Jacobs to lead PlanIt

PlanIt Consulting & Communications has been executive director Charleen Schurman’s baby since she founded the company in 2016, and when she decided it was time to take a step back and slow down, she knew she couldn’t hand over the reins to just anybody.

Luckily, Schurman knows her successor better than anyone: her daughter, Maris Jacobs.

“I knew Maris was ready,” said Schurman, who has been working closely with Jacobs while building PlanIt’s identity over the past decade. “She very, very much grew into the job.”

Jacobs, who is already the co-owner of the business, has been involved with PlanIt since its founding, and has most recently served as the company’s lead consultant, working on projects in Kahnawake and beyond.

Now, as Schurman prepares to step into an advisory role with the organization, Jacobs will be taking on the title of executive director.

She plans to build upon the strong foundation that she and her mother have built for the organization over the past decade.

“To get here we’ve relied on being creative with our approaches and forming a good relationship with the people we work with,” Jacobs said. “That’s what’s helped keep PlanIt going for so many years.”

She said that she’s most excited about growing her skills in the consulting field.

“I’m going to grow my confidence in areas that I’m already familiar with after so many years of having boots on the ground. I’m really looking forward to being a fresh leader, and I don’t feel like I have to come into the business already knowing everything,” she said.

“I’m excited to see what kind of learning opportunities there will be as people transfer information to me, I’m going to keep my eyes and ears open for everything,” said Jacobs.

Schurman is confident PlanIt will be in safe hands with Jacobs – and that her daughter will bring a new leadership style to the organization that will help it thrive.

“She’s very humble, and she speaks when it’s important, which is unlike me because every thought in my head comes out of my mouth,” said Schurman, who said she initially didn’t realize how much of the business her daughter was quietly taking in.

“She started taking things on and didn’t require help from me. I’d find little surprises that she’d gone and done, little tasks or business moves that I wasn’t even aware of.”

While Jacobs said she’s built the skills to lead as an executive director on her own, she’s still happy to have her mother on board as an advisor while she gets to grips with her new role.

“This is something we’ve been working towards for a while, it didn’t happen overnight and I slowly took on more leadership as we went,” Jacobs said. “Working with her (mom closely on the mechanics of our projects gave me that confidence to put at least one hand on the steering wheel of the business.”

Jacobs’ appointment comes at a pivotal time for PlanIt, as the organization prepares to move into a new office in Kahnawake and implement its three-year strategic plan.

“We have a lot of work to do on that front, and our growth over the last couple of years has shown us that we have something sustainable, and we have a good team of people,” Jacobs said. “Moving is something to look forward to in the next year, we’re not sure of the details and it’s in the works, but we want to make sure it’s a priority for us.”

As for Schurman, she’s looking forward to seeing her daughter realize her potential. She plans to be fully disengaged from executive director duties by the end of the month, and to step away from the company full time by the end of the year.

“She’s smart, she’s intuitive, and she’s got great work ethic,” Schurman said. “It’s looking more and more like she won’t need me, she’s building her own team, and I can already see her making small changes to do things that are her own and are better.”

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