Board of Directors – Mo Korchinski
Mo Korchinski is a nationally recognized leader, advocate, author, and trailblazer whose life’s work has reshaped how communities support people transitioning from incarceration to freedom, dignity, and hope. As the Executive Director of Unlocking the Gates Services Society (UTG), Mo has become one of British Columbia’s most respected voices in peer-led re-entry support. Her leadership is grounded in lived experience, compassion, and an unrelenting belief that people deserve second chances—and, more importantly, that systems must be rebuilt so those second chances are possible.
Mo’s journey to this work is deeply personal. Before becoming an influential advocate, she walked through the same gates that Unlocking the Gates (UTG) clients walk through today. Her experiences with addiction, homelessness, trauma, and incarceration shaped her understanding of the profound challenges faced by women and men leaving custody. She never hides the truth of where she came from; instead, she uses it to illuminate the gaps that existed for her and still exist for so many today. It is this honesty and empathy that make her a rare and powerful force in the social-justice landscape.
While incarcerated, Mo found her voice, and her purpose. She joined a prison-based research project led by physician Dr. Ruth Elwood Martin, where she discovered not only the power of storytelling but also the impact of peer support. During these years, she developed a new understanding of her own resilience and capacity for leadership. She also became passionate about ensuring that no one else experienced the confusion, fear, and overwhelming isolation that often accompanies release from custody. Upon returning to the community, Mo dedicated herself to serving others. Her early work involved supporting formerly incarcerated women, helping them navigate the chaotic days after release, and connecting them to health care, housing, treatment, and emotional support. This early grassroots effort grew into what would eventually become Unlocking the Gates Services Society—a provincial, peer-led re-entry program now recognized across Canada.