The vice-president of a large social services agency in Toronto has been named the next chief executive officer of Community Living B.C.
Seonag Macrae, who has spent most of her career in health care, will replace interim CEO Doug Woollard effective Aug. 11, board chairwoman Denise Turner said in a letter to staff Wednesday.
Community Living B.C. is the Crown agency that oversees services to adults with developmental disabilities, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and autism spectrum disorder.
Macrae currently works as vice-president of seniors services at WoodGreen Community Services, which bills itself as one of the largest social service agencies in Toronto with 32 locations serving 37,000 people a year.
She also sits on the board of Toronto’s Surrey Place Centre, which provides services to people with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder.
Her biography on the WoodGreen site states that she has more than 30 years experience in health care as a nurse, educator, and senior administrator. She held management posts at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and B.C. Children’s Hospital following 12 years at the B.C. Institute of Technology.
She received a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of British Columbia, a master of science in nursing from the University of Portland and a master of business administration from the University of Western Ontario, Richard Ivey School of Business.
“With her return to British Columbia, Seonag brings a passion for helping vulnerable people realize their full potential and a particular skill of developing networks and partnerships as part of the process of building inclusive communities,” Turner said.
Macrae is the first permanent replacement for Rick Mowles, who departed amid controversy in October 2011.
At the time, CLBC was under fire for closing group homes and cutting services in an effort to deal with a growing list of people waiting for help.
The government subsequently boosted spending in the sector and released a 12-point plan to improve its treatment of people with developmental disabilities.
Woollard, who served as the interim CEO after Mowles left, announced in November that he would not apply for the permanent job but will remain at CLBC to ensure a smooth transition.
Turner recognized Woollard in her note to staff Wednesday, praising his “immeasurable leadership over the past couple of years during some very challenging times in CLBC’s history.”
