MEET OUR BOARD
The Board’s role is to provide direction to the Centre on behalf of the community. Board members provide leadership and support the Centre to ensure it meets its goals. They oversee the organization and work with the Executive Director who performs operational duties. The Board extends its support for collaboration by working in partnership with staff and the community to carry out the Centre’s mission.
Geneviève Cimon, Chair
Genevieve is a passionate advocate for youth, social justice, and community partnerships. For twenty years, she worked at the National Arts Centre as their Senior Director of Learning and Community Engagement where she helped increase access to the arts for countless youth living in rural and remote communities across Canada and in the far north. She is now a consultant for arts organizations and is the Interim Executive Director for Propeller Dance.
Kilian McCormick, Co-Vice Chair
Kilian has been working in social policy for 3 years and developed expertise in discussing and developing policy. A main focus of her current position is working with stakeholders, and one of her biggest strengths is bridging the gap between policy makers and those with the lived experience.
Paul Galipeau, Co-Vice Chair
Paul joins CCHC’s Board of Directors with over 15 years of experience in communications and advocacy within the federal public service and with international NGOs. Paul has led advocacy campaigns and mobilized volunteers on a range of global health and social issues including girls education, equitable vaccine access as well as services and treatment for people living with HIV.
Brent Leonard, Treasurer
Brent Leonard is passionate about improving the experience of those navigating the health system and health services, Brent has completed a Master of Health Administration degree and works with not-for-profits to support service delivery, strategy, and fundraising initiatives.
Andrew Parker, Director
Andrew grew up in rural Ontario, moved to Ottawa for school, fell in love with the city and never left. He has a degree in Health Sciences and has practiced law with the federal government for the last 15 years. A member of Ottawa’s queer community, Andrew strongly supports accessible health care for all. In his spare time, when he isn’t cooking or in a spin class, he’s probably hanging out with his cat and friends watching trashy tv.
Jesse Cressman, Director
Jesse is the Director of Communication and Community Engagement at Bruyère, Eastern Ontario's leading health care organization specializing in aging, rehabilitation and complex care. She gets excited about new models of philanthropy, experimenting with new forms of public engagement, creating quality public spaces for people of all ages and abilities, and bringing people together to address community challenges.
Mariline Jean Louis, Director
Mariline is a graduate of the University of Windsor and McGill University. She is passionate about community service and committed to improving the well-being of the community. As part of her role at a non-profit corporation, she provides collaborative leadership to jurisdictions in addressing road safety priorities in Canada and internationally. Driven by values of integrity, collaboration, and accountability, Mariline is committed to ethical decision-making and advocating for access to social determinants of health, aiming for long-term community benefits.
André Blondel Tonleu Mendou, Director
André is a graduate of the University of Ottawa Law School, the University of Moncton, and the University of Montreal. André is also an excellent communicator, a finalist in the World Public Speaking and Parliamentary Debate Competition at Paris Sorbonne University. He taught law at Louis Riel College in Winnipeg and worked as an assistant professor at Victoria University. His interest in the French language led him to serve as a Francophone ambassador to the Saanich School District in British Columbia.
Neil Saravanamuttoo, Director
Neil is a director of CitySHAPES, a non-profit focused on building better cities. Much of his career has been spent in public finance, at the Department of Finance Canada and as the G20 Global Infrastructure Hub’s chief economist. He writes regularly at Fix Your City and the 613.
Aduei Riak, Director
Aduei (She/Her) is a former unaccompanied refugee minor and a recent medical school graduate. She is focused on issues relating to underserved communities and improving cross-cultural communication and health equity, alongside access to health for individuals experiencing poverty, homelessness, forced migration, addiction, and mental health issues. She worked on global health projects, healthy advocacy, and refugee health navigation for more than ten years, including with the Canadian Red Cross and other non-profits.
Joelle Walker , Director
Joelle Walker currently works as the Vice President of Public and Professional Affairs at the Canadian Pharmacists Association, where she leads the advocacy and policy initiatives on behalf of pharmacists. As a longtime resident of Centretown, she is passionate about the community and improving health policies and services for all. Joelle holds degrees in Law and Political Science from the University of Ottawa and is fluent in English and French.
Ray Burrage-Goodwin, Director
Ray is a trans/nonbinary person of settler descent from unceded Wampanoag territory in Massachusetts, United States. They currently work as a program coordinator for Indigenous Clean Energy and help support youth teams advancing renewables projects across the country. During the Covid-19 pandemic they worked in multiple roles in health clinics in Newfoundland and Ontario. Their personal experience as a trans youth from the US brings a unique perspective on community access to health supports. They have served previously on the Board of Directors for the St. John's Rowing Club, working to increase equitable access to recreation for youth in Newfoundland.
Nour Elmestekawy, Staff Representative
Nour, a recent graduate from The University of Ottawa, holds dual bachelor's degrees with a University silver medal in Health Sciences and Social Sciences of Health. She serves as a community health worker at CCHC, specializing in diabetes prevention for immigrant and high-risk communities.
Carol Geller, Staff Representative
Since 1998, Dr. Geller has worked as at Centretown Community Health Centre with a major focus on her practice on working with people who are marginalized secondary to reasons such as homelessness, poverty, mental health and addiction issues and refugee issues.