CivicAction announces Mitzie Hunter as new CEO

Emerging Leaders Network Co-Chair tapped to lead civic leadership organization

TORONTO – December 1, 2011 – CivicAction Chair John Tory today announced that Mitzie Hunter, who first became active in the innovative regional civic leadership organization in 2002, will become its CEO effective January 9, 2012, following an extensive recruitment process in which 200 potential candidates were considered.

Hunter’s appointment was announced to over 150 rising and established leaders at the third annual ELNstudio event of CivicAction’s Emerging Leaders Network, which Hunter has co-chaired as a volunteer since its creation in 2006.

“CivicAction’s success comes from cultivating and leveraging strong and diverse leadership for the benefit of the Toronto region,” said Tory. “With her long involvement in CivicAction and her tremendous experience working in and across sectors, Mitzie is the ideal person to lead and represent our organization as it develops new responses to issues including transportation, regional economic development, jobs and income and immigration.”

Hunter is currently Chief Administrative Officer of Toronto Community Housing and previously held executive roles at Goodwill Industries, Smart Toronto technology alliance and Bell Canada. “Throughout my career, I have been a passionate city builder,” Hunter said. “I am very excited to bring my corporate and volunteer experiences to bear in leading this innovative, dynamic city building organization, so that we can create a better, stronger city region.”

Tory paid tribute to Julia Deans, who has served as CivicAction’s CEO for seven years and last spring announced her intention to leave, and said "Julia Deans has been a giant in the ranks of Toronto city builders and I look forward to her continuing wise counsel in the years to come."
 

“I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to build CivicAction alongside David Pecaut, John Tory, our board, Steering Committee, my wonderful colleagues, and the thousands of amazing leaders who make our work possible,” Deans said, “I am looking forward to pursuing my next big leadership role, although I know it will be hard to match the energy and accomplishments of CivicAction.”

CivicAction, formerly known as the Toronto City Summit Alliance, is a multi-sectoral coalition of thousands of civic leaders committed to acting collectively to tackle tough issues and big opportunities facing the Toronto region. CivicAction’s Greater Toronto Summits bring leaders from all walks of life together to assess the region’s strengths and challenges and to identify priority areas and opportunities for attention. In the periods between Summits, CivicAction takes a role in incubating innovative initiatives designed to galvanize action in these priority areas.

CivicAction’s current initiatives are aimed at: making the Toronto region flourish through environmental action and innovation (Greening Greater Toronto); creating a leadership landscape that better reflects the region’s diversity (DiverseCity: the Greater Toronto Leadership Project in partnership with Maytree); and connecting and supporting rising city-builders (the Emerging Leaders Network). 

For more information, visit www.civicaction.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Rebecca Geller

Communications and Events Officer, CivicAction

rebecca.geller@civicaction.ca

(416) 309-4480 x509 (work)

(416) 992-4966 (cell)