Civida Announces New CEO

Gord Johnston to start January 1, 2022.

EDMONTON, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Civida Board Chair, Mr. Paul Whittaker, announced today that the Board has hired Gord Johnston as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Civida, effective January 1, 2022.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Gord Johnston to Civida,” said Paul Whittaker. “Gord brings a wealth of knowledge in family and community services, strategic and executive leadership, and people centred service delivery, and we look forward to his expertise and leadership as we plan for the future of Civida.”

Gord Johnston comes to Civida from Strathcona County, where he has spent the last six years in the role of Associate Commissioner, Community Services Division, and worked closely with many community partners in strategic planning and capital investments related to community infrastructure, including housing.

“I am very much looking forward to working with the Civida team in continuing to provide innovative housing solutions for those in need in our community,” said Gord Johnston.

Mr. Johnston also worked with the Government of Alberta as a CEO with four different board-governed Child and Family Services Authorities, including the Edmonton Region. He has served in a variety of Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) roles, including one where he had responsibility for the child and family services system in Alberta, and another for Advanced Education. He has also served as the Chief Strategy Officer with the Ministry of Human Services.

Interim CEO, Mark Hoosein will resume his position as Chief Operating Officer.

“We would like to thank Mark Hoosein for his calm and steady leadership as interim CEO, and we are grateful for the amazing amount of work Mark contributed during this transition. We’re excited for Mark and the leadership team to work with Gord to continue to provide exemplary leadership for Civida,” said Paul Whittaker.

About Civida

At Civida, life starts with a home. Civida has a long history of providing affordable housing options for Edmonton families. We began as the Edmonton Housing Authority in 1970; in 1995, we became Capital Region Housing. Today, we are Civida — the largest provider of 4,600 social and 500 near-market homes in the Edmonton region. We also lead the way in housing research, policy development and advocacy. A lot has changed since 1970, but our mission remains the same: To provide safe and affordable housing.