Stebbins says her background working with vulnerable populations will help her address justice issues
Calgary Legal Guidance has appointed its new executive director, Lisa Stebbins, a nonprofit sector veteran who has spent more than 20 years working with vulnerable populations in need.
Stebbins has held senior leadership positions at social impact agency Carya since 2015, most recently serving as chief program officer. Previously, she was the human resources director for Tsuut'ina Nation. Part of her role involved consulting on initiatives around youth employment, training and development, and mental health services.
While Stebbins has never worked directly with issues around access to justice or legal service delivery, she told Canadian Lawyer on Wednesday that her nonprofit background has equipped her with an understanding of the challenges facing many vulnerable populations.
“We’re in the middle of an affordability crisis, and so things like legal supports are harder for individuals to access when they're having trouble paying rent and [meeting] basic needs,” Stebbins says.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to know this part of the sector and the work that a lot of organizations, including Calgary Legal Guidance, do to support individuals in accessing justice,” she adds.
In her previous roles, Stebbins has worked with older adults, families, newcomers to Canada, homeless individuals, and Indigenous peoples – many of the same populations that CLG serves. Among her initiatives was leading The Way In Network in Calgary, a collaboration between agencies in the city to support vulnerable older adults. She has also worked with Calgary Housing Company to support its affordable housing mandate.
As executive director at CLG, Stebbins will be responsible for leading operations, strategic planning, supporting the governance function of CLG’s board of directors, and developing organizational culture. Strategic planning will be “on the docket fairly early in my tenure,” Stebbins says, since the CLG’s strategic plan is set to expire in 2025.
Stebbins also plans to direct the CLG’s focus to “new and emerging needs related to access to justice,” which means reviewing the organization’s current programs, including those on Indigenous law, homeless outreach law, social benefits advocacy, immigration law, elder law, sexual violence survivors, and family law.
The plan is to work “closely with staff and leadership to ensure the programs are meeting the needs of the individuals that we serve, that we're identifying gaps in services and also potentially areas for growth,” she says.
Stebbins will join CLG on November 18.
