As with many of us, Matt Dirks’ career did not take him in a straight line. Now the Chief Innovation Officer of Communitas Supportive Care Society – a local charity supporting people with disabilities – Matt now finds that maybe there has been a theme in his career after all.

“It’s very much about relationships,” says Matt.

Communitas as an organization cannot survive without relationships, a fact Matt knows very well. They need strong community relationships to be able to do the work they do. However, Matt’s work has followed this same theme, whether intentionally or not.

Matt found his way into Communitas through a passion.

“I really had a passion for alternative business models, finding market-based mechanisms to solve social challenges,” says Matt.

Because his brother lived in one of the Communitas care homes, Matt was already aware of the organization but not the broad range of support they offer. He felt drawn to the concept of social enterprise and working with Communitas to operate these for the social good of the community.

The enterprises were “supporting people who had mental health challenges to become more integrated into the workforce, develop skills, get experience, and become more financially independent through earning income as well,” says Matt.

This work was very fulfilling for Matt, however, he continued to question what he could be doing to gain new experiences, continue learning, and extend his impact. When searching for opportunities, Matt will seek out subjects that focus on multiple topics.

“I have always wanted to avoid being too specialized in my education and experiences,” says Matt. “I took the global development studies degree at UFV because it let me do some economics, some business, some sociology, some geography.”

From the outset, Matt stayed in open-ended studies because he is interested in a variety of disciplines and wanted to have career options. He had ideas of where he wanted to go, but the more he learned and practiced, the more those ideas changed.

There were times when he considered going into public policy, which inspired him to do a Master of Science in Public Policy and Administration at the London School of Economics in 2018. He imagined the work would take him into government, but that didn’t happen.

While still abroad in London, his former supervisor reached out and asked what his plans were upon returning. This planted a seed, which led to Matt applying for, and being offered a role in Communitas as a Program Director. In this capacity he provided leadership to service managers and also helped found Little Sprout Café. Little Sprout Café is a social enterprise that focuses on inclusive hiring practices and healthy food. He even spoke about these hiring practices for the 2021 TEDxAbbotsford event.

In 2022, Matt was feeling ready for a new challenge. During this time, he began having conversations with the CEO to explore what it would look like to move into an executive role.

Communitas values developing leaders and finding the right opportunities that both add value to the organization and the person. Communitas designed the Chief Innovation Officer role to help carry forward some of the organization’s strategic initiatives.

When the new position was posted, Matt jumped at the opportunity, and was selected as the successful candidate. It was a perfect fit for Matt based on his passions and the work he had previously done for the organization.

“It was a new position for the organization,” says Matt. “I was looking at this new opportunity with our CEO at the time. This position was developed and ended up being a good fit for my interests, my skill sets and presented new challenges.”

It’s something Matt has deeply appreciated about his time with Communitas. The organization, through strong leadership, has helped him find a pathway that works for him.

“I think good leadership is helping cultivate that culture, helping invest in people and their futures,” says Matt when reflecting on the jobs, projects, and responsibilities Communitas has provided him. “We need to help prepare people to step into roles of responsibility, to develop those skill sets, and to be mentored along the way. This way we can help them not only in their career trajectory, but also so that the operations of the organization can continue functioning.”

Now Matt focuses on being a leader in his own way. As CIO, he remains people focused. He works hard to bring many voices to the table to help move the organization forward.

To him, his role is about asking good questions, and knowing who to connect with to get the best answers.

“It’s very much about relationships,” says Matt. “It’s about being able to figure out a way to cultivate meaningful reciprocal relationships.”