Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region hires new CEO
WATERLOO — For the first time in 12 years, Karen Scian’s name will not appear on the ballot in the municipal election.
The former two-term city councillor and one-time candidate for regional council made it official Wednesday when she was named the new chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region. Scian will take over from Karen Redman, who has resigned to run for regional chair. Scian will start on Aug. 7.
“I’m so grateful for that opportunity (on council), but it’s time to move in a new direction and lead from outside that realm,” she said.
Affordable housing is one of the biggest challenges the region faces and Scian said she is excited about tackling the issue in her new role.
Founded in 1988, Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region is a nonprofit organization that helps families achieve affordable home ownership with the help of volunteers, donors and community partners.
The organization also operates two non-profit home improvement stores and donation centres in the region that sell new and gently-used furniture, home accessories, building materials and appliances at a fraction of the retail price.
The 53-year-old brings a wealth of experience to her new role. Scian was a two-term city councillor in Waterloo from 2006 to 2014, including a stint as chair of the city’s finance and strategic planning committee, but she failed in her bid to win a seat as regional councillor in the last municipal election.
Scian also took a shot at the Liberal nomination in Waterloo for the 2012 provincial byelection to replace outgoing Progressive Conservative MPP Elizabeth Witmer, but lost to Eric Davis.
She launched her own consulting business, The Talent Business Solutions, shortly after the 2014 election. She had a wide range of clients, including the Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, Oxford Learning Centres, the Waterloo Region District School Board, the City of Kitchener and the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
She has also been an instructor at Conestoga College, as well as a columnist with the Waterloo Chronicle and a frequent contributor to local talk radio for the past four years.
Scian will be winding down her business and ending her newspaper and radio gigs, but will remain chair for the Waterloo Public Library board, as well as a member of the board for the Local Health Integration Network.
She says her experience will serve her well at Habitat for Humanity, where she has previously volunteered on the build site.
“I come from the public sector, the education sector and I’m an entrepreneur, and I’m taking everything I’ve learned and leveraging those skills to run this organization,” she said.
Her big priority will be working with all levels of government on the first-ever national housing strategy, a 10-year, $40-billion plan announced by the federal government late last year.
“I’ll be working to raise awareness in the community about affordable housing,” she said.
Habitat for Humanity’s board is “excited about the wealth of experience, community connections and passion” that Scian brings, said chair Tracey Appleton. “Karen Redman leaves behind a strong legacy in the form of a healthy, thriving and engaged organization.”