Announcing Our New Co-Interim Executive Directors

On behalf of the board of directors at Changing Ways we are excited to share our decision to embrace a fresh approach to our leadership transition, that truly reflects our values, ethos, and practices. Starting Monday, May 13th, Rick Mulvaney and Amiel Houghton will step up as our Co-interim Executive Directors.

Rick Mulvaney brings a wealth of experience to this role, having been deeply involved in the not-for-profit sector for over two decades, engaging in both operational and governance roles. Rick has contributed significantly to organizations such as London Regional AIDS Hospice, Community Living London, and Women’s Rural Resource Center of Strathroy & Area. His decade-long tenure at Changing Ways, most recently as the Director of Administration & Operations, has been marked by a fervent commitment to equity, advocacy, supporting equity deserving populations, and ensuring accessibility to impactful community-based social services.

Amiel Houghton joined Changing Ways in the fall of 2023 with extensive leadership experience within the VAW sector and our broader community. Amiel brings great passion and deep expertise from the nonprofit sector in many areas – from housing and homelessness to addictions and mental health support. “I believe that to achieve a future free from violence, a holistic approach that includes supporting men and families as a whole with compassion and empathy is needed. I bring an intersectional and trauma-and-violence-informed lens to my work. I believe in the inherent dignity of each person as the foundation of my practice, and I look forward to this new opportunity, as it will support me, along with our team and our community partners, to better understand and identify gaps and strengths in systems, policies, and practices to end violence for all.”

Andrea Topham, Board Chair would like to thank both Rick and Amiel and express “the board’s full and complete support. We trust in Rick and Amiel’s expertise, integrity, capabilities and are grateful that they will work together to guide our agency during this pivotal transition.”

Please join us in congratulating Rick and Amiel as they take on this next step.

Amiel’s Bio

Born in raised in London, Ontario, Amiel has dedicated over 20 years of service to supporting vulnerable populations in the community. With a passion in her early years to move forward with a future in social services, she attended Canadore College and Nipissing University’s Mental Health and Addictions Counselling Program in North Bay, Ontario.

She then returned to London and was able to continue her journey with exciting opportunities to work with such organizations as Dale Brain Injury Services, Youth Opportunities Unlimited and Regional HIV AIDS Connection which all provided a solid foundation of understanding many of the intersections of the human experience.

In 2010, Amiel was graced with what became one of the most valuable and influential positions in her life. As a Residential Counsellor at ANOVA (formerly Women’s Community House and SACL), Amiel gained the immeasurable insight into the needs and systems in our community who support women and children who have been victims of violence and abuse. This has guided her work in partnership with other programs and services to remove the silos that historically have caused more harm than good. Amiel began her leadership journey with the organization in 2017 and was able to initiate and implement programs and projects that supported women, children and their families, to successful futures and outcomes beyond the shelter walls.

In 2023, Amiel joined Changing Ways in the fall of 2023 with an intersectional and trauma-and-violence informed lens to guide her work. She is looking forward to this new opportunity  to better understand and identify gaps and strengths in systems, policies, and practices to end violence for all.

Rick’s Bio

Rick Mulvaney’s involvement in the not-for-profit sector spans 24 years, at both operational and governance levels. He has supported the mission and values of non-profits such as London Regional AIDS Hospice, Community Living London, Women’s Rural Resource Center of Strathroy & Area, and most recently Changing Ways for the past 10 years, as Director of Administration & Operations.

Rick’s strong passion for ensuring equity, advocacy, and accessibility to sustainable community-based social services supporting equity deserving populations, drives his enthusiasm to fully understand not just the operations, but the uniqueness of service delivery opportunities & challenges impacting organizational outcomes; thereby, allowing him to provide a more fulsome approach to developing and supporting strategies, systems, and practices that support clients, community, and organizational mission.

In line with Rick’s desire for a deeper and more impactful understanding, he attends part-time studies at Kings University College at UWO specializing in Critical Disability Studies & Thanatology (Loss & Death) developing an understanding of the intersectional nature of these areas of study to the human experience.

Since 2022, Rick has been privileged to be a part of co-creating a safe place for men to explore their choices, attitudes, and behaviours that harm women and children by co-facilitating a weekly men’s group; this experience has been very impactful to Rick and provides a much deeper connection and understanding of the way Changing Ways balances empathy and accountability, when supporting men to make healthier choices affecting the safety of women & children in their lives. 

Rick is enthusiastic and grateful for this opportunity to co-lead with his colleague Amiel Houghton, during Changing Ways’ leadership transition, and acknowledges and appreciates that this opportunity will be supported by the experience and skills of Changing Ways dedicated and resourceful management and staff team.