Professional Experience

DIRECTOR CAPACITY BUILDING
April 6, 2010 to date

CDF COORDINATOR
Sep 2008 - April 5, 2010

Coalition of the Community Health and Resource Centres (CCHRC), Ottawa, Ontario

Appointed by this network of community-based health and resource centers which responds to the diversity of needs within local communities to provide strategic direction for implementing the Community Development Framework.

Selected Contributions:

Planned and designed a community development model that was adopted by the City of Ottawa for replication city-wide.
Oversaw the Ottawa-wide implementation of the development model which is aimed at bringing the focus of assistance programs back to the neighborhoods.
Established alliances and networks within the community, synthesizing the prioritized needs of communities and monitoring & evaluating the success of the CDF at the community level.
Spearheaded strategic planning and program policy development, based on in-depth understanding of organizational goals, applicable legislation, and community needs.
Provide overall coordination and support to CHRCs, efforts as a resource to the Community Developers to adopt, align or tailor existing initiatives using the NCLB (No Community Left Behind) strategy.
Collaborated with internal & external stakeholders to review and enhance services & programming for communities.
Serves as the key liaison for all pertinent communication from the community level and acts as an advocate/broker to funnel the prioritized information, issues, and requests from the neighborhood to the CDF components.
Advocated on behalf of communities to influence government and community agency policies and programs.
Collaborate on the development of standardized policies, procedures, and implementation and evaluation tools/methods in support of the CDF.

NCLB COORDINATOR

Aug 2005 - Sept 2008

South East Ottawa Centre for a Healthy Community (SEOCHC), Ottawa, Ontario

Appointed by the South East Ottawa Community Health Centre to continue the implementation of the No Community Left Behind (NCLB) initative in South East Ottawa at-risk neighborhoods.

Selected Contributions:

Successfully expanded implementation of the NCLB to four addition neighbourhoods.
Developed several manuals and guides for replication of the NCLB model. Established a virtual Data Centre with all the relevant manuals, guides and presentations which is now helping staff from other front line agencies in replicating the NCLB approach in their respective program areas under the CDF.
Engaged all service providers in a collaborative way and revitalized the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods to the extent that they become role models for replication city-wide.
Working closely with youth service agencies, developed a coordinated approach to youth engagement in the community safety and development.
Planed and administer a program budget ranging from$20,000 - 220,000, ensuring prudent use of resources to meet service delivery objectives.
Worked closely with the City of Ottawa and brought all stakeholders on board and built consensus on replicating the NCLB model and developing a new Community Development Framework for the City of Ottawa.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPER

Aug 2004 - Aug 2005

South East Ottawa Centre for a Healthy Community (SEOCHC), Ottawa, Ontario

Brought onboard by this resource centre, which serves a socially, culturally and economically diverse population, to provide multifaceted leadership and support for the ongoing progress of communities and habitants.

Selected Contributions:

Initiated a "Taking Back Communities" project, a United Way funded program to equip community leaders with the tools to be stronger neighborhood advocates.
Authored an instruction module for the community leaders, delivering a series of leadership training workshops.
Developed and implemented evaluative tools to ensure that the centre’s programs continued to meet community objectives and program goals; evaluations played an instrumental role in securing continued funding for the centre.
Formed Tenants Associations as resources for the community & trained the TA members to be community leaders.
Conceptualized and implemented No Community Left Behind, a social development initiative to prevent crime and address social determinants of health through collaboration & integration of services.
Contributed to Community Economic Development Network Ottawa by serving as an integral member of the grassroots and strategy development team.
Authored and submitted two proposals on safe neighborhood projects for government funding, successfully gaining approval for the programs which are currently being implemented.
Successfully obtained a $44k grant from United way for Capacity Building of Community Developer’s Coalition for Evaluating Community Development initiatives in 2005.
Strategized with United Way to pioneer & organize annual Day of Caring in various neighbourhoods.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jan 2001 - Dec 2002

Integrated Regional Support Program (IRSP), Pakistan

Hired by this regional support initiative funded by the German government to run the organization and execute the strategic plans and policies as established by the Board of Directors.

Selected Contributions:

Collaborated with the board to establish the long-term strategic objectives for the organization, translating them into annual operating plans with specific targets and deliverables.
Oversaw various local government agencies at the district level including Education and Health Departments, more than 40 Women Skill Centres, 7 Regional Offices and Women’s Wings.
Led the implementation of four projects (Health, Education, Capacity Building, Water and Sanitation, Information management) with national (NCHD) and international (UNICEF) donors.
Executed a highly successful “Women of Action” event that brought over 700 attendees from across the country, and generated up to $500K.
Headed multi-sectoral teams of more than 50 staff members including a PM Community Development, and Five Managers for Health, Education, Community Information System, Finance and administration, and Monitoring and Reporting.
Launched innovative projects such as the Community Information System (CIS) and Role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for rural development.
Directed all program development for significant annual events including the planning, concept, and implementation of events with up to 900 attendees.
Planned and administered the annual operating budget, monitoring expenditures to ensure adherence with financial guidelines and constraints. Cultivated strong alliances with community groups and external stakeholders.
Recruited, coached and mentored the administrative staff, providing direction for the development and implementation of programs, budget management, administration and community relations.
Conceptualized and implemented a unique information management and planning program, to assist communities, Union Councils, District government and donors like UNICEF in developing their short & long terms plans.

CHIEF, Human Resources Development

Aug 1998 - Aug 2000

MANAGER, Human Resources Development

June 1997 - Aug1998

Sarhad Rural Support Program (SRSP), Peshawar

Assigned by this rural development organization to assume overall leadership for employee development program with core accountability for developing the HRD policies, designing training programs & courses for community and staff development; planning, monitoring & evaluating the organization’s capacity; planning projects and preparing proposals for funding.

PRINCIPAL ADVISOR TO GTZ

Oct 2000 - Dec 2000

Pak-German Integrated Rural Development Program, Mardan, Pakistan

Principal Advisor to GTZ and Government of Pakistan for Pak-German Integrated Rural Development Program in Mardan. Successfully designed and instituted a Post-Project capacity building phase, and prepared a Final Evaluation Report on the 17-years’ long unique rural development project.

Additional Career Highlights

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Aug 2000 - December 2000

Frontier Resource Centre (FRC), Peshawar, Pakistan.

DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT
May 1997 - Aug 1997 (UNDP/World Bank, Pakistan )

NATIONAL PROJECT CO-COORDINATOR
Aug 1991 - Dec 1992

University of Maine/US Fish and Wildlife Services (U.S.A.)