Canadian women know Rona Maynard as a friend, community builder and inspirational storyteller. Readers of all ages have recognized aspects of themselves in Rona’s long-awaited memoir, My Mother’s Daughter, which Alice Munro has called “wonderfully honest and enthralling.”

Rona served as Editor of Chatelaine through a decade of growth and innovation, rekindling the magazine’s greatest asset—the spark of community. In her keenly followed editorials, she shared her own story with insight and humour. By personally answering countless letters and e-mail messages, she became the moderator of an intimate conversation about women’s most urgent concerns.

Rona’s bond with women is rooted in her personal journey from underachiever to dynamic leader. For years she battled shyness and chronic depression. She struggled to reconcile the pressures of her journalism career with her other roles as mother, wife, daughter and friend. She had to learn to live each day as if it mattered.

She never set out to change people’s lives, but that is what began to happen when she wrote from the heart about changing her own life.

Rona grew up in New Hampshire, the daughter of Canadian parents—Fredelle Maynard, a writer, and Max Maynard, a professor and painter. She came to Canada in 1968 to attend the University of Toronto, where she earned a degree in English and was married on her twenty-first birthday. She has made Toronto her home ever since.

Rona’s magazine career has encompassed both editing and writing for more than 30 years. She has held staff positions at Flare and Maclean’s, and written hundreds of articles for national publications that range from Report on Business Magazine and Canadian Business to Chatelaine and MORE. When Rona fulfilled her mission for Chatelaine at the end of 2004, she stepped down to write the book her readers had been asking for.

Rona’s honours include a Woman of Distinction Award from the YWCA of Metropolitan Toronto, a Woman of Action Award from the Israel Cancer Research Fund, a Media Award from the Canadian Nurses Association and a National Champion of Mental Health Award from the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health. She has served on the Foundation Board of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and was a founding member of the advisory board for Our Sisters’ Place, which assists women suffering from postpartum depression and other emotional disorders. She is a current board member of International Women’s Forum Canada.

Rona counts her long marriage (more than 35 years) among her greatest achievements. She has a son and a grandson. Her online community is www.ronamaynard.com.
                               

Silver Dinner 2008
Title Sponsor TD Waterhouse Canada

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Four Seasons Hotel
Regency Ballroom
21 Avenue Road
Toronto, Ontario

Event Committee
Staunton Bowen Chair
Elizabeth Vanstone Chair
Marlene Kalchos