Four new members join Imagine Canada’s board of directors

Imagine Canada is pleased to welcome four seasoned nonprofit professionals to its board of directors. Elected by Imagine Canada members on June 20, 2024 are:

Andrea Dicks (Ottawa, ON) is President of Community Foundations of Canada (CFC). Working closely with Canada’s 207 community foundations and fostering connection across the growing international community foundation network, Andrea is helping to strengthen philanthropy’s impact by being a vocal advocate for the role of community-driven solutions to pressing global challenges. She previously served in leadership roles with the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough, the Rideau Hall Foundation, PwC Canada Foundation, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Toronto & Central Ontario.

Jessie Hale (Iqaluit, NU) is the Executive Director of the Nunavut Association of Non-Profit Organizations (NANPO), which exists to build community among the 250+ nonprofit organizations in Nunavut. She is passionate about the nonprofit sector's potential to make social change. She is also on the board of the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre in Iqaluit. Prior to joining NANPO, she spent nine years as managing editor at Inhabit Education, a multimedia educational publishing company that creates resources for Nunavut schools.

Mélanie Valcin (Montreal, QC) has been working in the areas of social innovation, youth mobilization and community development for the past 20 years and is currently President and CEO of United for Literacy. In addition, Mélanie currently sits on the boards of directors of Le Devoir and the National Alliance for Children and Youth. She also volunteers with Groupe 3737, an incubator for entrepreneurs from minority groups and is a member of Montreal's Groupe des Trente, which aims at promoting diversity in governance.

Mahalia Verna (Westmount, QC) is a creative industries executive with over 20 years of experience, namely at the National Film Board (NFB) and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). For over 15 years, Mahalia has held numerous board and advisory committee positions for arts, culture, education and community organizations, serving currently as Board Trustee at the Canadian Museum of History. She is a member of the Women’s Impact Montréal Collective Fund at the Foundation of Greater Montréal.

“We are delighted to welcome four incredible individuals from various parts of the country to our board of directors,” said Bruce MacDonald, President & CEO of Imagine Canada. “Each of them brings their unique perspective and experience, which will immensely enrich our organization. We are grateful for their commitment, and look forward to working with them! I also would like to thank everyone who applied to join our board this year. We were humbled by the number of individuals who expressed interest in joining us and contributing to Imagine Canada’s mission of supporting the nonprofit and charitable sector.”

Pascal Lépine, President & Founder of Atypic (Montreal, QC), remains Chair of the Board until his tenure ends in June 2025. Other board directors continuing to serve in 2024/2025 include:

Roger Ali, Nonprofit Executive (St. Catharines, ON)
Danisha Bhaloo-Shivji, Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton (Calgary, AB)
Ninette Bishay, Partner, Adams & Miles LLP (Toronto, ON)
Denis Carignan, President, PLATO Testing (Pasqua First Nation, SK)
Florence Carey, Lawyer/Consultant, F I Carey Law Corporation (Winnipeg, MB)
Tania Cheng, Independent Consultant; Senior Consultant, Lumiere Consulting; Impact Challenge Lead, Sonor Foundation (Halifax, NS)
Jessica Gordon, Senior Director of Indigenous Relations, YWCA Regina (Regina, SK)
Jordan Gray, Senior Policy Analyst, Indigenous Services Canada (Calgary, AB)
Charlene Krepiakevich, CEO, viaSport BC (Vancouver, BC)
Darren Pries-Klassen, CEO, Abundance Canada (St. Catharines, ON)

We would like to express our gratitude to the following retiring directors for their invaluable contributions to our organization and the nonprofit sector during their tenure on the board, including former board chair Ronan Ryan (Executive Director at CIBC Foundation & Senior Director, Community Partnerships), Nicolina Farella (Program Director for the Energy and Economy and Social Innovation in Quebec initiatives at the J.W.McConnell Family Foundation), and Ali Salam (Assistant VP, Government & Regulatory Affairs at Sun Life).

To read the directors’ full biographies, and learn more about Imagine Canada’s board of directors, visit our website.