Back

June 26, 2025

A Fond Farewell and Thank You to Our Executive Director, Margo Hilbrecht

After three years of thoughtful leadership and service as Executive Director of The Vanier Institute of the Family, Margo Hilbrecht is retiring. We are honoured to have worked with her, and we are deeply grateful for her many contributions to the Institute and to our understanding of family wellbeing in Canada.

Margo joined our team in the fall of 2021 as Interim Program Director during a pivotal time: the world was still emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute was navigating significant changes and building a new team, and our 60th anniversary was just around the corner. In February 2022, she officially stepped into the role of Executive Director. From the outset, she led the Institute with a forward-looking vision, creativity, and compassion. She nurtured a progressive workplace culture based on authenticity and shared leadership, one where all team members felt encouraged to innovate and collaborate.

Through this shift, Margo remained committed to relationship building, grounded in respect and reciprocity. She raised our profile within the academic community, increasing our rigour and standards for outputs and activities. She also facilitated connections with organizations working to support and advance knowledge on First Nations, Métis, and Inuit families.

Margo refocused the Institute’s approach and thinking. She supported the transformation of the Board of Directors from crisis management to a policy-governance orientation, and facilitated the development of our new mission, vision, and values; our strategic plan; and our theory of change. She co-developed the Family Diversities and Wellbeing Framework that now guides our work. She launched new programs and initiatives focused on capacity development and supporting family sciences across Canada. These include yearly postdoctoral fellowships with Mitacs, Loran scholar internships, travel funding for postdoctoral fellows, early career scholar awards, and secondary data analysis grants.

During her tenure, the Institute also launched the Affiliates Network to bring together researchers, educators, public servants, and community leaders dedicated to advancing knowledge about families in Canada. This network has become a vital space for knowledge exchange, meaningful dialogue, shared learning, and collective impact.

As Margo embarks on this exciting new chapter, she looks forward to spending time with her family and travelling across Canada and Europe. Although we will miss her greatly, we couldn’t be happier for her and her family. We thank Margo for her visionary leadership, generous spirit, and commitment to advancing the understanding of families in Canada. She has left a meaningful and lasting impact on our organization, and her legacy will continue to shape the Institute’s work for years to come.

Thank you, Margo! We wish you the very best in the adventures that lie ahead.