There’s a new face at the Boys and Girls Club of Cochrane and Area.
Beginning Sept. 3, Din Ladak has taken up residence at the youth facility as the interim executive director for the non-profit organization. And he brings with him more than 30 years in the social services sector.
“My heart has always been in new beginnings,” said Ladak, over the phone from Edmonton.
“While I’ve never worked for the Boys and Girls Club, I’ve worked as a colleague of the organization during my time in the sector. This is a good place to be.”
A graduate of the University of Calgary, Ladak holds a bachelor of science in Psychology, along with a bachelor of social work and a Masters in social work. He made the transition from student to teacher, addressing classes at the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University.
His resume boasts contributions at Hull Child and Family Services, as a board member for the Calgary Foundation, involvement with the United Way of Calgary and area and an executive role with the Alberta Association for Immigrant Serving Agencies.
Currently, Ladak is the principle of Ladak Consulting, a firm that specializes in training and development for the non-profit sector. He said he’s planning on being in the Boys and Girls Club office three days of the week. As interim executive director, Ladak said he’ll be dedicating himself to the organization for a four-month stint before fully deciding to become a permanent fixture on the board.
Despite the limited timeline, Ladak said he has goals he’d like the club to strive towards: increasing traffic to the youth programs, encouraging youth to volunteer with the organization and creating engaged, successful community members.
“Given the choice — everyone wants to succeed,” he said. “We aim to build communities one at a time, one child at a time, one family at time. When we provide programs to these children, we’re providing them with a way to be a better person.”
