Listening, Learning, and Looking Forward: One Year in Review
On September 13, 2022, a news release from the newly unified Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) announced me as their first President and CEO. I can imagine the questions. Who is this guy? Why is he the right one for the role? What would possess someone to move from Cincinnati to Waterloo Region… and only a couple months before winter?
For the past year, I’ve been delving into those questions with whomever will listen. In the process, I’ve gotten a crash course on the DNA of this place by hearing why it's so special from those who already call it home. Joining this community was a unique opportunity that appealed to the core of my passions: to help WRCF embark on a bold new philanthropic journey while building on the legacies of Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation and Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation; to make a difference in a place with a long and layered history as it faces a future of rapid growth and change; to learn to navigate a new hometown where multi-modal transportation includes light rail, horse and buggies, and e-scooters; to celebrate a place as proud of its talent in the fields as in its tech hubs. I’m already hooked.
While continuing the work of supporting local charities and fundholders, WRCF has gone through massive changes of its own during this time, with unification, with my arrival, with our move into the SDG Idea Factory, with technology migrations, and with new faces joining our growing team and Board. The year ahead will bring more change. More profound change.
Our community is transforming before our eyes, so this community’s community foundation is rethinking its role. We have a talented team, time-tested tools, and trusting partnerships to build upon, and we want to do more. For today and for the future. As Waterloo Region plots growth to a million residents, WRCF wants to ensure there’s a foundation for more sustainable, equitable, connected, and joyful growth for all. As the world of social finance and community philanthropy becomes more innovative, WRCF is exploring how we – with others in the sector – can leverage various forms of capital to deliver even more positive impact. I’m intensely proud of the work we do, and I’m invigorated thinking about how WRCF can be a bigger partner in the massive opportunities ahead. I hope you’ll join us in the journey.
Getting to know a new place gives room for growth, exploration, and adaptation. It shakes off the cobwebs of complacency. The excitement of a new environment brings with it a renewed sense of freedom to question the status quo, to expand the boundaries of what’s expected, to examine priorities, to see opportunities where others may not. The process of settling in has been a joyful one, and I look forward to our future in Waterloo Region with the same optimism. As futurist/designer Bruce Mau said in a recent appearance in Cambridge, “The future has to be joyful, otherwise we won’t get there.”
Year One By The Numbers
Cups of Coffee with Community Members: 261
New Canadian LinkedIn Contacts: 313
Amount Spent on GRT EasyGo Card: $163.90
Roundabouts Navigated: 332
Board Meetings + Committee Meetings + Full Team Meetings: 87
Stamps on Crafty Ramen Loyalty Card: 16
Broken Bones: 3 (ask me about that over coffee!)