Our Board

Our board of directors is responsible for setting Volunteer Canada’s strategic direction. The board represents a pan-Canadian perspective on volunteering and civic participation. Collectively they bring a breadth of experience and wisdom that is crucial to the development of sound organizational policies and maintenance of good governance.

Lisa Mort-Putland

Chair

Lisa Mort-Putland joined Volunteer Victoria as their Executive Director in June 2011. Lisa holds a B.A. in Drama and a Masters in Public Administration with a focus on non-profit management. Prior to working with Volunteer Victoria Lisa was the Development Manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Victoria and spent 25 years working and volunteering in the museum and heritage sector.

Rachel Dick

Vice-Chair

Rachel Dick is the Senior Manager, Social Purpose Business Innovation at Coast Capital, Canada’s largest federal credit union, and is responsible for a portfolio of business innovation and transformation initiatives that serve to enrich the lives of Canadians. Rachel has over 15 years of experience in the financial sector in a wide range of roles including leadership, retail banking, sponsorship and events, volunteer management, community investment, corporate campaigns, and employee programs. She currently serves as the past-Chair of Volunteer Canada’s Corporate Community Engagement Council following two years as Co-Chair and on Coast Capital’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council. She holds a degree in Communications and a certificate in Public Relations from Simon Fraser University.

Kirk Muise

Treasurer

As Regional Vice President, Business Financial Services for Alberta and Territories, Kirk leads a team of professionals providing multifaceted financial services and superior advice for business clients.

Through industry specialization, RBC’s commercial financial services centres deliver a differentiated client experience. They provide a complete range of services to meet each client’s specific needs, from sophisticated cash and treasury management services, to all forms of credit solutions.

Originally from Nova Scotia, Kirk has over 25 years of financial industry experience and has progressively advanced his career. He has held various senior leadership roles across Atlantic Canada in Human Resources, Retail Banking, Financial Planning, and Commercial Financial Services prior to be being appointed to his current role in November 2020.

Kirk is a business graduate of Cape Breton University, and holds his Personal Financial Planner designation through the Canadian Securities Institute. In 2016, he was a recipient of the RBC Leo Award in recognition of his community leadership.

Kirk has always been very involved in community activities through fundraising and volunteerism, and is presently serving on Volunteer Canada’s Board of Directors, and is co-chair of Prostate Cancer’s Wake Up Call Breakfast series. A long-time supporter of United Way, Kirk has successfully chaired multiple campaigns, in addition to having served on the Board as Vice-Chair.

He and his wife Manon have two children, Janelle and Dominic aged 13 and 11, and reside in Auburn Bay community.

Don McRae

Secretary

Don McRae worked with voluntary groups and charities for over 30 years with the federal government. During that time, he was involved with the National Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations and the Satellite Account of Nonprofit Institutions and Volunteering. He has been a volunteer for over fifty years (learning at the age of 13 that dogs are suspicious of people handing out pamphlets, but he persisted). Since his retirement, Don has undertaken research on the ebbs and flows of the charitable sector. The research looks at those charities whose charitable status is revoked and the new charities that are registered each year.

Matt Erhard

Member at Large

Matt Erhard, a passionate advocate for volunteerism and community engagement, brings over two decades of leadership and governance experience to Volunteer Canada. Born in Ottawa and an alumnus of the University of Manitoba Asper School of Business, Matt currently serves as the Managing Partner of Summit Search Group, where he focuses on professional recruitment and executive search in Winnipeg and across Canada. Matt’s commitment to making a positive impact extends beyond his professional career. He has dedicated more than 20 years to volunteering in his community, firmly believing in the transformative power of volunteerism to enrich the lives of individuals and strengthen communities. His journey as a volunteer has not only allowed him to contribute to various causes but has also fostered personal growth and a profound sense of community.

Jackie Hunt

Member at Large

Jackie Hunt is a training consultant, community leader and Senior Director Strategy and Impact End Homelessness Winnipeg. She is also the co-founder of The Kindred Project, a non-profit organization that provides feminine hygiene products for over 300 women in need each and every month.

For seven years, Jackie was an elected official in the RM of Ritchot. She began her involvement with the RM as a counselor and then as the mayor. She believes in the power of strong communities and service to others, and she has built a strong reputation working with government, community leaders, organizations and individuals who share those same values.

Gina Jordan

Member at Large

As Manager, Sustainability and ESG Policy at Enbridge Gina Jordan leads the development of sustainability strategies and reporting in support of the company’s transition to a more sustainable, reliable and affordable energy future. Since joining Enbridge’s Public Affairs team in 2006, Gina has held leadership roles in Corporate Citizenship, Stakeholder and Indigenous Engagement, Community Relations and Communications.

Gina has nearly 30 years of public affairs experience in diverse sectors, including energy, telecommunications, healthcare and the nonprofit sector. She recently served as the Co-Chair of Volunteer Canada’s Corporate Community Engagement Council and has experience leading both corporate and non-profit volunteer programs as well as managing a large volunteer centre.

Gina holds a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Communications from Simon Fraser University; certificates in Corporate Citizenship Management and Corporate Community Involvement from Boston College; and a Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from University of St. Michael’s College.

Calgary is home for Gina and her family, where she is an avid gardener, foodie, and passionate community volunteer.

Ambuj Laroiya

Member at Large

A public sector leader for more than 15 years, Ambuj Laroiya grounds his life and work in generosity and compassion.

