Deborah Reid has officially accepted the position of Airdrie and District Victim Assistance Society’s (ADVAS) newest executive director – a title she first took on last month.
Reid has been filling the role on an interim basis since January, when the previous executive director, Karen Kuntz, departed the non-profit organization.
“It was a pleasant surprise when I was able to kind of step into the role permanently,” Reid said.
Reid, who has been working with ADVAS for seven years, started the thorough training and security clearance process in October 2015, becoming a volunteer advocate seven months later.
Back in 2015, Reid was reading the newspaper when she came across an advertisement searching for ADVAS volunteers. Reid said she always wanted to volunteer and when she came across the ad, she had spare time, as her kids were getting older.
“Honestly, I don’t think I realized what I was getting myself into…I just loved it,” Reid added. “I sort of fell into it and I’ve not looked back.”
Reid became an official ADVAS staff member in September 2018, when she started work as a court coordinator.
Many Airdronians will likely recognize Reid as the handler for Jake, ADVAS’ beloved trauma support dog. The black labrador joined the organization in November 2019. The canine’s role is to provide comfort to victims giving statements to police, witnesses recounting traumatic experiences in court, and victims of crime who are testifying in court.
Reid and Jake made local headlines last year when they were nominated for – and ultimately won – an Alberta Community Justice Award for their contributions toward supporting victims and preserving justice.
“That is probably the most rewarding, just when I see the work that he does and then the privilege of being his handler is just a bonus,” Reid said of her relationship with the six-year-old black lab.
Prior to working for ADVAS, Reid said she worked in a dental office.
“I decided I wanted to change career paths and [pursued ADVAS] full time,” she said.
In a social media post, Patti Reid (no relation to Deborah), stated on behalf of the ADVAS board of directors that Reid’s experience in the interim executive director role, as well as her seven years of service with ADVAS beforehand, displayed to the board her skills, strong leadership, and passion for the organization
“It has made her a natural choice for stability with our advocates, office staff, and community members for the permanent position,” Patti added.
Reid said she finds inspiration every day from working for the local non-profit.
“There’s so many [things], just working with clients, seeing people have some success through tragedy, seeing the dedication of the volunteers that we have and the time and the commitment they have is just inspiring, working with a phenomenal team…there’s something every day that inspires me to continue,” she said.
As executive director, Reid wants to connect more with the youth in the Airdrie and Rocky View County communities and inform them of the availability of the organization as well as the services offered by ADVAS.
“We’d like to be in the community and anticipate and help people help each other, give people the tools so that, when there is a crisis, they’re able to deal with it,” she said. “I’d like to continue to be able to be one of the forefront organizations in the community that people look to with respect and know that we’re doing good work.”
One of Reid’s goals is to build ADVAS and its programs to be “bigger and better.”
“I truly feel honoured, we’ve had some phenomenal executive directors beforehand that have inspired me,” she said. “I’m just extremely proud to be heading up the organization now.”
