Owen is inspired by the amazing staff and members of each BGC, who often face their own challenges but create a world of possibilities for the next generation. He believes the work of our Clubs is vital and our story needs to be told, to give each and every child and youth that passes through our doors the opportunity to grow and build on their ambitions. While he doesn’t get to work directly with kids on a day-to-day basis anymore, he cherishes visits to Clubs and being in the middle of the activities, where you can sometimes hear his ‘camp counsellor voice’ in action.
Born in Toronto, raised in St. John’s, Owen has worked with many non-profit organizations through his career, including youth-serving organizations like the YM-YWCA and Easter Seals. In executive leadership roles, he has focused on marketing and fundraising to raise the profile and grow the impact of various health charities and hospital foundations, and at CanadaHelps, to encourage technologically-enabled philanthropy.
A proponent of a strong, collective voice for the non-profit sector, Owen is a member of the Advisory Committee for the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities at Western University, a board member of Common Good—a pension plan for the nonprofit sector, and former chair of Imagine Canada. He holds a BA from the University of Western Ontario, and an MBA and a Graduate Diploma in Nonprofit Management, both from the Schulich School of Business, York University. He is also an adjunct member of York’s faculty, lecturing at the MBA-level on nonprofit management.
