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The Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre's executive director is stepping down

Brady Smith is set to leave his post on Jan. 1, 2020
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Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre executive director Brady Smith will leave his role on Jan. 1. FILE PHOTO

Brady Smith is stepping down as executive director of Whistler's Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre (SLCC) after nearly five years in the role.

During his half-decade at the organization's helm, Smith's accomplishments have been "monumental in growing the SLCC's business capacity and national reach," the centre stated in a release on Wednesday.

Those accomplishments include tripling the centre's annual revenue, welcoming tens of thousands of guests each year and employing forty full-time staff, as well as fostering growth—particularly when it comes to hosting private events in SLCC's iconic space—through partnerships with community organizations and businesses like the Four Seasons, the Fairmont and Tourism Whistler.

Under Smith's watch, the Indigenous Youth Ambassador Program also experienced continued growth while regenerating cultural knowledge and spreading business expertise amongst its participants, with the program's annual funding contributions now exceeding $1 million.

"My wife and I married at the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre in 2015, just six months after I started my career here, so it will always be a part of our lives and our hearts," Smith said in the release.

"The work that I have been afforded to do since 2015 has truly inspired me to continue working with Indigenous communities to help build capacities of individuals from coast to coast to coast."

Smith will continue working in the role until Jan. 1, 2020, following which he'll continue working with the Board of Directors and SLCC team in a part-time capacity to support the organization throughout the transition, the release explained.

The Board of Directors' nationwide search for Smith's successor is already underway, with a full job description available at SLCC.ca/careers.