March 4, 2013 – Barbara McInnes, President & CEO of the Ottawa Community Foundation, has announced that she will be stepping down after a quarter-century of serving the philanthropic cause in Ottawa. At its meeting last week, Barbara provided a full year’s notice to the Foundation’s Board of Governors to conduct a proper search for a replacement and to allow for a smooth transition to the new leader. While she looks forward to retirement after her long tenure with the organization, Barbara will be making herself available to act in an advisory role to the Foundation’s Board and staff into the foreseeable future.
Helping to found the Ottawa Community Foundation in 1987 with her father, Alastair Gamble, its first Executive Director, Barbara has led the organization since 1991. In that time, she has overseen its growth to what is one of the largest and most highly regarded of Canada’s 183 community foundations. Managing an endowment worth more than $90-million, the Foundation has provided over $65-million in grants to the community since its inception.
“The reputation and successes of the Ottawa Community Foundation over the last 25 years have been achieved in large part due to the passion, drive and commitment of Barbara McInnes,” said Brian Toller, Chair of the Foundation’s Board of Governors. “They also represent the hard work and dedication she has always inspired among the staff, volunteers, and donors who have tirelessly supported it over the years, not to mention the entire community of people and organizations whose great work has been made possible due to those efforts.”
Among her many accomplishments, Barbara was awarded the Order of Canada in 2008 for her contributions as a leader and catalyst for the development of community-based philanthropy in her city, across Canada and around the world. Active in her community in other ways, Barbara has been a Governor of Carleton University, President of the Estate Planning Council and the Ottawa School of Art, and a board member of United Way and numerous other professional associations and voluntary sector boards.
A founding Board member of Community Foundations of Canada, Barbara served on its Executive Committee for 12 years, helping to grow the community foundation movement across the country and around the world. She has worked extensively with community foundations in North America and Europe, as well as serving on the Transatlantic Community Foundation Network and the Council on Foundations in Washington, DC.
“It has truly been an incredible adventure and privilege to be a part of the ground-breaking work of the Ottawa Community Foundation and the entire foundation movement,” said Barbara. “I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work with so many visionaries in our community and beyond, and to have the chance to continue in an advisory capacity with the organization – if only to keep up with all the community happenings!” Barbara is looking forward to spending more time with her three grandchildren and to travelling the world for sheer pleasure with her husband Glenn.
About the Ottawa Community Foundation:
Established in 1987, the Ottawa Community Foundation is a public, non-profit organization created by and for the people of Ottawa. It connects donors who care with causes that matter and serves as a trusted resource for addressing issues and leveraging opportunities in the community. Since its inception, the Community Foundation has been enabling generous citizens to enhance the quality of life in their community and to achieve their own charitable objectives through permanent, well-managed endowments.
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For further information, please contact:
Iona Green
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Ottawa Community Foundation
613-236-1616 X 232
igreen@cfo-fco.ca