Brigadoon Village names Heather MacDonald as new CEO
Canada’s largest pediatric medical camp, located in Aylesford Lake, NS, appoints a new CEO to lead the organization through its next chapter of growth.
Halifax, N.S.: Brigadoon Village is pleased to introduce our new Chief Executive Officer, Heather MacDonald, effective May 8, 2023.
Heather is an accomplished non-profit leader with extensive experience in youth-serving organizations. Most recently, Heather served as Regional Director for NPower Canada, a non-profit working to create sustainable digital career pathways for underserved youth and adults. She also held executive leadership roles at MacPhee Centre for Creative Learning, JA Nova Scotia, and YMCA. She is highly skilled in strategic and business planning, marketing, fund development, and stakeholder relations. And even more importantly, Heather understands the transformational potential of camp.
“My camp experiences, both as a camper and in leadership & programming, were formative to my development as a young person,” says Heather. “I am very excited to now have this opportunity to combine my personal and professional background to help lead Canada’s largest pediatric medical camp facility. It is a tremendous honour to join a village of talented and passionate staff, donors, board, and partners who bring to life the vision of our founder Dave McKeage. I can’t wait to get started.”
In addition to a background in non-profit leadership and recreation management, Heather holds an MBA and is active in many community organizations, which, the selection committee says, made her the stand-out candidate for this critical role.
“We’re thrilled that Heather has chosen to bring her business acumen, charitable sector expertise, and passion to Brigadoon Village,” says Brigadoon’s board chair, Scott Flemming. “I know she will inspire us all – partners, donors and staff – to keep working together to give extraordinary kids a chance to be ordinary.”
Brigadoon Village delivers year-round camp programming to children, youth, and families living with health conditions or other life challenges in Atlantic Canada. Located in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, Brigadoon Village hosts 15 medically supported camps each summer for youth ages 7-18. Each program is designed to provide a therapeutic and fun camp experience to children who may not have had the opportunity to otherwise go to camp. It allows those with the same illness or challenge—for example, kids with celiac disease or heart conditions, Crohn’s Disease, cancer or asthma or parental mental illness—to be together and have fun without worrying about their conditions.
Children from across the country can come to Brigadoon Village. About 3,500 children attend camp annually. In 2022, due to the support of our valued donors who contributed $12.5 million, we unveiled our new accommodations, arts building, an outdoor cooking facility and other amenities.
Heather succeeds former Brigadoon CEO David Graham, who led the organization for over 10 years and moved on from the role in late 2022.
For more information or to support the campers who attend camp at Brigadoon Village, please visit www.brigadoonvillage.ca.
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