Aba Mortley moved to Kingston, Ontario from Trinidad and Tobago to do an undergraduate degree in Engineering at Queen’s University, followed by a Masters and PhD in Materials and Chemical Engineering at the Royal Military College. In 2013, Aba opened the first Cher-Mere day spa, using the family’s name brand Cher-Mere products, in downtown Kingston and expanded to open a second location in 2018. She is currently the chair of the Tourism Kingston board, co-chair of Queens University Council on Anti-Racism and Equity, member of the downtown business association board, member of the Kingston Economic Recovery Team (KERT) and chair of the subcommittee for underrepresented groups in the Workplace for KERT. For over 20 years Aba has actively volunteered at Youth Diversion. Along with her partner Ted, they enjoy raising 4 young children, Wyatt, Ryder, Meredith and Otto. More recently, Aba has been organizing panel discussions through the Kingston Let’s talk platform to share and normalize the dialogue about the lived experiences for racialized members of the Kingston Community and how we can all work together to make a more equitable and anti-racist future.
