There's a new executive director at the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society of Prince George (IMSS), after long-serving Baljit Sethi was forced to retire as of March 31.
Ravi Saxena started as executive director on Monday. Most recently an appliance salesman, Saxena earned his masters of business administration at UNBC in 2012 and was on the IMSS board for eight and a half years before he applied for the position of executive director.
"I've had 32 years experience," Saxena said.
"I have a professional MBA and I have worked for profit and non-profit organizations. I have been involved in politics at all different levels - provincial and local and I was very much involved in the community."
In 2014, Saxena made an unsuccessful run for city council.
Looking to the future of IMSS, Saxena has many ideas.
"Right now we are focusing on long-term goals," Saxena said. "Right now we are focusing on the childcare centre."
IMSS owns a lot adjacent to their existing building at 1270 Second Ave. and Saxena said they are hoping to build the daycare facility on that property.
The day care would increase the IMSS revenue stream so that they would not be so dependent on government funding that provided $1.35 million in 2016 and $1.34 million in 2015, according to the financial statement provided at the annual general meeting held Feb. 25.
"We are going to make some strategies like long-term, mid-term and short-term strategies to bring more funding and that kind of thing so we can be involved more in the community and do our best to serve the community," Saxena said.
There are programs in place for immigrants that see the same type of strategies, including one to two-year plans and three- to five-year plans, he added. "And in the long term we are thinking about the childcare centre. We are finding more resources to generate more resources and funding to the agency."
Saxena said he knows that Sethi was amazing in the position of executive director.
"She has done a great job in the community and the expectation in the community is pretty high for me," Saxena said. "I will try my best to fulfill those expectations."
Saxena said his initial goal is to go back to basics about what is the reason and mission for IMSS.
"We want to involve the community in our programs," Saxena said, who added all the staff are working to meet the expectations the community has of IMSS.
Sethi held the position since 1976 when she founded the non-profit society, which provides settlement and integration services to immigrants and refugees in Prince George and area.
