The Canadian Security Association (CANASA) has appointed Heather Terrence, CAE as its new executive director. 

 

“Heather brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role and we are delighted to have her join our team,” said Richard McMullen, president of the CANASA board of directors.

 

Prior to joining CANASA, Terrence was vice president of operations at Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC), a national, not-for-profit organization that establishes and enforces professional standards in financial planning through certified financial planner certification. In that role, Terrence oversaw all administrative operations, including membership services, finance, information technology, human resources and the project management office. Terrence was also corporate secretary to the FPSC board of directors and worked collaboratively with numerous volunteers and standing committees.

 

During her 13-year tenure at FPSC Terrence’s contributions included leading the initiative to change FPSC’s member framework and governance structure, creating the Fellow of FPSC program, rolling out FPSC’s new certification program and obtaining FPSC’s accreditation to the ISO 17024 standard. Her last major project at FPSC involved leading her team through the implementation of a new management information system.

 

Heather holds the certified association executive (CAE) designation and is a member of both the Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE) and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). She serves as a volunteer governance consultant with the Capacity Building Program at the United Way of Toronto and York Region.

 

“Heather’s background in association management and governance align her perfectly for the leadership role at CANASA, and the entire board of directors and I are looking forward to working with her,” McMullen said. “Our search committee worked very hard to ensure that the best candidate was selected, and I would like to thank them for their efforts and expertise in this task. We were pleased to have such a strong pool of candidates for this role and also appreciate the assistance of our executive search firm, Boyden.”    

 

Terrence said, “This is a wonderful opportunity, and I’m truly excited to be joining CANASA and serving its members and volunteers across the country. The CANASA team will continue to provide exemplary member services and benefits through their programs and events and we will remain dedicated to supporting our membership and evolving to meet its needs for years to come.”

 

Terrence will join the team in the CANASA office on January 4, 2016.