ICA Leadership Team

Shelly D’Mello is a skilled relationship builder, a collaborative coach who takes a strength-based approach to team and community development, a creative thinker, and a visionary leader. With over 25 years of experience in private, government, and non-profit organizations, Shelly is an inclusive and transformational leader whose strengths include strategic planning, financial acumen, organizational development, and organizational change management.

A self-proclaimed entrepreneur, Shelly is backed by a degree in Economics from York University, an international MBA from England, is a member of HRPAO (Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario) and holds a Certificate in Adult Training and Development from the University of Toronto.

She has held executive and management positions in organization in sectors including settlement and integration, management consulting, information technology, education, and health care.

Born in Guyana, South America, Shelly is passionate about women in leadership, and has created curriculum and facilitated workshops that empower immigrant women and entrepreneurs to create a meaningful life in Canada. Over the last 13 years, Shelly has immersed herself in the settlement and integration sector in Toronto, Ontario designing, developing, and delivering programs and services to newcomers, immigrants and refugees. These programs give voice, opportunity, and recognition to the important contributions of immigrants to Canada while addressing barriers to integration such as language, credential recognition, access to employment, mental health and wellbeing, and housing.

Shelly is a founding board member of Aurora House, a transitional home for survivors of modern slavery, and is the Treasurer of the Workforce Housing Non-Profit Corporation, a non-profit initiative working towards addressing how home ownership and control of the “roof over one’s head” is the best way to break the cycle of poverty, build equity, and create self-respect.

I have had the pleasure of working at ICA since 1997 and my role has varied from frontline work with clients and volunteers, to program design and implementation of services. My family’s personal immigration experience is what attracted me to work in this field more than 20 years ago.

My parents did not have the opportunity to benefit from settlement services, LINC classes, or employment support. It is important to me to help ensure all immigrants and refugees arriving to Canada can take full advantage of available services they are entitled to and have the best possible support.

As the Director of Finance at ICA, my role is to provide specialized support to ensure the financial health of ICA. I bring more than 16 years of broad experience in the international, not-for-profit sector in areas of program and financial management, strategic planning, board governance advisory, training and facilitation, and key stakeholder dialogue.

With diverse work experiences in over 20 countries in Africa, Europe, and North America, I am excited to join the ICA leadership team. I believe in the organization’s mission, its inclusive and rights-based approach to building a strong community, as well as its strong advocacy in anti-racism, multiculturalism, diversity awareness and human rights. This work resonates deeply with my sense of passion and drive.

I’ve spent over 20 years working alongside immigrant and refugee communities in Victoria, BC—and I’m still learning every day. With an MA in Community Development and a love for systems thinking, I bring a solution-focused, creative approach to strategy, systems, program design, and evaluation.

At ICA, I use a client-centered human design lens to make sure our work is inclusive, responsive, and grounded in real experiences. I thrive on solving complex challenges and asking, “How can we do this better?”. I am continually inspired by the strength and resilience of newcomers.