Tony Manconi has been the Director General of the Charities Directorate since 2016. I have had the pleasure of working with Tony and anyone who works with him knows that he is a very sincere and nice person who cares a lot about charities. We will be sad to see Tony retire but wish him well. He has provided a lot of service to the Federal government, beginning his career in public service in 1988. That is a long time and he probably deserves to have some time off.
Normally, when there is a transition in such an important position I get very worried. When Cathy Hawara left the DG position as a case in point – but I knew she was great at what she does and that other ‘bigger’ opportunities would present themselves, not that there can be a bigger opportunity than being the de facto regulator of charities in Canada! Internationally, we sometimes see a charity regulator having someone be appointed to the senior position who is hostile to charities and their work, and needless to say that can result in many years of pain for the sector.
There is some good news and that is that Sharmila Khare, who is currently the head of the Policy, Planning, and Legislation Division (PPLD) at the Charities Directorate, will be taking over as the new Director General of the Charities Directorate on May 16, 2022. I have worked with Sharmila for many years and she has an extensive understanding of all things charities so I am very excited that she will be taking over the position. In these challenging times, it will be good that the Director General is already very familiar with the charity sector and charity regulation. Her tagline in her bio is “Enjoy working in collaboration with stakeholders to seek better outcomes.” That is very true and she is very good at that. Sharmila has lengthy experience working in the Federal government from the Privy Council Office to Finance (with a stint at the World Bank) and then joined the Charities Directorate in 2015. At Finance, she was the “Chief, Charities” so she understands the implications of compliance and regulation from both a Finance and CRA perspective.
Below is the official announcement from Geoff Trueman with additional information:
On Behalf Of Trueman, Geoff
Sent: April-21-22 2:42 PM
Subject: Announcement – Director General, Charities Directorate / Annonce – Directrice générale, Direction des organismes de bienfaisance
English version ***La version française suit***
I am pleased to announce that Ms. Sharmila Khare has accepted the role of Director General, Charities Directorate, Legislative Policy and Regulatory Affairs Branch, effective May 16, 2022.
Sharmila holds a Combined Honours B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from Glendon College and a M.A. in Economics from McMaster University. She has completed additional graduate work in public administration, public sector leadership and international development and holds a Non-Profit Management Certificate from Mount Royal University.
In 1995, Sharmila was recruited to the Federal Public Service through the Accelerated Economist Training Program (now the Advanced Policy Analyst Program). In 1997, Sharmila joined the Department of Finance. During her time with the Department of Finance, Sharmila spent one year as Assistant Departmental Secretary in the Deputy Minister’s Office and four years as Advisor to the Executive Director at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Within the Tax Policy Branch, she held progressively more senior positions, and in 2009, she was named Chief of Charities, a position that allowed her to pursue her deep passion for issues facing the charitable and non-profit sector.
Sharmila joined the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in May 2015 as Director of the Policy, Planning and Legislation Division in the Charities Directorate, where she helped advance many Ministerial priorities including the launch of the Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector. She is currently co-chair of the Executive Group Network at the CRA.
Please join me in wishing Sharmila success in her new role.
Geoff Trueman
Assistant Commissioner – Sous-commissaire
Legislative Policy & Regulatory Affairs Branch –
Direction générale de la politique législative et des affaires réglementaires
Canada Revenue Agency – Agence du revenu du Canada
Version française *** The English version precedes ***
J’ai le plaisir de vous annoncer que Mme Sharmila Khare a accepté le poste de directrice générale, Direction des organismes de bienfaisance, Direction générale de la politique législative et des affaires réglementaires, à compter du 16 mai 2022.
Sharmila est titulaire d’un baccalauréat du collège Glendon, où elle a fait une double spécialisation en mathématiques et en économie, et d’une maîtrise en économie de l’Université McMaster. Elle a fait des études supérieures supplémentaires en administration publique, leadership dans le secteur public, et développement international, et détient un certificat de gestion d’organismes sans but lucratif de l’Université Mount Royal.
En 1995, Sharmila a été recrutée à la fonction publique fédérale par l’entremise du Programme de formation accélérée pour les économistes (maintenant le Programme avancé pour les analystes de politiques). En 1997, Sharmila s’est jointe au ministère des Finances. Pendant qu’elle y travaillait, elle a passé une année en tant qu’adjointe au secrétaire du ministère au bureau du sous-ministre, et quatre ans en tant que conseillère auprès du chef de la direction à la Banque mondiale, à Washington DC. Au sein de la Direction de la politique de l’impôt, elle a gravi les échelons et, en 2009, elle a été nommée chef, organismes de bienfaisance. Ce poste lui a permis de se consacrer à sa grande passion pour les enjeux auxquels sont confrontés les secteurs de la bienfaisance et sans but lucratif.
Sharmila s’est jointe à l’Agence du revenu du Canada en mai 2015 à titre de directrice de la Division de la politique, de la planification et de la législation dans la Direction des organismes de bienfaisance, où elle a concrétisé de nombreuses priorités ministérielles, comme la mise sur pied du Comité consultatif sur le secteur de la bienfaisance. Elle est actuellement co-présidente du Réseau du groupe des EX à l’Agence.
Souhaitons à Sharmila un franc succès dans son nouveau rôle.
Geoff Trueman
Assistant Commissioner – Sous-commissaire
Legislative Policy & Regulatory Affairs Branch –
Direction générale de la politique législative et des affaires réglementaires
Canada Revenue Agency – Agence du revenu du Canada