A Message from the Board
Dear CCEDNet Community,
We write to you today with a rich tapestry of emotions as we announce the departure of Michael Toye, after 16 years as Executive Director and over 20 years of involvement in CCEDNet. During his tenure, Mike has been instrumental in shaping the direction and evolution of the Network. He has led with vision, integrity, and unwavering commitment, guiding us through both triumphs and challenges with grace and resilience.
Under his leadership, CCEDNet has achieved significant milestones, and has become a respected source for community-led economic innovations, advocacy, and solidarity. Michael’s passion for CCEDNet’s mission and values has inspired us all to strive for excellence and to make a positive impact in our communities.
While we are feeling a sense of nostalgia, we are also grateful for the indelible mark Mike has left. His leadership has laid a strong foundation upon which we will continue to build and grow.
As we embark on this transition, we are committed to ensuring a smooth and seamless handover of responsibilities. Mike will be working closely with the Board and staff in the coming months to facilitate this transition process.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to Mike for his invaluable contributions and remarkable leadership with CCEDNet. His legacy will continue to inspire us as we embark on the next chapter for the Network.
Mike remains as committed as ever to the vision and values of CCEDNet and is looking forward to continuing to be an active member and contribute to our movement for economic justice. While Mike is moving on from the Executive Director role, he will always remain an integral part of the CCEDNet family.
A hiring process is underway and a posting is expected this summer. More details will be shared when they are available, and questions for the Board in the meantime can be sent to .
In gratitude for Mike’s leadership, we look forward to building the next era of CCEDNet’s impact with you.
Sincerely,
The Board of Directors
A Season for Review and Renewal
CCEDNet is celebrating 25 years of collective action towards local economies that strengthen communities!
We are also moving through a season of transition. Over the past 6 months, we’ve noted several changes and milestones pointing us towards a need for intentional review and adjustment.
It’s been five years since work commenced to create our Theory of Change and as we wrapped up the tracking and analysis of our performance this year we now have three years of data collection to help guide our work. We can celebrate successes and also clearly see areas where we need to evolve in service of our vision and mission. Not to mention, much has changed around us in those 5 years!
This spring, four significant projects were completed. With this came the departures of several project-based team members. We also want to acknowledge the upcoming departure of other staff members that have contributed to our work over the years. We are so grateful for their contributions! And, of course, we echo the sentiments of the board in their message announcing Mike’s departure and offer gratitude for his contributions over many years of work at CCEDNet!
Seasons of change mark key moments for review and renewal. As we move our work forward, we are aiming for a more sustainable and collaborative organizational model that leverages the power of the Network to build our team and programs together.
All in all, we believe this is a timely opportunity to take stock of our progress and lessons learned, and reassess how we can best achieve our vision a quarter century after the Network was founded.
So, we warmly invite you to join us at the AGM on June 13 (only one staff member per member organization is eligible to vote). After the formal portion of the AGM, we will be breaking from the tradition of presenting the Stronger Together awards to celebrate the incredible collective progress made by our Network of members, partners, and stakeholders over the last 25 years, and to officially launch a CCEDNet Strategic Review process.
In Solidarity,
Sarah Leeson-Klym on behalf of the CCEDNet team
Do you have a story to share about successes or impacts across the CED field or CCEDNet over the past 25 years? Maybe you made an important connection at a CCEDNet event, or recall a policy change that was influenced by member advocacy, or you learned something that really shifted your practice in a positive direction. SHARE YOUR STORY HERE. We’ll share these at the AGM and your insights will help ground the Strategic Review in our Network’s collective story.
