A collage of images of multicultural older adults smiling

Mission & Vision
Board & Leadership
Corporate Membership
History
Publications
Awards

As a bilingual and inclusive Council, we bring together representatives of older adult groups, community partners, government organizations, the business community, and individuals whose diverse backgrounds, extensive experience and expertise enable our Council to undertake quality strategic thinking on older adult issues.

Our board and committees are comprised of a minimum of 50% older adults and 20% francophone. We welcome interest from all who are representative of the population we serve.

Board of Directors

Trèva Cousineau
President

A former teacher and dietitian, Trèva Cousineau has devoted herself to the advancement and protection of the” francophonie” at the local, provincial, national and even international levels for more than 50 years. She has served as counsel, coordinator and director of many franco-ontarien and French Canadian organizations, such as President of the provincial ACFO, Chair of the Ontario School Trustees’ Council and Executive Director of the National Federation of the French language school boards (FNCSF). While Vice-President of Richelieu International and Administrator of the local district, she was responsible for the sponsorship of the six first Monuments de la francophonie d’Ottawa. She was President of the Committee for the Monument at Ottawa University, her alma mater. She is Vice-President of the Centre de la francophonie des Amériques, President of MIFO and President of Dialogue Canada since 2011.

Treva Cousineau

President

Alex Roussakis
Past President

Alex is a retired federal public service employee. For the majority of his tenure with the Federal Government he was responsible for various training programs, including managing a national learning program in the National Capital Region that had a focus on improving labour management relations.
Alex, served as Vice President of the Centretown Community Health Centre Board. In addition, as a Board member for nine (9) years he worked on various initiatives that impacted the diverse community of Centretown and greater Ottawa.
He holds, on MA in Human Systems Intervention from Concordia University, a Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University and a Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology from the Flourishing Center of New York.

Alex Roussakis

Past President

Chandra Hapuarachchi
Treasurer

Chandra is a CPA, CGA, and holds a B.Comm (Hons) degree in Public Policy and Public Finance Management from the University of Ottawa and also a B.Comm (Hons) degree in Accounting. Chandra has been a dedicated volunteer since she came to Canada from the UK in 1981. She has volunteered preparing income tax returns for seniors, students, newcomers, and those with low income. Chandra has held several board positions and has acted as treasurer and volunteer auditor for numerous organizations. She has served on the selection committees for the Prime Ministers’ Award for Teaching Excellence and the Carol Thompson Memorial Fund Scholarship for students with learning disabilities. She is a founding director of the Sri Lanka Association of Manitoba and the Association for New Canadians in St. John’s. More recently, she is a founding organizer of the seniors’ group providing services to Sri Lankan Canadian seniors which is supported by the Social Planning Council of Ottawa. Chandra has worked in the charitable sector as a controller and director of finance and for two crown corporations as an internal auditor. She was the winner of the 2019 Seniors Volunteer Ottawa – VOscar award which was presented by Volunteer Ottawa to a senior citizen who made a meaningful impact on the community with outstanding volunteer efforts

Chandra Hapuarachchi

Treasurer

Subhash Rai
Director at Large

In his professional career Subhash worked in taxation compliance at senior levels with international organizations such as E.I. DuPont, Pfizer / Warner Lambert, Sprint Canada, Alfa Net, Rogers Cellular, North Telecom, National Film Board, Canada Revenue Agency, Tax Executives Institute, and the Ontario Ministry of Health. Subhash also has 50 years experience as a hands-on volunteer for large organizations such as CARP Ottawa; Distress Centre of Ottawa, Ontario Charitable Gaming Association, Ontario Society of Senior’s Citizens Organizations; Air Canada – Dreams Takes Flight, Shriner’s Group, Starlight Children’s Foundation and East York School Board. He has served as Treasurer on the Boards of CARP – Ottawa, OSSCO and AC-DTF Toronto. In his spare time, he likes to paint, travel and help at charity events.

