LONDON, Ontario (October 13, 2022) – Today Pillar Nonprofit Network is pleased to announce the appointment of Maureen Cassidy as Interim Chief Executive Officer effective October 17th, 2022.
Maureen is currently a City Councillor for Ward 5 for the City of London, serving until the end of the current council session in November, and is not running for re-election. She has strong community connections, having served as Deputy Mayor, Co-Chair of the Poverty Reduction Panel, and Chair of the Middlesex-London Health Unit Board of Health during the first two years of the pandemic. Maureen has worked closely with local Indigenous leaders to help build the foundation for new relationships and start London on the path toward reconciliation. She was also involved in several committees with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and has been a mentor and panelist with the Women in Civic Leadership joint program at Brescia University and King’s University.
“We are pleased to welcome Maureen Cassidy as Interim CEO to Pillar Nonprofit Network,” said Mary Alikakos, Chair of the Board, Pillar Nonprofit Network. “She brings with her a great deal of experience in public service and a deep understanding of the community, which will no doubt be integral to her role as we move forward. The Board looks forward to working with her.”
Maureen will serve in this role while Pillar commences the search for a permanent leader for the organization, a process which is expected to be completed in the spring of 2023.
With input from the community at large, Pillar Board and staff are also working to establish a Community Leadership Advisory Panel to help with this transformational period. The Panel's structure will comprise 5 to 7 members selected from the broader Pillar community, and will include members and non-members of the Pillar organization. The Panel’s duties and responsibilities will include:
- Providing input and recommendations regarding ways that Pillar can address community concerns and build trust with our stakeholders, including members, co-tenants, and donors; and
- Work with the Board to develop a process for the recruitment and selection of new Board members, which will be on-boarded between November 2022 and April 2023.
We will be requesting input from our Pillar and London community in the coming days to establish the panel’s membership; in collaboration with Maureen, our stakeholders, our members, and the current board.
In addition to community, staff, board and our new Interim CEO we are thrilled that Al Day is the first member of the Leadership Advisory Panel and that he will be helping us focus on community engaged selection processes during our transition period.
Al Day, is the Executive Director of the N’Amerind Friendship Centre. He is of the Anowal (Turtle) Clan and his On^yota a:ka (Oneida) name is Lutahawit. Currently, he sits as Shonuhses, one of nine traditional Chiefs of the On^yota a:ka Lotiyaneshu (Oneida Nation Council of Chiefs).
We look forward to welcoming Maureen to Pillar, and to the work ahead.