News

RTAM’s New Executive Director

The RTAM Board of Directors are excited to announce Melissa Sitter as our new Executive Director. She has a proven track record in leadership, strategic planning, governance, and capacity building that requires strong communication skills and advanced relationship building with local, provincial and national stakeholders. Melissa brings a dynamic blend of vision, experience, and commitment to our mission.

Melissa comes with vast experience working with senior-serving organizations that required interpretation of legislation, process and policy development, program planning and evaluation, conflict resolution and problem-solving, providing advisory services to external service providers, budgeting, strategic planning, community development and capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and grant writing. She has the ability to align strategy with mission, build strong collaborative teams, and foster sustainable practices that empower both staff and our community partners.

Melissa’s education qualifications include earning a Graduate Specialization in Aging and a Master of Science degree from the University of Manitoba; she was the recipient of many graduate student awards, including the Manitoba Health Research Council Studentship, and was a student member of the University’s Board of Governors.

We are thrilled to welcome Melissa to our RTAM community. She will be an amazing asset as we continue to move forward to sustain and expand programming for RTAM.

Hello RTAM members.

I am very excited to join the RTAM family! As a newcomer to the professional education field, I recognize that there is a lot to learn. My teaching experience is limited to a 3-year stint teaching English as an additional language in Japan, which had a big impact on my direction in life. That incredible time led me, not to a career in education, but to a career in support of healthy aging.

Living and travelling in Japan over 20 years ago, I noticed how much more mobile and physically active older adults were than the older folks I knew at home. That observation sparked a lifelong interest in healthy aging, which has so far included a Graduate Specialization in Aging from the Centre on Aging at the University of Manitoba and 15 years of leadership experience delivering supports to seniors in health and recreation. During that time, I’ve had the privilege of working with many not-for profit and charitable organizations, helping folks to live well and safely in their own homes as they age.

I am excited about RTAM’s plans to double our membership and enhance our service offerings. I invite you to read our strategic plan https://rtam.mb.ca/en/about/about-rtam/ and consider how you can get involved to support the well-being of our community! https://rtam.mb.ca/en/get-involved/volunteer/

Sincerely,

Melissa