BC Unclaimed welcomes new executive director

Sherry MacLennan has joined BC Unclaimed as the not-for-profit’s new Executive Director.

Sherry brings to the organization more than 25 years of diverse management experience in the legal and non-profit sectors. A practicing lawyer, she has extensive expertise in governance, strategy, operations, digital transformation, community engagement and public legal education. Hailing from Legal Aid BC, where she previously served as Vice President, Public Legal Information and Applications, Sherry oversaw the legal aid application processes, legal clinics, local agents, Indigenous services, digital delivery, publications, social media, various websites, and community engagement on behalf of the organization.

She said she was attracted to BC Unclaimed because of its mandate of putting unclaimed funds back in the hands of the rightful owners as well as its philanthropic business model.

“Coming from the non-profit sector, I believe it’s extremely important for an organization to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives as well as a broader societal impact,” she said.

Sherry added that she was also very impressed with the make-up of the Society’s Board of Directors.  “For an organization to attract the calibre of Board members the Society has really says a lot about the quality of the not-for-profit.”

In her new role, Sherry intends to focus on making services more accessible to claimants and holders as well as raising awareness and changing perceptions about the Society. She recognizes that there are credibility and trust challenges facing the organization given the preponderance of online fraud today along with questionable consultants and companies that offer to track down unclaimed funds for a fee.

One of Sherry’s proudest career accomplishments is the establishment of the MyLawBC website, the first interactive website in the province that provides free tools to identify, manage, and resolve legal issues such as separation, divorce, abuse, foreclosure, wills, and more.  “There was nothing like this in BC before,” she said. “We were the first legal aid plan to offer free online family law mediation services.”

She’s excited to join BC Unclaimed, which she describes as a well-run organization functioning at a high level with a dedication to innovation. “BC Unclaimed’s adoption of artificial intelligence to automate and streamline some of the administrative workload is quite impressive.”

Sherry has Bachelor of Science and Law degrees from the Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan and has practiced law in BC since 1994. A firm believer in public and community service, she has served as director or advisory board member for numerous non-profits, including BC Courthouse Libraries, Pro Bono Students Canada, and the National Self Represented Litigants Project.