Shelly Skinner is an activist, change-maker, and community builder. With her lived experience of racism, violence against women, and homophobia, she carries a story of inspirational perseverance, leadership, and activism. In recent years, she has established herself as a community leader whose influence resonates in the communities of Simcoe County and beyond.

Shelly is a dedicated community organizer and has lent her skills and expertise to support countless organizations, including RogersTV Barrie, Women and Children’s Shelter of Barrie, Barrie Pride, Redwood Park Communities, Dress for Success, Ethnic Mosaic Alliance, the MacLaren Art Centre, and the Women’s Advocacy Committee for the Women and Children’s Shelter of Barrie.

She is also the co-founder of Making Change Across Simcoe Country, an organization that is focused on increasing awareness of Black communities in Canada through events centered around Black History Month.

Shelly is a powerful and inspirational speaker who has lent her voice to many organizations, including various high schools in Simcoe County, Georgian College, City of Barrie, Barrie Public Library, Ontario Trillium Foundation and EGALE.

Shelly is the recipient of the 2020 Barrie Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business “Woman of the Year Heart and Soul” Award, and was recognized as one of Barrie’s “Notable Women Who Have Made an Impact in Our Community,” by Barrie 360 in 2019. In 2018 Shelly was the first Black Queer Woman to run municipal elections in Barrie and though she wasn’t chosen in her Ward, she inspired more marganilized people to seek ways of getting involved in their communities to effectively make change and demand social justice and equity in their region.

Currently, Shelly is the founder of UPLift Black, an emerging organization dedicated to the visibility and economic development of the black community in Canada.

Overall, Shelly brings passion, leadership and drive to everything she does, and she is an inspiration to people of various backgrounds to become the leaders their communities sorely need.