Subhash Rai

Member-at-Large

Jenny Murphy
Education

Before spending ten years as the Science Policy Advisor for various levels of federal government including the Minister of Natural Resources, Jenny Murphy was a scientist specializing in Earth Observation. After retirement, she took the Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) course and taught a one-month English communications course to female trainee Trekking Guides in Nepal for nine years. In June 2023, she completed six years of study at Carleton University, graduating with a Bachelor of Humanities degree. As a volunteer, she has been a Big Sister, and she read and recorded newspapers for the blind with Voiceprint (now AMI). She is the Founding Member of a registered Canadian charity providing scholarships to geomatics students in Nepal. She wrote her memoirs in 2016 and continues writing stories as part of a Memoir Writing Group. She was a competitive rower and kayaker for fifty years and she has been a member of Toastmasters International since 2021.

Jenny Murphy

Education

Yves Leduc
Engagement

Yves Leduc graduated from the University of Montreal. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics (M.Sc.) specializing in public finance and international trade. Yves is a dynamic, engaged, and dedicated senior executive with more than 25 years of experience in the associative world/lobbying promoting and defending the interests of farmers, notably the Dairy Farmers of Canada. His expertise and experience in facilitating, advocating and influencing the development of acceptable consensus in a highly politicized and complex environment, both domestically and internationally, represent a strong asset for the Council on Aging. Yves also has extensive experience working with a multidisciplinary staff, and has developed strong relationships with elected officials, senior officials and political staff. Yves lives in the downtown area with his wife Pascale and their young daughter LiCan-Marie.

Yves Leduc

Engagement

Miriam Fry
Committee Development

Miriam Fry has recently left her position after 6 years as the executive director of Families Matter Co-operative, a family support organization for those supporting loved ones with developmental disabilities. Appropriate supported housing is one of the key concerns of these families. Miriam was one of the authors of “Ending the Wait” which led to the province’s Innovative Housing Task Force. Before that, Miriam spent over 25 years at the CBC, as a journalist and a journalistic manager.

Miriam is the president of Ottawa Carleton Lifeskills, an organization that provides housing and support for adults with disabilities. She sits on the advisory committee of Doors Open Ottawa and has been a long-time volunteer English language tutor for newcomers.

Miriam Fry

Committee Development

Mike Powers
Community Engagement

Michael (Mike) Powers joins The Council on Aging after 40+ years of business development successes in the Financial Services, Economic Development, and Not-for-profit sectors. A creative-thinking executive, Mike has introduced new clients and established new markets across Canada and the UK. Mike is an accomplished networker, developing opportunities in widely diverse sectors as needed for the organization’s success. His 30+ year involvement in the volunteer sector has seen Mike serving as a board member/event organizer/treasurer with after-school programs, single parents, tennis community, young offenders programs, municipal parks, recreation, and hospitals, and as a volunteer sports coach. He is a Dad to three amazing daughters and grandfather to the four delights of his senior life. Dubbed urban explorer, he loves to explore cities and wander rural areas. It is with notable enthusiasm that he joins the COA Board!

Mike Powers

Community Engagement

Peter King
Director at Large

Peter King has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering, a Masters in Business Administration, and a PhD in Management of Leadership Organizations. His lengthy career in the Public Service found him addressing policy issues, economic expansion, and audits of major capital projects in no less than six different departments. Since his retirement he has continued to work as a consultant perhaps most notably with First Nations communities and spending many years in Beijing. He has been involved in the sport of rowing his entire life as a competitor, coach and referee and has been inducted into a few walls and halls of fame for his achievements. He is also author of numerous books and articles on a variety of topics.

Peter King

Director at Large

Patrick Curran
Director at Large

Patrick Curran has managed organizations that require change management and innovative solutions. He has served as the National Executive Director for Independent Living Canada and has worked for Statistics Canada permitting him to visit Northern Ontario First Nation reserves.

