Biography

Gordon Cressy began his career in 1963 as a young CUSO volunteer, working with the YMCA in Trinidad, of which he was appointed the General Secretary shortly after his arrival. Just nineteen, he ran a youth hostel, developed a swimming program, facilitated programs between different cultural groups, and mounted his first– and possibly most audacious– major fundraising project. (Click here to watch Gordon explain how he managed to sell 1500 Canadian Christmas trees in Trinidad!) The YMCA experience changed Gordon’s life, spawned his commitment to youth work, diversity and equity and motivated him to pursue a career in community service.

Following his studies at George Williams College, where he worked on Chicago’s South Side at the height of the race riots, and at the University of Toronto, where he earned his Master of Social Work degree, Gordon Cressy went on to create an After-four program at Rose Avenue Public School. The first programme of its kind, it would become a model for similar initiatives across Canada. He then ran two group homes for troubled youth as Executive Director of Opportunity House before moving on to the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education where, as Project Director in the Sociology Department, he taught and consulted for Boards of Education across the province.

During the 1970’s, Gordon Cressy’s commitment to education, coupled with his penchant for leadership drove him to public office. From 1969 to 1976 he sat on the Toronto Board of Education, chairing the board in 1975 & ‘76. He initiated the school-community relations department, helped to implement the Work Group Report on Multiculturalism– a model that other boards of education adopted– and played a leadership role in creating opportunities for inner-city kids by introducing more nutrition programs and an expanded focus on literacy. He was then elected to both City of Toronto & Metropolitan Toronto where he served on a wide variety of committees as Executive Alderman, chaired the Social Service and Housing Committee and the Port Industrial Task Force, and championed the cause that led to “as-of-right zoning” for group homes in all communities across Metropolitan Toronto.

1n 1982, Gordon Cressy was hired as President & CEO of the United Way, of Greater Toronto. There, he pioneered outreach strategies into the ethno cultural communities that helped re-establish the organization’s relevance in Toronto. Many remarkable events resulted from his work, including the participation of Bishop Desmond Tutu and Harry Belafonte in a United Way Arts Against Apartheid Festival. Although he stepped down as the CEO of the United Way in 1987, he has continued to support the organization as a speaker and a voluntary chair of different workplace campaigns ever since. In 2006, he celebrated his 25th consecutive United Way fundraising campaign.

Gordon Cressy’s work on diversity has only grown in scope and ambition over the years. With Dr. Joseph Wong, he founded the Harmony Movement in 1994 to bring diversity training to schools across Canada. He is one of the founders of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Canada, under the auspices of which he played a key role in two of Mandela’s visits to Canada.

In recent years, Gordon Cressy has served as Vice President at two universities: Ryerson University and the University of Toronto, where he has been responsible for fundraising, public affairs, government, community and alumni relations, including the direction of the University of Toronto’s successful $125 million Breakthrough Campaign.

As President of The Learning Partnership Gordon created the nationally recognized “Take our Kids to Work” day where each year 400,000 grade nine students spend a day at work with their Mom or Dad.

In 2003 Gordon was hired by Canadian Tire Corporation, Canada’s largest and most successful retail company, to help shape its approach to Corporate Social Responsibility. As President of the Canadian Tire Foundation for Families, he initiated the corporation’s signature program: Canadian Tire JumpStart “Giving All Kids A Sporting Chance,” a Canada wide grass roots programme that helps children in need participate in sport and recreation by providing financial support for registration fees, transportation and equipment. This program – in communities across Canada – has not only focussed Canadian Tire’s commitment to its social responsibility, but it has alao galvanized its own 55,000 person workforce to give back to their communities.

Today his career has come full circle, having recently returned to Trinidad and Tobago 45 years after this first assignment. He and his wife, Joanne Campbell, have accepted a contract to work with the local community to create a new YMCA in Tobago.

For all the success and challenges his career has brought, Gordon Cressy has never lost his zest for giving back to the community. As a volunteer, Mr. Cressy is Founding Co-Chair of the National Harmony Movement, a Founding Board Member of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and a past Chair of YMCA Canada. In addition, Mr. Cressy served as the Honorary Chair of the YMCA of Trinidad and Tobago and as a Special Advisor to the United Way of Trinidad and Tobago.

Gordon is married to Joanne Campbell. He has four children: Jennifer, Jillian, Joseph and Keith.

Click here to find out how to book Gordon for speaking engagements or consulting.