Lift Community Services’ (Lift) board of directors has announced that Kim Markel has been hired as the new executive director for the organization.
According to a media release from Lift, Markel previously held the role of director of programs at Lift, and steps into the executive director role after previous leader Stuart Clark left the organization in April.
The Lift board worked with an external recruiter to solicit applications from across the province, the release stated.
“In the end, Kim’s past experience and insider knowledge of Lift gave her a strong advantage over the external candidates we interviewed,” stated Maggie Hathaway, Lift’s board president.
Markel joined Lift as the director of programs in April 2023, overseeing community health, housing, community support and employment programs, the release stated. Prior to Lift, Markel worked as an acute care manager at qathet General Hospital and program manager at Bella Coola General Hospital. She has a masters of nursing in advanced practice leadership and two decades of clinical and leadership experience in housing, harm reduction and health care settings, according to the release.
“Kim has been filling the position of executive director since Stuart Clark’s departure and the board is confident that she will serve us well for years to come,” stated Hathaway.
Lift currently runs more than a dozen programs in the community, including supportive housing, immigrant services, Family Place Resource Centre, literacy outreach, the Community Resource Centre, the region’s local WorkBC office, and community health programs, including an overdose prevention site and an injectable opioid agonist treatment (iOAT) program.
Founded in 1984, the organization celebrates 40 years in the community this year and is holding a 40th anniversary fair at Willingdon Beach, on June 15, from 11 am to 2 pm. Community members are invited to stop by and enjoy live music from The Beach Crashers, hot dogs by donation, a bouncy castle, and to learn more about Lift’s programs and supports, the release stated.
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