One of Whistler’s favourite charities has a new leader.
On June 27, Zero Ceiling officially announced that development manager Lizi McLoughlin is taking on the role of co-executive director, beginning July 17, replacing longtime co-executive director Chris Wrightson, who left the position in May.
McLoughlin said she is enthusiastic about continuing to work with the youth advocacy organization, having personally seen the success of the Zero Ceiling model, and how it has helped young people.
Building relationships is at the heart of everything the non-profit does, be it with employers, other social service agencies or ski instructors on the mountain, she said.
“I've just seen it work … I see people get a sense of belonging and a sense of self-confidence and a sense of a place where they can build their lives and they can belong,” McLoughlin said.
“I want to keep building on what Chris has been [building] for the last seven years and what she and [co-executive director] Sean [Easton] have been building together; I feel really honoured to be able to play upon that.”
While McLoughlin arrived in Whistler in 2016 planning to stay for a ski season, it was her work with Zero Ceiling that eventually kept her here.
“Like so many people, I moved here to ski and stayed for more than that,” she said. “Really, my role at Zero Ceiling was a huge part of what made me feel part of this community and feel like I can have a future here, and specifically the people I met, and the mentorship I had from Chris and Sean and all the participants, volunteers and staff.”
McLoughlin joined Zero Ceiling as a volunteer in 2017 and quickly became part of its communications team; in 2020, as the non-profit dedicated to ending youth homelessness grew, her role evolved from program and development officer into development manager, in which she coordinated fundraising, partnerships and events.
Over her time with the organization, the capacity of the non-profit increased considerably. It currently has about 20 staff, with most of that growth coming during the pandemic and post-pandemic years.
McLoughlin said one of the challenges facing the non-profit is keeping up with community needs that are becoming increasingly complex.
“We made a ton of changes internally to expand the services that we're providing to provide much more adequate care, to build more partnerships to be able to provide things like mental-health care and cultural support in a really accessible way,” she said.
“What we're seeing now is, the pandemic may be over, but the external challenges and the ones communities are facing are really hitting, too … people are stretched, businesses are stretched, individuals are stretched, it's more difficult to fundraise. It's more difficult to sustain our programs.”
In her new position, McLoughlin intends to build on the organization's accomplishments by enhancing its sustainability, finding ways to better retain staff, aiding more young people, and forging more partnerships.
Zero Ceiling's current co-executive director Sean Easton said he is excited about working with McLoughlin in her new capacity.
“I’m confident in her abilities to build on what Chris has done and bring fresh perspectives to Zero Ceiling’s approach to our work,” Easton said in a release. “Lizi’s previous experience in being able to bring a critical lens to the education system, watching her grow in her role as a manager and now witnessing her rise as a leader is a wonderful experience.”
For more information and to donate, visit zeroceiling.org.
