In late 1996, Janet Austin went through a period of introspection. She had already enjoyed an accomplished career, with her most notable contributions stemming from work in the public sector, but she felt the need to take a step back and examine what truly provided meaning in her life.
“I concluded that I was proudest of the work I’d done as a volunteer,” said Austin, who has steered YWCA Vancouver as its CEO for nearly eight years.
That conclusion led her to accept the role of executive director of Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland, which, she said, was “one of the best decisions I ever made.”
Since then, all of Austin’s work has had a primarily philanthropic or social bent to it.
Because of that sudden bout of career clarity, she sometimes describes her current position with one of B.C.’s largest non-profit organizations as that of “accidental CEO.”
But even before joining the YWCA and before her time with Big Sisters, Austin consistently gravitated toward work in which social and community development was not only part of the mission statement but was the end product.
In the early 1990s, she managed the real estate portfolio of the province’s social housing unit and had a key hand in establishing a government policy in which women who are leaving violent relationships are placed at the top of the waiting list of social housing recipients.
She has also volunteered with non-profit organizations such as the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation, MOSAIC, United Way of the Lower Mainland and the BC SPCA – although she has had to more narrowly align her focus as a volunteer with YWCA’s mandate of supporting single moms and marginalized women in breaking the cycle of poverty and social isolation.
Her more individual accomplishments include co-leading an initiative that raised the capital to fund a group of bursaries at the University of British Columbia for women who are training for work in traditional male-dominated trades.
“People should make a serious effort to become more engaged in the community,” Austin told BIV. “It’s such a broadening experience, it’s a great way to develop skills, and you meet an entirely different network than you might come in contact with in your regular day job.”
Austin is currently working with, among other organizations, the Council for Early Childhood Development and the BC Women’s Health Research Institute and remains with Big Sisters as an honorary adviser.
“I’ve made it clear to organizations that have approached me that I really couldn’t take on anything else without letting some things go,” said Austin.
Since she joined the YWCA, which has an annual operating budget of $17 million, 350 employees and more than 400 volunteers, the association has greatly expanded its services in the Downtown Eastside, primarily through its Crabtree Corner Family Resource Centre.
The association provides services to 53,000 people and, with Austin’s direction, is taking a more aggressive role in advocating for more social housing, which Austin described as fundamental to helping marginalized women achieve economic independence.
The YWCA has social housing projects in development in Surrey and Coquitlam and is seeking to acquire more land for more social housing in East Vancouver.
With Austin at the helm, the YWCA has adopted a governance framework that is moulded from best practices in corporate governance models, which is part of the reason that the YWCA has previously been dubbed a top employer in B.C.
Describing her position with the association, she said she’s never been better suited for a role.
“With all the knowledge and skills that I acquired over the years, doing a range of different jobs, I’ve been able bring all of that together in the service of one organization.” •