Patrick’s career has enabled the transfer of his knowledge and experience for the benefit of private, public, and non-government organizations (NGOs). He worked more than a decade for the City of Ottawa responsible for marketing transit fares in excess of $100 million. Patrick implemented the popular Taxi Coupon program and helped implement the multifaceted electronic fare system, PRESTO®.

Patrick worked for many years as Marketing Manager for Ontario’s largest credit union. In addition to participating in several entrepreneurial endeavors himself (Hallmark and InfoMET®), Patrick has proven particularly adept in the areas of Strategic Partnerships, Project Management, and Finance.

Patrick Curran

Director at Large

Émilie Roy
Director at Large

Émilie’s law practice focuses on litigation in the health sector, including representing public hospitals and their employees in medical malpractice litigation. She appears in court and before administrative tribunals, including:
• Small Claims Court;
• Superior Court of Justice;
• Divisional Court;
• Consent and Capacity Board;
• Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario; and
• Coroner’s Inquests in Ontario
Émilie works directly with healthcare professionals and organizations on risk management issues related to mental health law, responding to adverse events, issues involving substitute decision-makers, discharge planning, and regulatory issues.
Fluent in English and French, she practises in both official languages. Émilie articled with BLG before joining as an associate. During her studies, she was a research fellow with the Global Strategy Lab and worked at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Medical Association.

Émilie Roy

Director at Large

Luc Bigras
Director at Large

Luc Bigras was born in Eastview Ontario (Vanier today) in the sixties. Luc holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Commerce with a concentration in accounting from the University of Ottawa. Luc worked as a business studies secondary school teacher for 15 years. In 2000, Luc joined l’Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) as an Executive – administrative services. In the fall of 2008, Luc completed the CMA-M.B.A. executive program from l’Université du Québec à Montréal. He has served as administrator at the Vanier Public Library and the Ottawa Vision Credit Union. After 30 years in the education field, Luc retired in December 2014. He has been a board member of the Équipe de santé familiale communautaire de l’est d’Ottawa (ESFCEO), de la Fondation du Centre Pauline-Charron, de la Clinique de santé Ste-Anne, The Council on Aging of Ottawa and the Muséoparc Vanier.

Luc Bigras

Director at Large

Dawn Cooper
Director at Large

Dawn enjoyed a long, fulfilling, and challenging career in non-profit management including roles at the MS Society; the United Way in Peel Region; the Parry Sound and Winchester Hospital Foundations; and the Canadian Cancer Society. Following her retirement, she turned to volunteering in areas that piqued her interest, caring and passions including volunteering at the Ottawa Music and Beyond summer festivals; assisting residents at Hospice Care Ottawa; and participating in local church, Rotary Club, and Probus activities. She joined the Board of CARP Ottawa in 2022, interested in advocating for the dire need to attend to seniors’ issues. This interest led to responding to an invitation to join the Council on Aging of Ottawa Board. She is looking forward to working with the amazing people involved in this dynamic organization!

Dawn Cooper

Director at Large

Sherry Perreault
Director at Large

Sherry Perreault is an accomplished public sector executive with significant domestic and international experience in ethics and lobbying regulation, policy analysis, governance and
strategy, and communications. Most recently she served as Values and Ethics Commissioner at CBC/Radio-Canada. She was Ireland’s first Head of Lobbying Regulation, overseeing legislation regulating lobbying, ethics in public office, and political finance. She founded and was the first chair of the European Lobbying Regulators’ Network. Prior organizations include Canada’s Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, Canadian Heritage, Industry Canada and the Privy Council Office. Sherry is a lifelong volunteer with roles in community theatre, Rotary, and Girl Guides. Originally from Winnipeg, she holds a Master of Arts from the University of Toronto and a B.A. (Honours) from the University of Manitoba,
both in political science, and a Diploma in Law from the Law Society of Ireland.

