Tiffany Danieluk, social worker at Niagara Health, credits the Organizational Development team with helping her grow her leadership skills through programs like Leadership Niagara and the Niagara Health Bursary Program.
When Tiffany Danieluk first applied to the Leadership Niagara program seven years ago, she didn’t get in.
Then she applied again. And again.
“I wasn’t chosen at first,” says Danieluk, a social worker at Niagara Health. “But I kept applying. I believed in the opportunity – and more importantly, the Organizational Development (OD) team believed in me.”
That persistence paid off. In 2024, Danieluk not only secured a spot in the leadership program – supported financially and professionally by Niagara Health, she also received a bursary to pursue a Clinical Supervision Certificate from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Her story is just one example of the long-term, hands-on investment Niagara Health’s OD team makes in staff development. And now, that work is receiving national attention.
The OD team has been named an Excellence Awardee in the Queen’s University IRC Award for Best Learning and Development Strategy category at the Canadian Human Resources (HR) Awards.
The recognition celebrates innovation and impactful approaches to employee learning. For Niagara Health, it also reflects a core value: Putting People First.
“The OD team is focused on more than professional training,” says Danieluk. “They’re building leaders and creating space for growth, especially for those of us on the front lines.”
For Danieluk, the impact has been personal.
“Leadership Niagara was a priceless opportunity,” she says. “I learned about emotional intelligence, diversity, equity and inclusion, working in teams and systems and what good leadership really looks like. It made me feel confident, empowered and more connected to Niagara Health.”
Through the program, Danieluk helped create a strategic plan for Positive Living Niagara and took part in one of the most meaningful experiences of her career, an Indigenous drumming circle hosted at the Welland Hospital.
“Even now, thinking about it makes me tear up,” she says. “It was spiritual, grounding and reminded me that leadership is about heart as much as it is skill.”
A strategy rooted in people
Niagara Health’s learning and development strategy is embedded in its 2023-28 Strategic Plan and brought to life through its award-winning Talent Management Framework. That includes everything from orientation, on-demand workshops and performance reviews to mentorship programs, psychometric assessments and a newly developed in-house developmental planning software.
The software is custom built to align with Niagara Health’s competency model. It empowers staff and leaders to co-create personalized development plans with real-time tracking. It’s backed by a learning culture that’s inclusive, flexible and always evolving.
“We know that the best patient care starts with empowered, capable teams,” says Emile Penner-Cloutier, Manager, Human Resources Strategy and Organizational Development. “Our goal is to make growth accessible – whether you’re on the front line or in a leadership role.”
The proof is in the numbers: more than 560 employees participated in in-house workshops this year, the mentorship program currently has 24 active mentor partnerships and LinkedIn Learning users completed more than 500 courses.
In the past year, Niagara Health has also seen a 34-per-cent increase in identified internal successors – an important benchmark of its succession strategy.
But what stands out most is the human impact – stories like Danieluk.
“The OD team helped me grow as a professional and also as a person,” she says. “They gave me the support, tools and encouragement to step forward – and to keep stepping forward.”
Tracey-Dawn Giovannone, Director of Culture and Human Resources Advisory Services, calls the recognition “a proud milestone, not just for the OD team, but for the entire organization.”
“This award is a testament to the deep culture of learning we’ve built at Niagara Health,” she says. “It reflects our commitment to supporting our people and helping every team member reach their full potential.”
Danieluk agrees. “I would tell any new staff member to stay connected, keep applying and don’t give up. The OD team will be there to help you grow.”
