After 20 remarkable years as Director of ISSofBC’s Language and Career Services (LCS) department, Clifford Bell retires at the end of calendar year 2014. Moving into the position in 2015 is Carla Morales, who has been working alongside Clifford in December, studying the department’s operations in a move that ensures a smooth transition and turnover of responsibilities.
The LCS director’s position oversees over 60 percent of ISSofBC’s operations, including LINC, Career Services, and the fee-for-service Language and Career College. These programs are delivered by over 200 staff and serve close to 20,000 clients annually through eight offices and sites in Metro Vancouver and in Squamish.
“(Clifford’s) contributions to ISSofBC have been outstanding,” says Patricia Woroch, ISSofBC CEO. “His intelligent, innovative and creative approach to his work, coupled with his great skill in planning, development, and implementation has undeniably created the conditions for the tremendous success we have seen in ELSA/LINC, LCC and employment.”
His retirement comes several months after he was recognized for 20 years of service at ISSofBC’s annual all-staff meeting in October. “As I move on to the next chapter in my life, I want to thank the organization for providing me with a dream job that allowed me to work for 20 years with truly amazing people and the opportunity to positively impact so many newcomers’ lives as they settle, learn English and find employment in Canada” said Clifford.
Carla Morales, who formally assumes the director’s role in the new year, had worked with Clifford in a number of partnership initiatives in her previous role as senior executive at the Open Door Group, where she served as Associate Executive Director, and at Training Innovations where she was Operations Manager.
“Carla comes to us with a great deal of senior leadership experience, having acted in various capacities with other organizations over the past decade,” said Patricia. “Most recently, Carla was engaged in the development, implementation and management of multi-million dollar training and employment programs, and has had lead roles in managing stakeholder relationships.”
Carla has considerable experience in development, governance and strategic planning for non-profit groups and community-based organizations in Canada and overseas in East Africa. She has a BA in Psychology from UBC and an MBA specializing in Marketing from the City University of Seattle.
“I’m excited to work within an organization that fundamentally values creativity and is committed to seeking out new avenues to better serve our clients,” said Carla. “The opportunity to work with such a diverse group of people who share such strong dedication to serving our clients is also something I’m looking forward to.”
ISSofBC wishes Clifford a happy, well-deserved retirement and extends a warm welcome to Carla!
