After more than 20 years with Volunteer Waterloo Region, Executive Director, Jane Hennig, is retiring from her role. This announcement was made during VWR’s 2026 Annual General Meeting. During her time here, she has seen the organization evolve over 2 decades, the changes in Waterloo Region, and the way that volunteers have shaped the community in so many different ways. She has given so much time to build up her community, and to allow for the spirit of volunteerism to thrive wherever she goes. With her departure, though, new opportunities are being opened up within VWR leadership.
Jane’s tenure with the volunteer centre has encompassed everything from supporting refugee crises, advising on different local initiatives, providing support through a pandemic, and seeing the opening and closing of many different charities here in Waterloo Region. She has been a consistent beacon of support and guidance to many in the sector, leading the Executive Directors Network of nonprofits, sitting on boards for her church and Volunteer Canada, and working with grassroots groups like the Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis. Her unwavering and steadfast leadership has brought positivity and growth to those around her, and the staff, board, and community members are beyond grateful for the time she has given.
Looking to evolve with the sector and engage with new ideas, VWR has decided to move towards a Co-Executive Director (Co-ED) role for leadership. This role and way of thinking allows for a more diverse skillset in leadership within the organization, while also improving accountability and diversity of ideas for leadership. These roles were crafted to be able to share responsibilities between the Co-EDs, but also lean into their individual strength and abilities.
The new leadership includes Mary McGuinness stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Cameron Tai stepping into the role of Chief Operations Officer (COO). The CEO role will be focussing more on the overarching administrative and relationship with board and funders. The COO role will be working on day-to-day leadership and administrative duties to maintain core operations of the volunteer centre. Both Mary and Cameron are excited to be entering into these roles, and are very thankful for the guidance, leadership and encouragement provided by Jane and VWR’s board of directors.
For more information, see the news release here.