North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services (NEOFACS) is managed by an Executive Director and overseen by a volunteer Board of Governors, composed of members elected from across the Districts of Cochrane and Timiskaming.

The Board of Governors has the duty and the responsibility to govern the affairs and oversee the governance of the organization within the established laws and standards of government.

Become a Board Member:

We are committed to having our Board represent our community with a broad mix of experience, knowledge, and skills. If you are interested in applying to become a member of the NEOFACS Board of Governors, please contact Louise Larose, the Board’s Executive Assistant, at louise.larose@neofacs.org.

Cléo Charlebois
Executive Director

BOARD PRESIDENT
Name: Don Anderson
Location: Larder Lake
Number of years of service: 30+
Background: Law Enforcement, Municipal Politics, Business Owner
Community Involvement: Federation of Agriculture

BOARD VICE-PRESIDENT
Name: Sherwin Knight
Location New Liskeard
Number of years of service: 25+
Background: Community Living Temiskaming South
Community Involvement: Developmental Services Finance Director’s Committee

BOARD TREASURER
Name: Gail Waghorn
Location: Matheson
Number of years of service: 3+
Background: Health Care Services, Public Administration, Chartered Professional Accountant
Community Involvement: The MICs Group of Health Services

BOARD SECRETARY
Name: Catherine Simunovic
Location: Timmins
Number of years of service: 1+ 
Background: Non-profit organizations, social services, child and youth mental health, child welfare, organizational change, strategic planning and governance
Community Involvement: YMCA of Northeastern Ontario, North Eastern Ontario Children's Foundation, Canadian Centre for Accreditation, CMHA Cochrane Timiskaming Branch and Ontario Division, Timmins and District Hospital Foundation.

Name: Ted Assad
Location: Kirkland Lake
Number of years of service: 20+
Background: Retired Business Owner
Community Involvement: Kirkland Lake Police Association Board, Property Adjustment Committee

Name: Tiphanie Hartling
Location: Timmins
Number of years of service: 5+
Background: Social Services, Child Welfare, Health Care, Counseling and Psychotherapy
Community Involvement: Social Worker, Community Services Professor at Northern College

Name: Denis Beaulac
Location: Kapuskasing
Number of years of service: 4+
Background: Healthcare, Kinesiology, Health Administration, Addiction Services
Community Involvement: Centre de santé communautaire de Kapuskasing et région, Kapuskasing and Area Family Health Team

Name: Paul Jalbert
Location: Timmins
Number of years of service: 4+
Background: Mental Health Services, Social Services, Human Studies
Community Involvement: Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), Registered Psychotherapist

Name: Joel McCartney
Location: Timmins
Number of years of service: 3+
Background: Psychological Services, Child and Adult Development, Speech and Language, Social Services, Accessibility
Community Involvement: Cochrane Timiskaming Resource Centre, Certified Psychologist

Name: Dean Lessard
Location: Timmins
Number of years of service: 2+
Background: Post-Secondary Education, Business Administration, Community Services
Community Involvement: Northern College

Name: Mike Petrina
Location: Iroquois Falls
Number of years of service: 1+
Background: Business administration, operations, engineering and project development
Community Involvement: Canadian Institute of Mining, Royal Canadian Legion, Knights of Columbus – Iroquois Falls, Abitibi Golf Club, Block Watch, and B.C. Pets and Friends

Name: Michel Emond
Location: Timmins
Number of years of service: New Member 2023
Background: Foster Caregiver, Bus Driver, Security Guard
Community Involvement: Volunteer, serving as the Sea Cadet Chair for the Navy League Branch Timmins, President of the Foster Families Association Ontario North-East (FFAONE), and Deputy Service Officer for the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 88.

Name: Lindsay Cumming
Location: Timmins
Number of years of service: New Member 2023
Background: CDSSAB - Housing Services, property management, Administration, data analysis and quality assurance, social services

Meetings of the Board of Governors are open to the public, except in cases where matters are confidential and the meeting is deemed closed. Stakeholders interested in attending a meeting must provide twenty-four (24) hours of notice of their attendance to ensure that the venue can accommodate the presence of all stakeholders. Stakeholders who intend to make a presentation or request specific information from the Board shall provide seventy-two (72) hours notice and a summary of the information they intend to present or the information they intend to request. Stakeholders must also indicate the intended duration of their presentation.

Stakeholders who wish to attend one of the scheduled meetings must first contact Louise Larose, the Board’s Executive Assistant, at Louise.Larose@neofacs.org.

Board regular meetings for the 2023-24 session are:

• October 24, 2023
• November 28, 2023
• December 19, 2023
• January 23, 2024
• February 27, 2024
• March 26, 2024
• April 23, 2024
• May 28, 2024
• June 25, 2024