Sherry Perreault

Director at Large

Our Committee Leaders

Grace Welch, Co-chair, Age-Friendly Housing Committee Grace Welch

Co-Chair, Age-Friendly Housing Committee

Grace Welch retired in 2007 from the University of Ottawa where she held positions as the Associate University Librarian, Map Librarian, and Head of Systems. She also worked at the National Library of Canada. She was active in the Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives for over 25 years holding positions as President, Vice President, and Treasurer. She served as Vice-Chair of the Ontario Geographic Names Board between 2007-2017 and served for six years on the Geographic Names Board of Canada. Since 2010, she has been involved with the Champlain Region Family Council Network which helps support family councils in long-term care and advocates for improvements in quality of life and care for residents. She was a member of the Advisory Panel to the 2020 Ministry of Long-Term Care Staffing Study. She is a member of several patient advisory committees looking at the health and well-being of older adults including starting with the COA in 2013 with the Events and Education, Health Issues, and Housing Committees.

Grace Welch

Co-Chair, Age-Friendly Housing Committee

Audrey Jacques, Lead, Home and Community Care Working Group Audrey Jacques

Co-Chair, Age-Friendly Housing Committee

Audrey Jacques has over fifteen years of experience in the federal public sector. She has worked in communications and marketing as well as on a number of social policy files, including the delivery of services and programs to Canadian veterans and issues surrounding gender-based violence. Audrey has a bachelor’s degree in communications and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. Audrey has been involved in her community for many years and undertakes her role on the Home and Community Care Working Group with great energy and enthusiasm.

Audrey Jacques

Lead, Home and Community Care Working Group

Jenny Brooks

Co-Chair, Age-Friendly Housing Committee

Jenny Brooks was a Critical Care and Emergency Nurse for many years, before becoming a full-time professor at Algonquin College teaching these same specialties. She returned to university in 2000 to earn her Nurse Practitioner credential. Jenny worked in several First Nation communities in Nunavut and Northern Ontario before accepting a full-time Nurse Practitioner position in Family Medicine at The Ottawa Hospital. Her clinical practice included all age groups with a special focus on and interest in older adults. Upon retirement in 2016, she joined the COA Age-Friendly Housing Committee to continue her work of improving the health of Ottawa seniors by advocating for socially inclusive, supportive, and innovative housing options. Jenny is also the Lead of the NORC- SSP (Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities-Supportive Service Program) Working Group.

Jenny Brooks

Co-Chair, Age-Friendly Housing Committee

Valerie Wright

Lead, Housing Advocacy Working Group

Valerie Wright is a retired teacher/principal from the Ottawa Catholic School Board. She is a member of the Council on Aging’s Age Friendly Housing Committee, in which she has played a key role in the last two year. She advocates for education in development with the Grandmother’s Advocacy Network and for newcomers/refugees to Ottawa.

Valerie Wright

Lead, Housing Advocacy Working Group

Bob Baldwin

Chair, Income Security Expert Panel

Bob Baldwin is an Ottawa based consultant who has worked on pension issues for more than 30 years. He worked for the Canadian Labour Congress for all but three years from 1976 to 2005 – the last 10 as the Director of Social and Economic Policy.
Baldwin was a member of the expert panel that advised the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions and he prepared a research report for the Government of Ontario on the retirement income prospects of Canadians as part of the federal, provincial and territorial dialogue among Ministers of Finance on this issue.
Baldwin is a Director of Addenda Capital and Tradex Management Incorporated, he chairs the Board of Trustees of the Canada Wide Industrial Pension Plan, he is an advisor to the National Pension Hub of the Global Risk Institute, he is Chair of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Pension Policy Council and has been a member of the Expert Panel on Income Security of the Ottawa Council on Aging for many years.

Bob Baldwin

Chair, Income Security Expert Panel

Mary Haller

Co-Chair, Pedestrian Safety and Walkability

Mary has been a Physiotherapist for over 35 years in a variety of areas and has extensive experience in geriatrics. She helped get the Champlain Falls Assessment Streamlined Treatment (CFAST) Clinic up and running as their first physiotherapist.
She is passionate about fall prevention, prevention of deconditioning in older adults, and helping seniors maintain their independence. She has had the opportunity to do many presentations on fall prevention to community groups and looks forward to using her background experiences while working with the COA’s Pedestrian Safety and Walkability sub-committee.

