‘People look at you and they feel hope’: New CEO to lead Calgary Catholic Immigration Society

“From the first moment that I stayed there, I wanted to work for the organization. At that time, the tagline for CCIS was ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me,’ and that’s truly how I felt,” said Radan.

“Little did I know that 27 years later, I would be given this amazing opportunity to lead the organization.”

The first time she heard about Calgary was in 1984 at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, when the announcer said the next winter games would be held in Calgary, Canada. She never would have guessed Calgary would become her home 11 years later.

She began working for CCIS in 1997 as an employment counsellor and was promoted to the position of director of CCIS’ business, employment and training services in 2007. She’ll be taking over the role of CEO on January 1, as Birjandian assumes a new position as a strategic advisor.CCIS is a non-profit agency that provides settlement and integration services to immigrants and refugees in southern Alberta and was founded in 1981.

Bringing lived experience to the leadership role is meaningful, Radan explained.

“I know firsthand the importance of the work that the organization does but also, I witnessed the impact the organization has on the lives of newcomers,” she said. “When people first come as refugees, when they stay at our resettlement centre, they have a number of conflicting feelings. They can feel excited and apprehensive; they feel relieved and guilty; they feel happy and sad.”