Ambuj lives in Nova Scotia, where he works at the Halifax Regional Municipality. Ambuj holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering (2007), a CEO award (2014), Mill’s award in marketing (2018), a Douglas C. MacKay award in academic excellence (2019), an MBA from Rowe School of Business at Dalhousie University (2019), and a Board Governance certification from Smith School of Business at Queen’s University (2023).

In his spare time, Ambuj volunteers with United Way Halifax and Karate Nova Scotia, which keeps him educated and informed on the societal issues of health, inclusion, diversity and equity. He is also a facilitator of change, volunteering at the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology, where he was a participant in the testing of the COVID-19 vaccine. Ambuj loves to read African Nova Scotian history and learn about the First Nations Mi’kma’ki peoples of Nova Scotia.

Ambuj makes every day a new day. He believes that life is a journey where mutual learning, empathy, and kindness make us better together.

Alex Medina

Member at Large

Alex has over 26 years of experience with a diverse project portfolio. Alex’s current role is Industrial and Power Business Development Lead for Canada. As the business development lead Alex is part of the leadership team for Resources, covering client development initiatives for all of Canada. Alex covers Engineering and Environmental consulting services in the Power and Industrial sector. Areas of focus Energy Transition (Hydrogen, Biofuels, CCSU, and SMR’s), Co- Generation, Renewables (Solar, Wind, BESS), Power Delivery, Upstream, Midstream and Pipelines. Reporting to senior management, Alex is responsible for having a strong market and client understanding to sustain and grow HDR’s position across Canada. Develop a 5-year plan that includes strategic partnerships, acquisitions and market alignment in support of energy transition while servicing traditional markets. Lead delivery of significant project pursuits, lead partnership opportunities with tier one and tier two general contractors, vendors and consulting firms.

Oversee risk management related to projects and pursuits. Leading and coordinating business development efforts, including market research, client relationships, developing leads, securing contracts, and growing a local project delivery team. Alex has a mandate to grow Canada for numerous sectors with focus in Industrial (O&G, Agriculture Food & Beverage) and Power. Alex forms part of HDR’s Indigenous working group, where he is responsible for engaging First Nations groups throughout Canada, identifying potential partnerships, supporting community engagement while promoting investment.

Adrienne O’Neill

Member at Large

As a Global Controller and Group Chief Accounting Officer at Manulife, Adrienne leads a global team of finance professionals responsible for Company- wide financial reporting practices and controls. She has overall accountability for accounting policy, external and internal financial reporting, expenses, global finance transformation and the enterprise’s financial planning and reporting systems. Adrienne has been with Manulife for 16 years and has held progressively senior roles in the Company’s insurance and wealth businesses. Most recently, she served as the Global Head of Investor Relations where she was the Company’s primary spokesperson to the investment community and oversaw the preparation of investor communication materials. Prior to joining Manulife, Adrienne worked at KPMG in both the assurance and advisory practices.

Adrienne holds CPA, CA and CFA designations and is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University where she obtained an Honours BBA. Adrienne is passionate about education and was deeply involved in CPA (formerly CA) education in Ontario for many years, including serving as a Sessional Lecturer at Laurier for graduate-level accounting courses (evening sessions) and as a Seminar Leader at the CA School of Accountancy held at York University.

Adrienne was raised in Montreal and spent several years in both Calgary and Waterloo early on in her career. She has been based in Toronto since 2013 where she and her husband enjoy the vibrance of the city.

Samantha Reusch

Member at Large

Sam Reusch is the current Executive Director of Apathy is Boring, a national, non-partisan organization that supports and educates youth to be active and contributing citizens in Canada’s democracy. She has been active in the democracy and civic engagement space for over six years, engaging as an advocate and educator to drive investment in positive and effective engagement practices and promote equitable and innovative approaches to civic participation and engagement.

She has continuously engaged a multi-sectoral network of stakeholders (including academic, civil society, private, and public) to advance new understandings of how young people contribute to change-making, volunteerism, and movement-building. Her work is rooted in the right for all citizens to have influence and access to shape our institutions and circumstances, and in the principles of democracy and of human rights for all.

Sam has contributed extensively to media commentary in Canada related to youth participation and elections, current events, policy, and democracy and has proudly published several works speaking on those issues.

Sam is also a proud Montrealer and alum of Concordia University, where she studied Anthropology, specializing in the intersection of identity, politics, and community.

Anna Tran

Member at Large

Anna Tran is the Co-founder and Director of Operations of the Parsec Youth Network (PYN), a non-profit with a global network of thousands of volunteers. In March 2020, in response to COVID-related school closures, Anna led her team to launch a free national online tutoring program to help students with the challenges of online learning, connecting over 500 Canadian students coast-to-coast with volunteer tutors for one-on-one tutoring. She also launched a free summer workshop program to provide over 150 workshops to 300+ families across Canada, in lieu of the cancellation of summer camps and activities due to COVID-19.

Anna holds a BSc. in Honours Life Sciences from McMaster University and studied Human, Social, and Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge. She is currently a research associate at McMaster, and has presented her work at various national and international medical conferences. She actively volunteers in a variety of research-related and leadership roles, including in her role as a Climate Action Catalyst Team Lead for which she has collaborated with municipal partners and healthcare organizations to reduce the ecological footprint of local hospitals.