Mary Haller

Co-Chair, Pedestrian Safety and Walkability

Ken Holmes

Chair, Rural Transportation Sub-Committee

Ken lives near Fitzroy Harbour in West Carleton ward. He retired in 1992 after a 30-year career in the Canadian Forces as a senior Military Engineering officer who served in command and staff appointments in Operations, Training, and Equipment and Construction Project Management.
Ken graduated as a Chemical Engineer from the University of New Brunswick and completed post-graduate work with the US Army and the Royal Military College of Science. He commanded Canada’s combat engineering regiment in Germany and served with NATO’s Central Army Group Headquarters in Heidelberg. Ken was a member of the Directing Staff of the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College and commanded the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering.
Since retirement, Ken has pursued his interest in Canadian military history and has published several books on military engineering history and heritage. He also assists aspiring authors with their research and writing. He is the Past President of the Canadian Military Engineers Association and has been on their national executive for 30 years.

Ken has been involved in municipal affairs for more than two decades. He focuses on Rural Affairs, Seniors, Transportation, and Communication. Ken has worked to improve a wide variety of the City of Ottawa’s activities – particularly through the Community Budget Advisory Team and the Rural Summits. He is a member of the Seniors Round Table, Council on Aging, Ottawa Seniors Transportation Committee, Making Voices Count/Citizens Engagement Table, West Carleton Advisory Committee, the Rural Transportation Solutions project, and the city’s Master Plans Ambassadors Working Group.

Ken Holmes

Chair, Rural Transportation Sub-Committee

Louise Brunelle

Chair, Older Drivers Sub-Committee

Soon after attending a Council on Aging seminar titled Shifting Gears, organized by the Ottawa Seniors Transportation Committee (OSTC) in 2014, Louise joined this active volunteer committee.

OSTC was divided into several sub-committees that represented different areas of interest to Ottawa seniors including; Rural Transportation, Public Transit, Hospital Parking, Pedestrian Safety, Older Drivers and Community Information. Representatives from several city and community organizations volunteered their time to advocate for positive change to transportation issues affecting seniors and those with mobility challenges.

As a bilingual occupational therapist, Louise brought important knowledge, professionalism and a keen interest in reaching out to the senior community across Ottawa. Her special interest has been in promoting practical programs, and providing important information to improve driving safety. With an aging demographic and driving as the major form of transportation for many older adults, she found an important niche and created an excellent program.

She agreed to chair the Older Drivers sub-committee in 2015. Since that time, she has worked hard to bring the 55-Alive program to many seniors and has become the first person to be certified to provide this program in French in the Ottawa area. Her passion was instrumental to the launching of the local CarFit initiative which has been active for the past two years. Louise has become well known in the community for her ability to collaborate with a wide range of city and community organizations and is greatly respected amongst volunteers because of her caring and supporting nature and her ability to organize and lead events. These relationships have been a tremendous asset in bringing current information and practical driving tips to older drivers across Ottawa through brochures, a series of driving tips for older adults and numerous community educational events.

Over the past number of years, Louise has made an incredible contribution to the community in the field of road safety for older adults. The Council on Aging is delighted to name Louise Brunelle as the recipient of the 2020 Margaret Griffiths Award.

Louise Brunelle

Chair, Older Drivers Sub-Committee

Hugh Nelson

Co-Chair, Smart Aging Committee

Hugh Nelson

Co-Chair, Smart Aging Committee

Min Ku

Co-Chair, Pedestrian Safety and Walkability Sub-Committee

Min grew up in Ottawa and recently returned after many years of living abroad. She has previously worked in mental health outreach for a non-profit organization in Japan and volunteered for their English language TELL Lifeline. Min believes strongly in the many physical, mental, social (and financial!) benefits of walking, and is excited to work on Pedestrian Safety and Walkability to help people from “all walks of life”. She is a caregiver to her parents and remembers the frustrations of pushing a baby stroller in winter, so she is excited to join CoA and find solutions that benefit everyone.

