CMHC Exec Joins City Senior Management

The City of Ottawa has filled one of the gaping holes in its senior leadership team.

This is a release from the municipality. Worth noting at the end of the release is that Nathalie Gougeon, the head of the auditor general’s office, is a part of the city’s senior leadership team meaning that she is part of a group that she has a responsibility to audit and whose departments she has a duty to independently audit:

The purpose of this memo is to inform the Mayor and Members of Council that after  an extensive internal and external recruitment process, Debbie Stewart will be the General  Manager (GM) of the City’s newest department, Strategic Initiatives (SI), effective  September 9, 2024.  

Debbie joins the City of Ottawa from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation  (CHMC) where she has served in several senior leadership roles over the past 12 years,  including Vice President (VP) of Innovation and Partnerships, VP of Multi-Unit Operations, and VP of Assisted Housing Client Solutions Management. In addition, Debbie served as  Director of Housing Needs Policy and Research, and Director of Human Resources and  Client Services with CMHC. 

For the past three years as VP of Innovation and Partnerships, Debbie has led a team of  highly specialized employees to deliver a $75-million annual budget in innovation program  funding with a mission to develop new and creative solutions for the housing system and  broker strategic partnerships to overcome barriers to grow the affordable housing supply. In  this role, Debbie championed taking a holistic approach in all innovation programming by  using an economic development and climate change lens. 

Fully bilingual, Debbie is exceptional at building strong client relations and partnerships. In  her role as VP of Assisted Housing Client Solutions Management, she negotiated a  multilateral federal-provincial-territorial framework for housing and bilateral federal provincial housing agreements. She is a visionary thought leader and the architect of  Canada’s first National Housing Strategy. An impact-driven and critical thinker, Debbie has  delivered transformational change across a variety of functions and is passionate about  supporting interconnected policy areas, including sustainability, climate resiliency and  economic development.  

Debbie is a versatile and authentic servant leader with a proven track record of building  high-performing and engaged teams and I’m confident she will lead the team in SI to  success in an inspiring and empowering way.  

A graduate of two Ottawa universities, Debbie received her Bachelor of Arts from the  University of Ottawa and completed a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Carleton  University. She has also served as a member on the Board of Directors for Partners for  Affordable Housing, and sat on several steering committees in the housing, economic  development and real estate sectors.  

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Debbie’s extensive experience in housing, intergovernmental relations and transformational  change, combined with her focus on innovation and collaboration and her exceptional  leadership qualities, make her well positioned to lead the SI department and a wonderful  addition to the senior leadership team. 

I’m excited to see SI’s important work move forward under Debbie’s leadership, and I look  forward to working together to deliver on and respond to the priorities of Council, the  organization and the evolving landscape of our city.  

I want to take a moment to recognize and thank Ryan Perrault for stepping in to serve as  Interim GM of SI, providing stability and leadership to a brand-new department, while the  executive recruitment process for a permanent GM took place. Ryan will ensure continuity  and support a smooth transition with Debbie before he officially moves into the role of GM of  Emergency and Protective Services (announced June 11), on Friday, September 20. I also  want to sincerely thank Paul Hutt and Pierre Poirier from the EPS departmental leadership  team for stepping into the role of Acting GM of EPS through the transitional period.    

The senior leadership team continues to invest significantly in succession planning to  ensure both the short- and long-term success of the organization. If you have any  questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly. 

Sincerely, 

Wendy Stephanson 

City Manager  

c.c.: Senior Leadership Team 

Extended Senior Leadership Team

Nathalie Gougeon, Auditor General

Sonia Bebbington, CEO, Ottawa Public Library

Dr. Vera Etches, MOH, Ottawa Public Health

Chief Stubbs, Ottawa Police Service

For You:

Happy Anniversary, Wendy Stephanson: THE VOTER

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