Reem Abu Afieh has been appointed case manager for the Refugee Ministry office. Reem has extensive experience assisting refugees working as a volunteer with the Kanata Muslim Association (KMA), St. John’s Anglican Church and Kanata Stitsville Refugee Sponsorship Group (KSRSG) and assisting government sponsored refugees. In 2016, she was named Citizen of the Year for Kanata North. “Helping my fellow humans is my passion,” she told Crosstalk. “It is an honor to work with the Diocese and the Refugee Ministry Office, which gives life, hope, and future to refugees.”
Reem succeeds Safiyah Rochelle who left her position as case manager in July to accept a position as Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies at York University.
Regina Silva has been appointed as digital communications co-ordinator for the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa. Regina has a diploma in public relations from Algonquin College. Prior to joining the diocese, she was a communications officer with the Royal Mental Health Foundation, an experience that introduced her to the “power of collaboration and the importance of good digital initiatives in the non-profit sector.” She told Crosstalk she was drawn to this opportunity with the diocese by its strong sense of community and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference.
Heather Fawcett was appointed as the Executive Director of the Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Centre, effective May 15, 2023. (See full story in the issue.)
Paul Lex was appointed director of human resources for the diocese in May. After graduating with a law degree from the University of London in the U.K., he moved to China where he began working in human resources. Work with a company that imported food from Europe and North America took him back to his home country of Germany, then to Hong Kong, and then to Canada during the pandemic. Aside from the professional aspects of his new position, Paul said one of the things that drew him to working with the diocese was that working for a church felt familiar. “My mom works at the parish office back home, so I’ve been kind of around the church side of things for all my life,” he explained. In fact, the house where they lived in Munich was owned by that Catholic parish, so “I was literally growing up on church grounds.” He and his wife have adapted to Canadian life and enjoy outdoor activities such as skiing and hiking that living in Ottawa offers.
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