Min Ku

Co-Chair, Pedestrian Safety and Walkability Sub-Committee

Raynald Marchand

Co-Chair, Transportation Committee

Raynald was the General Manager of Programs (2006 to 2020) for the Canada Safety Council (CSC) in Ottawa. He was responsible for the curriculum development and management of the Council’s training programs, national awareness campaigns, CSC collision review committee, media interviews, and public speaking. Raynald sat on many national safety committees as a committee member and chair or Co-Chair.

After he received a two-year diploma in Human Sciences from CEGEP, he pursued his studies in Psychology at the University of Victoria, BC where he received his BA with a major in Psychology. Behavioral psychology has been his passion learning how he could modify human behavior in order to improve safety and prevent injuries and deaths. Raynald also received a certificate in management studies from Algonquin College.

Raynald has been living in Ottawa South for the past 32 years where he and his wife Brenda raised their two children.

Raynald Marchand

Co-Chair, Transportation Committee

John Joanisse

Co-Chair, Health Issues Committee

John’s clinical, academic, and research career as a family physician saw him practicing in both rural and remote Ontario as well as in Ottawa. Before he retired from active medical practice in 2021, John held a variety of clinical leadership roles including Medical Director of Résidence St. Louis (1994-2000); attending physician at three retirement residences (1987-2000); and at Hôpital Monfort Hospital, Director of Geriatric Services and Geriatric Teaching (2000-2015), Chief of Staff (1994-2000), co-founder of the Short-Term Rehabilitation Unit (1998). His research interests include interprofessional care, falls prevention, deprescribing, orthogeriatrics, pre-admission orthopaedics, clinical frailty evaluation, and review of the needs of clinicians working in nursing home and residences. John remains active on the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine Admissions Committee interviewing student candidates.

John Joanisse

Co-Chair, Health Issues Committee

Brian Malcolmson

Co-Chair, Health Issues Committee

Brian’s career in health administration spans managing hospitals and other health care organizations, leading the University of Ottawa Master of Health Administration program and Academic Affairs at Hôpital Montfort Hospital, along with the Ministries of Health of Ontario and Manitoba. Now retired, he is consulting in the development of a new Masters program. He has previously had other assignments in areas such as health and housing for seniors. His volunteer activities include five years recently with Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa.

Brian Malcolmson

Co-Chair, Health Issues Committee

Janet Luloff

Co-Chair, Health Issues Committee

Janet is retired after over 35 years of management and consulting work in the transportation sector. She started her career at Transport Canada in airport operations and among other positions she was Special Advisor to Transport Canada’s Aviation Security Regulatory Review and Manager of Security Planning and Legislation. At the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, Janet was the General Manager Regulatory Affairs and Procedures, and General Manager Strategic Operations. Janet has chaired national and trilateral (Canada, U.S., Mexico) working groups and headed joint projects with stakeholders. In addition to policy and regulatory development, her experience includes stakeholder management, risk management, compliance oversight, and project management. She holds a BA from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, with a major in Urban Geography.

Since 2016, Janet has been involved in the long-term care sector in projects, committees, a regional Community of Practice Network, and the Champlain Region Family Council Network, supporting family councils in long-term care homes and advocating for improvements to residents quality of life and care. Janet was a caregiver for her parents, is sensitive to the needs of older adults, and is a past Chair of the COA’s Pedestrian Safety and Walkability Sub-committee.

Janet Luloff

Co-Chair, Transportation Committee

Rosa Venuta

Co-Chair, Smart Aging Committee

Rosa Venuta is a retired federal public servant whose expertise spans across stakeholder and public engagement, public sector governance, and in the area of older adults policy development. Before working in government Rosa was employed in the community support sector for many years delivering services to older adults through programs that allowed individuals to live independently at home. Rosa is an alumni of Concordia University and the University of Ottawa. Her volunteer activities include Meals on Wheels, Caldwell Family Centre, and the Ottawa Jazz Festival.

