Garrison comes with extensive experience of 20 years of developing impactful community programs, fostering team growth and creating an environment of shared learning. He has served as the Director of Employment, Language and Enterprise Development at DIVERSEcity since 2018 and holds a master of business administration (MBA) from Simon Fraser University. In his senior executive role, Garrison has created new opportunities for marginalized populations, while mentoring his team to do the same. He has strong convictions about improving the wellbeing of individuals through collaboration, positive outlook and providing access to empowering interventions.
Garrison has led DIVERSEcity’s Immigrant Entrepreneur Program, which was presented the national CANIE Award for its innovative work, and is also a host of our DIVERSEtalks: Conversations for Change panel series.
In his role as Chief Operating Officer, Garrison is responsible for the overall programs and services of DIVERSEcity and works with the CEO and the Senior Management Team to implement the strategic vision and values of the organization. He is also responsible for planning, implementing, managing and overseeing all of DIVERSEcity’s program and services teams.
Garrison is always seeking to build new partnerships, help more people and look for innovative ways of doing so. For most of his career he has been a community builder and influencer. He sits on a variety of boards and committees including AMSSA, BC Career Development Association Board of Directors, Regional Ethnocultural Advisory Committee, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and previously British Columbian Multicultural Advisory Council. Garrison has advocated for clients and services through media appearances, such as Breakfast TV Vancouver, CKNW 980, Asian Pulse TV, Global News and CBC radio.
Garrison was also presented with the Surrey-Now Leader’s Community Leader Honourable Mention Award for the Above & Beyond category.