Stories that inspire

Trained as a journalist, Karen Macdonald has been the Station Manager and News Director at Global Montreal since 2006. For 15 years, she and her husband François Vézina were the co-owners and co-publishers of the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph, North America’s oldest newspaper. A native of Prince Edward Island, Ms. Macdonald grew up in Quebec City and eventually made her home in Montreal along with her family.

Passionate about issues that affect the community, she joined the Board of Directors of the Foundation of Greater Montréal in 2018, becoming Vice-Chair in 2021, and Chair in 2023. Prior to that, she had been Chair of the Board of Directors of Centraide Québec-Chaudières-Appalaches, for which she also acted as a Campaign Co-Chair. An unstoppable volunteer, she has been a member of several other boards of charitable organizations, including that of Centraide of Greater Montreal, which awarded her its Prix Solidaire in 2023. She is also a Director at United Way Centraide Canada, where she heads the Governance Committee.

In 2021, she created the Karen Macdonald Award in Journalism, given out annually to a Concordia University Journalism student who has demonstrated their involvement in causes within the Black or Indigenous communities.

“What can we do to reduce the inequalities that so many face? Every one of us can take action, depending on our means, interests and concerns. For me, one major objective has been to foster diversity in the next generation of journalists with a journalism award at my alma mater, Concordia University, for an Indigenous or Black student. You hear it so often: representation changes everything. And I truly believe that! That’s also why, when I was asked what facet of my FGM work I wanted to focus on more, I had no trouble answering: our JEDI Action Plan for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.“