Rosa Venuta

Co-Chair, Smart Aging Committee

Our Staff

Sarah Bercier

Executive Director

Sarah has been with the Council on Aging since 2014. She brings with her 30+ years of experience in the fields of aging and later life. She has worked in the fields of elder abuse and seniors’ community housing, has spent eight years in management roles with the Canadian Association on Gerontology, and has spent the last 20 years as a consultant, speaking and writing on the lifestyle aspects of retirement and aging. Sarah has a BA in Psychology and an MA in Clinical Counselling, both with a focus on later life issues. Sarah has a passion for aging issues and enjoys working with and for seniors in Ottawa in identifying the ongoing opportunities available to improve the lives of seniors in the community and make Ottawa a more age-friendly city.

Sarah Bercier

Executive Director

Bonnie Schroeder

Director, Age-Friendly Ottawa

Bonnie Schroeder, MSW, RSW: Bonnie is a registered social worker with over 25 years of experience working with seniors and their caregivers in the mental health, home and community care, and public health sectors.

Before joining the Council on Aging in 2016, Bonnie was the National Director of the Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health (2013-2016) and spent over twelve years at VON Canada in a variety of management roles including the last five years as the Director of Caregiving. Bonnie is a Part-time Professor at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Social Work (Minor in Aging Studies) and at Carleton University, School of Social Work.

Bonnie Schroeder

Director, Age-Friendly Ottawa

Roch Pilon

Director, Community Development

Roch is a bilingual professional who has 30 years’ experience working with numerous national non-profit membership-based organizations in sports, education, tourism and government. He has a varied background having worked in membership and customer service, sponsorship and partnership development as well as, marketing and communications positions. He has worked hand in hand with volunteers, staff and Board members to deliver program and initiatives to a variety of stakeholders and publics.

Before joining the Council on Aging, Roch served as Program Coordinator, Alumni Benefits and Services with the uOttawa Alumni Association. During this time, he developed an interest in fundraising which led him to positions with the Montfort Foundation and most recently the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services. He is currently enrolled in the Fundraising Management certificate program at Algonquin College.

Roch Pilon

Director, Community Development

Tom Kelly

Director, Education

Tom Kelly joined the Council on Aging of Ottawa (COA) in January 2023 as the Director of Education. Prior to joining the COA, Tom was the Training Administrator for Psychiatric Survivors of Ottawa (PSO). He brings more than 20 years of experience working with diverse age groups in the mental health and addictions systems of care.

Throughout his career, Tom has had the opportunity to work with many CEO’s, Senior Management staff, front-line staff, community members and other stakeholders.

As the Director of Education, Tom will focus primarily on the development, organization, and delivery of the Smart Aging Program as well as providing support to other educational and advocacy events. Such programming will be directed to older adults throughout the city of Ottawa including isolated older adults and other older adults at risk in both official languages.

With over 20 years of experience in the public mental health and addictions field and having worked with private companies and government agencies, Tom was responsible for providing technical assistance to different agencies and organizations across different systems of care. His experience includes coaching and training staff in the use of strength-based and person-centered planning principles.

He has designed and developed training and presentations for national, regional and local conferences on topics including mental health, wellness, suicide prevention, peer support, resiliency, recovery and trauma informed care speaking to over 500 audiences across North America reaching more than 15,000 people.

Tom is a Certified Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Trainer and a Certified Advanced Level WRAP Facilitator.

Tom Kelly

Director, Education

Donna Mcleod

Administration

Molly Jones

Project Officer

coa@coaottawa.ca | (613) 789-3577

coa@coaottawa.ca | (613) 789-3577

Board of Directors

Our Committee Leaders

Our Staff

Donna Mcleod

Molly Jones