Imagine Canada elects new board chair, welcomes new director

Imagine Canada is pleased to announce that Charlene Krepiakevich has been elected Chair of its Board of Directors. Previously CEO of viaSport, Charlene is a forward-looking leader with extensive experience in nonprofit strategy and governance, advocacy and government relations, as well as partnerships and communications. Charlene joined Imagine Canada’s Board of Directors in 2020, and currently sits on the Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression and Strategic Planning Steering Committees.  

In addition to electing a new Chair, Imagine Canada members welcomed a new board director.

We’re thrilled to welcome:

Odette McCarthy (Montréal, QC) is the Executive Director of Equitas, the International Centre for Human Rights Education. She has nearly 30 years' experience in international cooperation with organizations such as Crossroads International, CECI and WUSC. She has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including Cooperation Canada. She is an active member of the working group for a feminist foreign policy and a member of the anti-racism advisory committee of Canada's international cooperation sector. She is a current member of Canada’s Foreign Affairs Permanent Table on Human Rights and was a member of the Canadian government's advisory committee for the Indo-Pacific Strategy in 2022. In February 2024, Odette McCarthy received the Karen Takacs Award, which is presented by Cooperation Canada to an individual who, through their collaboration, has significantly improved the lives of women around the world and promoted equality between women and men. 

Directors continuing to serve in 2025-2026 include:

Danisha Bhaloo-Shivji, United Way of Calgary and Area (Calgary, AB)
Ninette Bishay, Adams & Miles LLP (Toronto, ON)
Denis Carignan, PLATO Testing (Pasqua First Nation, SK)
Florence Carey, F I Carey Law Corporation (Winnipeg, MB)
Tania Cheng, Lumiere Consulting (Halifax, NS)
Roger D. Ali, S. Sutton & Associates and Catholic Children’s Aid Society Hamilton (Hamilton, ON)
Andrea Dicks, Community Foundations of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Jordan Gray, Government of Canada (Mississauga, ON)
Jessica Gordon, YWCA Regina (Regina, SK)
Jessie Hale, Nunavut Association of Non-Profit Organizations (Iqaluit, NU)
Darren Pries-Klassen (St. Catharines, ON)
Mélanie Valcin, United for Literacy (Montréal, QC) 
Mahalia Verna, Creative Industries (Westmount, QC)

We would like to express our gratitude to outgoing Board Chair Pascal Lépine (President & Founder, Atypic) for his invaluable contributions to our organization and the nonprofit sector during his 8 years on the board.

To read the directors’ full biographies, and learn more about Imagine Canada’s Board of Directors, visit this page.