Youth Connections has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The new appointee is the former chief of operations and fi nance, Ms Claudia Devlin. Ms Devlin joined Youth Connections in 2013 and has held a wide range of leadership positions in the organisation. From March 2013 to November 2014, she served as the organisation’s Chief Financial Offi cer and in December 2014, moved into the role of Chief of Operations and Finance. With extensive expertise in accounting, business services, strategy, and leadership, Ms Devlin has been an asset to the organisation. Her fi nancial savvy, strategic vision and partnership brokerage have been essential in galvanizing Youth Connections’ fi nancial viability in light of the 2014 cessation of the Federal Youth Connections and Partnership Brokerage Programs.
Under Ms Devlin’s leadership, each division of the organisation has become sustainable in its own right. With new social enterprises developed, collaboration with local community organisations increased, culminating in the formation of many new Joint Venture partnerships. This has focused efforts on increasing productivity in order to increase the number of young people served with the same level of resources. Board chair, Mr Patrick Lewis, said Ms Devlin’s decisive leadership and penchant for strategic innovation will make her a formidable CEO. “Claudia not only possesses skills that are crucially important to the organisation in this stage of our development, but she intimately understands our mission. “Claudia is committed to creating purposeful futures for those in our local community; a passion that cannot be manufactured.
“As Youth Connections opens this next chapter, the Youth Connections Board is confident that Claudia is the right person to lead the organisation forward. “She has a proven ability to create strategic clarity, drive innovation and growth, ensure disciplined execution, and deliver results. “We believe that her passion will deliver innovations that have a positive impact on people’s lives.” Mr Lewis said. In her acceptance of the new role Ms Devlin, said: “I am honoured to have been asked to take this role, and excited about the possibilities that lie in our future. “The funding of social issues is signifi cantly changing the way we work within this sector. “We now have the mandate of delivering services that are driven by commercial and social purpose simultaneously and the opportunities this creates are exciting, challenging and diverse,” Ms Devlin said.
Media release, Feb 24, 2016 Ruby Wharton, Youth Connections