On behalf of HIV Community Link’s (HIVCL) Board of Directors, I am excited to announce the appointment of Katie Ayres as Executive Director, effective May 10, 2021.
Katie has been with the agency in the roles of Director, Operations since July 2020 and Acting Executive Director since the beginning of this year. Katie is an innovative leader whose passion for the non-profit sector, leadership integrity, and strong pull towards advocacy and human rights-based work led her to HIV Community Link.
Previously, Katie spent many years as an advocate for animal welfare issues, with a particular passion for and focus on human resources and operations management in the sector and included time in Medicine Hat serving as the SPCA’s Executive Director. In addition, she spent over ten years of her career at Distress Centre Calgary, where she honed her servant-leadership approach, crisis intervention and mental health skills, and furthered her education in Social Work and Leadership by pursuing her MSW at the University of Calgary.
Katie’s strong sense of equality and belief in meeting clients wherever they are at, free of judgment and with the goal of empowering them to make informed choices make her an excellent fit with HIV Community Link’s harm reduction philosophy and values. She is excited to help guide the organization towards embracing an enhanced identity as an agency that provides HIV, STBBI and harm reduction services and supports, strengthening our partnerships and position within the community, and continuing to ensure the programs offered by HIVCL enable individuals to access low barrier health care services.
Please join me in congratulating and welcoming Katie Ayres in her permanent role as Executive Director of HIV Community Link!
Andrew Matthews MBA, CPA, CMA
Board Chair, HIV Community Link