Margaret Konopacki, Founder & CEO of Birdsong, was born in Toronto and graduated from Carleton University with a degree in journalism and political science. Her career spans several decades across Canada’s music, television, and film industries, with deep experience in entertainment publicity and documentary directing.

Entertainment Publicist & Documentary Director (1983–2000)
Margaret began her television career at Toronto’s Citytv as a film evaluator and production coordinator. Early highlights included researching for Jay Switzer during MuchMusic’s successful CRTC licensing bid, coordinating production on I Am A Hotel with Leonard Cohen, and working on John Krizanc’s Tamara in Los Angeles, featuring Angelica Huston.

In 1986, she joined Alliance Entertainment as Director of Public Relations, later moving to CTV as Director of Entertainment Publicity and then Associate Marketing Director. During this period, she worked on high-profile projects including the Academy Awards, the Juno Awards, the Canadian Country Music Awards, Law & Order, and NYPD Blue, while managing publicity for Canadian productions such as Night Heat, ENG, and Counterstrike.

By the late 1990s, Margaret founded her own firm, M.K. Productions, delivering marketing-driven publicity strategies for film, television, and music. Notable work included publicity for the 1997 and 1998 Juno Awards and the redesign and relaunch of several CHUM TV stations.

Documentary Filmmaking & Career Shift
Margaret made her directorial debut in 1998 with a Bravo! television special on crime novelist James Lee Burke and continued directing documentaries for Sleeping Giant Productions. She later shifted focus to the health and wellness sector to support her son David, who required treatment for ADHD and addiction.

After relocating to Wickenburg, Arizona, she trained as a yoga teacher, opened a yoga center, and founded EVOLVE LLC. She taught more than 1,000 young people through art, music, and meditation, and later opened Santosha Yoga Centre in Ottawa in 2009.

The Birdsong New Music Foundation
In 2017, Margaret’s life was profoundly altered by the loss of her son David during a psychotic breakdown. While navigating grief and PTSD, she returned to documentary filmmaking and, in 2018, founded Birdsong – The David Martin New Music Foundation, a Canadian charity dedicated to helping people living with mental illness professionally produce their original music.

Inspired by David’s passion, Birdsong aims to reduce stigma, foster creative community, and amplify underrepresented voices. The foundation recently released its first double album, First Flight 101, featuring 12 artists and 21 original songs. Margaret continues to champion independent musicians facing mental health challenges and is currently organizing Birdsong’s fifth live fundraising concert.

Donna Gow is a self-employed Information Technology ( IT) Management Consultant, primarily working in functional areas of large corporate systems. Donna started her career as a federal government employee, and then in Fall 1993, decided to start her own IT management consulting business. The majority of her IT career work experience came through contracts she entered into through her own consulting business. Her IT background covers extensive years of experience in systems development, business analysis and application support. Donna’s work experience includes federal
government departments and agencies : Transport Canada, Canada Post, Canada Border Services, Canada Revenue Agency, and most recently National Defence .

Donna also has global and international IT experience in the private sector, where she spent 10+ years at Nortel, starting there as an IT team lead and progressing to a manager role. Donna’s connection to BIRDSONG New Music Foundation’s started when her son applied and was selected as a Birdsong artist. This forged a new connection for their son with Birdsong. Through that recording experience the family also got to know others in the Birdsong foundation. Their son’s recording experience and other Birdsong fundraiser events started a new chapter, as part of the Birdsong “ family” ( it does take a
village”) . At first it was just volunteering to help at various Birdsong events and this eventually led to an offer to be on the board of directors.

Donna shares in the advocacy for those who live with mental illness, and the families who support loved ones living with their diagnosis. Opportunities like Birdsong can help share personal messages of hope through the original music and lyrics, not only for the artist recording but also just perhaps help others struggling with their diagnosis to see themselves as more than their illness. Even in the darkest days, let there continue to be hope.

Liz Nowak is a seasoned business professional with extensive experience in Global Sales, Business Development, Customer Service, and Corporate Administration within the fiber optics communications industry. Over the course of her career, she has built a reputation as both a strong team leader and a highly effective collaborator, known for delivering results in complex, global environments.

Most recently, Liz was involved in business development collaboration on a fiber optic modulator project for the space industry, working across Europe and North America. This role required engagement with customers, regulatory bodies, and manufacturing partners, as well as oversight of production readiness. Prior to this, she spent nearly 25 years with Lumentum Holdings Inc. (formerly JDS Uniphase and JDS Fitel), where she held senior roles in Global Sales and Customer Service. Her work included managing relationships with major Tier 1 clients such as Nortel and Ciena, while also driving new business opportunities and coordinating efforts between R&D, customers, and manufacturing teams.

Earlier in her career, Liz served as Executive Assistant to the Co-Chair, President, and CEO of JDSU, where she played a key role in supporting Board of Directors administration. In this capacity, she demonstrated exceptional organizational skill, discretion, and communication—qualities she continues to bring to her role with Birdsong.

