Karen Smith, who was recently appointed the new chief executive officer of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Saskatchewan, plans to be building on BBB past successes by fostering bridges between consumers and businesses, and between businesses.
“Karen brings a breadth of association, business and non-profit experience to BBB,” said Bim Pandya of Conexus Arts Centre and board chair of BBB Serving Saskatchewan. “She is well-known and well-respected in Regina and throughout the province, and we are delighted that she has accepted the position.”
Smith is a founding member and cur-rent president of the Saskatchewan Administrative Tribunals Association. She is also a member of the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals representing Saskatchewan. She served as the employer representative on the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board for 10 years, and also draws on her experience as director of employee benefits plans for the Saskatchewan School Boards Association.
Smith served on the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce Human Resource Committee, and as a board member for the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency, Regina Crime Stoppers, the Killarney Village Condominium Association and served on Buena Vista Council in addition to being a founding member and past president of the Provincial Association of Resort Communities. Smith’s extensive previous community involvement includes organizations such as the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute, and the Human Re-source Associations of Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Smith attended the University of Regina and also holds several professional certifications, including C.Dir (Chartered Director Program) through McMaster University and the DeGroote School of Business, CTAJ (Certified Tribunal Administrative Justice) through the Foundation of Administrative Justice and is accredited as a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist.
She has two grown, married children and is very much looking forward to the arrival of her third grandchild.
Smith assumed the position of CEO on October 1, succeeding Patrick J. Heffernan, who died in July.
About BBB
For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2014, people turned to BBB more than 165 million times for BBB Business Re-views on more than 5.2 million businesses and charity reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org.
The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for 113 local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as home to its national and international programs on dispute resolution, advertising review, and industry self-regulation. Better Business Bureau of Saskatchewan is a non-profit organization funded by over 1,200 accredited businesses throughout the province.
