Big changes continue at Pillar Non-Profit Network.
Maureen Cassidy, who for the next six weeks will be a member of London City Council, is now the organizations Interim Chief Executive Officer.
“We are pleased to welcome Maureen Cassidy as Interim CEO to Pillar Nonprofit Network,” Mary Alikakos said in a statment on Pillar's website on Thursday afternoon, “She brings with her a great deal of experience in public service and a deep understanding of the community, which will no doubt be integral to her role as we move forward. The Board looks forward to working with her.”
Her appointment is expected to wrap up in the spring of 2023, when a new CEO is selected by a group of yet-to-be-determined Pillar stakeholders.
Cassidy's appointment comes during a tumultuous time for Pillar.
Earlier on Thursday, it was announced that interim co-CEO Tanja Kueneman would be leaving the organization next month. Her departure announcement comes less than a month after the other co-CEO, Rachel Berdan, said she would be leaving Pillar.
"We will not be bullied into abandoning our responsibilities in the face of personal attacks as we stand behind our decisions as a collective. We believe we owe Pillar and our community a steady course as we make vital changes with the community at our side. For this reason, the board remains dedicated to fulfilling its legal and fiduciary duties until our regular board attrition date in April," the board wrote in a statement released the day the request for a general meeting became public.
Cassidy has been on London City Council for eight years, her term ends in December and she is not seeking re-election.
She was first elected in 2014, and eventually became the city's deputy mayor before resigning from the position in June of 2016, when she disclosed an affair with then-Mayor Matt Brown.
Pillar Non-Profit Network's aim is to help charities and non-profits in the community with resource sharing an training. They have hundreds of member organizations.