Liz holds a BA from Carleton University and a Business Administration diploma from Algonquin College, and resides in Ottawa.

Liz was drawn to Birdsong through both its mission and its meaning. The idea of music as a source of healing—and the symbolism of the Birdsong name—resonated deeply with her. Her connection is also personal, as she has a family member, a First Nations artist and musician, who continues to face the challenges of addiction and recovery.

Through her involvement with Birdsong, Liz has seen firsthand the transformative impact that creative programs can have on artists struggling with mental health. She believes strongly in the foundation’s work—supporting individuals as they rediscover purpose, build community, and move toward a more stable and independent future.
 

Patrick Dion is a leading government relations professional, recognized for helping clients solve strategic issues and enhancing their reputation and brand with federal, provincial and municipal governments.

Mr. Dion was appointed as Ontario’s representative as an inaugural director of the board of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, serving the board for nine years and four years as vice-chair, and chaired the Human Resources Committee, Audit and Finance Committee, Investment Committee, and Governance and Nominating Committee.

Mr. Dion has become a recognized voice for mental health and wellness, frequently invited to speak on the reform of Canada’s mental health system. He was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee for his service to Canada, received The Royal Ottawa Leader in Mental Health Award, Ontario Medical Association Community Service Award, and was invested into the Order of Ottawa.

Mr. Dion was recruited by Ontario’s Minister of Health to serve on the advisory group guiding the Government’s review of its mental health and addictions system and has chaired the Champlain LHIN's Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Committee on Improving Consumer Flow. Mr. Dion is chair of the board of Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association, a member of Carleton University board of governors, and a director of the Canadian Film Institute's board.

Mr. Dion’s journey to being recognized as a well-respected and active member of Ottawa’s business community led to him receiving the Ottawa Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Award, its annual list of top young business leaders in Ottawa.

Mr. Dion graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Electrical Engineering Science and also completed the Directors Education Program (DEP) at University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management (2020)

BIRDSONG NEW MUSIC AMBASSADOR ROLE DEFINED

An “Ambassador” for Birdsong New Music Foundation bears a commitment to advance the work of this foundation, bringing awareness and education to Canadians and the world about the harsh realities of mental illness. We help eradicate the stigma experienced unfairly by a wide demographic. An Ambassador is an influencer who can save lives through the process of communicating about the power of music in the area of mental health. Our indie music productions and live shows bring hope and healing through our belief that music can, in part, be used as a “prescription” for healing mental illness. - Margaret Konopacki, Founder

Key roles can include:

Raising Awareness to a Wider Audience: Ambassadors use social media, live appearances and performance opportunities to increase public awareness about the charity's mission, initiatives and impact. 

Fundraising: Ambassadors can participate in fundraising efforts by attending events, launching campaigns or encouraging their social networks to donate. 

Advocacy and Engagement: Ambassadors lend their voices to advocate for policy changes, or specific causes related to the charity's work. 

By engaging with policymakers, corporate partners and the public, their impact is a lobby for the rights of the mentally ill – but always in conjunction with the Birdsong Artists who are our best spokespeople.

Ambassadors lend their own creativity to brand the Birdsong New Music Collective which includes all the original artists who live with mental illness and who have been helped by the charity.

As we grow and our influence is more pronounced, we create a unique voice for those who struggle in this way. Often our Ambassadors are also individuals who have had or experienced mental illness firsthand, so as they “talk the talk” they also “walk the walk” of healing through music. 

Our Ambassadors all commit to work with a positive moral compass and to uphold the motto – simple human kindness.

OUR CURRENT AMBASSADORS

Jessica Compton is a mental health advocate, creative facilitator, and founder of Tree of Stars, a community initiative dedicated to healing through connection, storytelling, and artistic expression. Since 2017, she has been using her voice and lived experience to support others navigating mental health and addiction recovery, creating safe, inclusive spaces where people can feel understood and empowered.

At the heart of Jessica’s work is what she calls “The A Blog”—a deeply personal journey through adversity, including abandonment, trauma, addiction, and recovery. Through sharing her story, she encourages others to honour every chapter of their lives, embracing both the struggles and the growth that comes with them.

With over 15 years of experience as a Child and Youth Worker, along with her ongoing role as an Educational Assistant, Jessica brings compassion, insight, and authenticity to her outreach. Her work in the community is grounded in peer support, meeting people where they are and helping them rediscover their sense of worth and possibility.

Creativity is central to Jessica’s approach. Whether through music, journalling, photography, or mixed media, she believes in the power of artistic expression as a pathway to healing—an ethos that aligns deeply with Birdsong’s mission.

As a Birdsong Ambassador, Jessica brings a powerful combination of lived experience, creative energy, and unwavering belief in the transformative power of music and human connection.