Executive Director Transition Announcement

Youville Centre is an innovative centre that inspires, educates and nurtures young mothers and their children to utilize their strengths and achieve their goals.

Located in Ottawa, Youville Centre is a non-profit registered charity and Accredited Child and Youth Mental Health Agency that serves adolescent mothers and their children. Since 1985, Youville’s trauma-informed, holistic programs and services include; a fully accredited secondary school, crisis intervention, intensive mental health therapy and treatment, substance use counselling, collaborative problem solving, a licensed child development program with a focus on infant mental health, and attachment-based parenting programs with intervention and treatment.

Youville Centre’s Board of Directors would like to share that after leading the Centre for the past five years, Bev MacKillop will be stepping down as Executive Director at Youville Centre. Peter Embleton, currently in the role of Deputy Director at the Centre, will take her place on January 9, 2023. 

After a 30 year career in education and school administration, Bev joined Youville Centre in 2015 as the Manager for the Intensive Treatment Support Program, working directly with clients, and supporting case coordination, and as the 2017 Accreditation Lead and Associate Director. In the Executive Director role since 2017, Bev led Youville Centre through the 2021 Accreditation review process, working tirelessly to ensure that the quality assurance protocols in place were documented as evidence to meet the indicators required to maintain our status as an Accredited Child and Youth Mental Health Agency with the Canadian Centre for Accreditation, for another four years.  Bev’s time in leadership at Youville Centre also coincided with a global pandemic, and her navigation helped to stabilize the Centre during the uncertain times of the last few years, including the expansion of the child care in 2021.  

Bev says ”The hope is always that when you retire from an organization, the many accomplishments that have been achieved during that time will have a lasting impact on the organization. The admiration and respect that I have for all staff members and clients is immense. I am so privileged to have been able to realize my dream of making a positive difference in the lives of so many young moms and children” and “We accomplished so much throughout this time, thanks in part to our continued and/or new partnership agreements including but not limited to the Ottawa Catholic School Board, Wabano Centre, iSisters, Parent Resource Centre, Dr. Sarah Oliver, Dr. Megan Harrison, Nurse Debbie Turner, Algonquin College, Ontario Association of Young Parent Agencies, Centre Le Cap, Brighter Futures CAPC, CMHO and the Ontario Health Team; Kids Come First.”

Our outgoing Board President, Shailja Verma, who served from 2018-2022, stated the following about Bev in her message in the 2021-2022 Annual Report, “Her unwavering leadership and support to staff, her in depth reports to the Board, her attention to minute details and her constant efforts to make everyone welcome kept the energy for staff and Board members alive.”  We are grateful for Bev’s leadership and contributions and wish her the very best in her future endeavours. Bev’s sense of humour, delightful laugh, genuine desire to support our clients and her ability to connect with everyone she meets, will be greatly missed in our building. 

Youville’s incoming Executive Director, Peter Embleton, has worked in the education field for 38 years; and in school administration since the year 2000, including internationally. Since he joined the Centre in the role of Deputy Director, he has been supporting the Centre with development as an area of focus, as well as gaining insight and knowledge into the nonprofit sector and the network of community partners that make it possible for us to support young mothers and their children every day. Peter’s goal is to build on the work Bev and the previous Executive Directors have done, to ensure that Sister Betty Ann’s vision continues – that every child and youth has the ability to learn and grow, and that every young mother deserves to have a dream that anything is possible.

Youville Centre’s current Board President, Lee Redpath says “As President of the Board of Directors, it is my great pleasure to welcome Peter Embleton as our new Executive Director (ED) for Youville Centre, starting January 9, 2023.  Peter is assuming the position after spending the last year as Deputy Director, working alongside our outgoing ED, Bev MacKillop.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Bev, on behalf of the Board, for her dedication, passion and commitment to the Youville Centre. We wish Bev the best of everything as she moves forward in her retirement and look forward to working closely with Peter to continue the wonderful work done by Youville Centre.”

Any questions can be directed to communications@youvillecentre.org