structural barriers and foster gender-inclusive economies.

Our Promise

At WORTH Association we drive positive change by advocating equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work. We recognize the unique challenges faced by self-identifying women and individuals across the gender spectrum and are acutely aware of how intersectionality compounds systemic barriers. Our commitment to promoting more equitable industries revolves around nurturing a strong community of belonging. We understand that the Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality sector is inextricable from the history of colonization. We acknowledge that our industries often disrupt the enduring connections Indigenous peoples have with their ancestral territories. In response, we are wholly committed to advancing reconciliation by fostering meaningful and respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples, organizations, and communities.

Our Work

WORTH Association creates pathways for women to grow, lead, and thrive while shifting the broader industry toward greater equity. Our work spans both individual and systemic impact: we support women directly through mentorship, training, scholarships, and leadership development, and we support the industry by inviting senior leaders and companies to engage in meaningful, collective action. Together, these efforts fuel real systems change while delivering tangible value to participants and partners.

Through mentorship programs, leadership training, scholarship funding, and ongoing professional development, we ensure that women across recreation, tourism, and hospitality have low-to-no-barrier access to the support they need. At the same time, our signature events, research, and advocacy initiatives elevate women’s voices, inform decision-makers, and bring companies into a growing movement for a more equitable future. By investing in WORTH, leaders become part of the cultural and structural change shaping the industry today.

Our Media Features

Our Executive Team

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Meet Joanna Jagger she/her

President & Founder

Joanna Jagger is passionate about educating future leaders and moving the dial for gender equity. She is the President and founder of WORTH Association, where she advocates to ensure a more equal future for women in industry leadership. Joanna is an instructor and researcher in the School of Tourism Management at Capilano University. She has held leadership roles in sales, catering and human resources at top hospitality brands including Marriott, Shangri-La, Sequoia Company of Restaurants and Joe Fortes Seafood and Chophouse. A Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR), she provides HR solutions through her consulting practice, Adanac HR Services. Joanna has a Provincial Instructor’s Diploma from VCC and a Masters in Leadership from Royal Roads University.

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Meet Tash McLeod she/her

Operations Manager

Tash McLeod is a dedicated advocate for cultivating safe, inclusive, and equitable workplaces. With experience in management, operations, and programming across the non-profit and hospitality sectors, Tash brings a multifaceted and nuanced perspective to her role as Operations Manager. A veteran of the restaurant industry, she has worked alongside Vancouver's premier talent at Hawksworth, The Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Ancora, Vij’s, and Fable, showcasing a career marked by dedication to service excellence and empathetic leadership. Tash holds a BA in Gender Studies from the University of Lethbridge and is currently pursuing a GrDip in Evaluation through the University of Victoria School of Public Administration. With a strong academic background in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, she leverages this expertise and her lived experience to further WORTH's efforts in building a community of belonging.

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Danya Wheeler she/her

Communications and Community Manager

Danya is passionate about social justice and community building. With a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, she has experience in community management, strategy building, and marketing. Her journey, from international development to tourism, has been driven by a commitment to elevate underrepresented voices and foster meaningful change. Now, at WORTH Association, she bridges the gap between vision and strategy to champion equity, diversity, and inclusion, and to support women across the industry.

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Meet Shobna Kannusamy she/her

Shobna Kannusamy is the Founder and Principal Coach at Soirette Connections. As a Certified Leadership and Organizational Coach, she is dedicated to guiding her clients in discovering authentic leadership rooted in their values, strengths, and purpose. Shobna leverages her creative, analytical, and entrepreneurial expertise with a vision-focused mindset and agility in navigating change to empower her clients, enabling them to unlock their leadership potential and thrive in their community. She currently serves clients and their teams across the globe.

As a multi-immigrant, she has the privilege of viewing the world through various lenses of culture and dynamics which informs her work as a coach, and as a mother. She finds immense fulfillment in executing her business through her purpose, working with entrepreneurs in their Leadership Development.

Mentorship Program (Volunteer) & Consultant

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Our Board of Directors