Board of Directors
President
Annie Carruthers
Now retired, Annie Carruthers was a career public servant who joined the Canadian Federal Government as a policy analyst in 1993. She worked in four different ministries, focusing on areas related to cultural policy, violence against women, anti-racism, and Indigenous relations. Annie has also previously served on the boards of non-profits in the Canadian book sector, and volunteered in community radio and as a crisis intervention counsellor for victims of sexual assault.
She joined the Options Bytown Board of Directors in 2017, driven by her belief that a safe home and a welcoming community are fundamental building blocks to the health, healing, and wellbeing of individuals. In addition to being passionate about the eradication of homelessness, Annie is interested in issues related to food security, including nutrition, community gardening, reduction of waste, and the sharing of food as a way to reduce hunger and build community.
Vice-President
Margaret Singleton
After nearly 40 years working as a professional in social and supportive housing in the UK and Ottawa, Margaret is now retired, while maintaining an ongoing interest in the sector.
Former GM of Ottawa Community Housing and Executive Director of Ottawa Salus, former President of the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association, as well as a former Board Member of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, and of Daybreak Housing, Margaret brings a breadth and
depth of experience to Options Bytown. She was also directly involved in the multi-agency planning group that created Options Bytown in the 1980’s.
Margaret was educated in the UK and holds a degree in Politics and Philosophy from Oxford. She joined the Board in June 2014.
Treasurer
Jason Hunt
Jason is a Certified Financial Planner® practitioner and Chartered Investment Manager® working as an Associate Investment Advisor with Alterna Savings.
Having worked for over 13 years in the financial services industry, Jason has developed expertise in the areas of relationship management, financial planning and strategic planning. Jason is a graduate of the University of Ottawa (Summa Cum Laude) holding a degree in Social Sciences with a minor in economics.
Jason enjoys volunteering his time for causes that promote the economic support and development of individuals with a particular interest in education and financial literacy. Jason’s personal passion is fitness, priding himself on being a functional fitness athlete.
Secretary
Benedict Wray
Benedict is a more recent arrival to Canada, having worked for several years as a lawyer in Britain. He is called to the bars of Ontario and England. He has been involved in charities and non-profits for some years, acting as a long-standing volunteer advocate and later board member of a pro bono legal charity in London, as the Editor-in-Chief of an academic journal, and more recently as a Director of Abbeyfield Canada, a seniors housing charity.
Directors
Kristi Carin
Bio coming soon.
Melissa Dedemus
While studying for her bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and volunteering in the field of domestic violence services at the University of Calgary, Melissa quickly developed an interest in researching housing access and patterns.
After moving to Ottawa in 2018 she joined the Board to get involved locally, and working in the property management sector has galvanized her to advocate for integral housing support systems. Now working towards a graduate degree in Planning, Melissa is also passionate about widespread access to mental health services and community-driven urban development.
Dean Henderson
Dean has over a decade of experience in healthcare working in a variety of acute care hospitals across Ontario and the USA. He is trained as an Occupational Therapist working with multiple interdisciplinary teams to provide high-quality service and improved outcomes. Over the past four years, Dean has taken his expertise and experience to the community side of healthcare working at The Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County, where he helped to improve the services and support available to people impacted by dementia. Dean loves making a ruckus, is always in the search for good explanations. He believes that problems are inevitable and that problems are solvable.
Dean holds a Bachelor of Kinesiology from Acadia University; MSc. in Occupational Therapy from Queens University and an MBA from the University of Liverpool.
Lauren Kupferschmid
Lauren brings a strong background in the non-profit housing sector and extensive volunteer experience supporting organizations serving vulnerable populations. A collaborator at heart, she is eager to contribute to and advance the strategic goals of Options Bytown.
Lauren is fluently bilingual and holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University and an MBA from the Sprott School of Business at Carleton. She works in regulatory compliance and enforcement for the federal government, loves to travel, and is always planning her next backpacking adventure!
Heather Lachine
After graduating from Western University in 1994, Heather became a police officer with the Ontario Provincial Police and in 1999 joined the Ottawa Police Service. She has worked in various positions including Patrol, Community Policing, Human Resources, the Partner Assault Unit, Professional Standards, Youth and Training.
Heather is dedicated to improving things for all members in her police service including equity, diversity and inclusion. She is also dedicated to the community and recognizes the importance of public trust and confidence and giving back when and where she can. Heather lives a very active lifestyle and fitness is a large factor in her life. She has been on the board of directors for Options Bytown since 2017.
Daniel Leblanc
Bio coming soon.
Al Shadid
Ala’a (Al) Shadid is the Operations Manager at Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation (CCOC), the second-largest housing provider in the nation’s capital, and has over 12 years of experience in Facilities Management, Operations Taskforce, Maintenance, Assets Management, Quality Control and Customer Relations Management.
Al is active in many industry groups including ONPHA, Chartered Institute of Housing, Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists, Project Management Institute, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, and has contributed to the profession by lecturing on change management, customer service excellence in different venues.
Al served as a Project and Quality Control Coordinator for United Group Contracting and as the Facilities Coordinator for Gloucester Housing Corporation, where he supervised staff and contactors for several facilities with cross-sectoral projects at various locations across the city of Ottawa before assuming his current position with CCOC.
Al is actively managing a large number of staff and contractors in the Facilities Management Department. His position involves critical decision making, performance management, project management, procurement integrity and compliance, employee relations, multi-million operational budget management, expense reporting, payment recommendations to Senior Management, emergency preparedness, contract planning and client relations.
Al served over six years in one of the largest international hotel chains; fulfilling various roles in Customer Relations, Facilities Management and Operations Management. His responsibilities included facilities, disaster preparedness, safety and risk Management. Al also supervised business continuity policies, procedures, plans and programs.
Al has a passion for social and affordable housing which he sees as a basic human right, and a belief that his experience in customer service delivery has valuable lessons for delivery of housing.
Norm Turner
Norm has worked in the built environment profession for over 30 years. He is a Chartered Surveyor (Appraisal and Real Estate Management), a Chartered Building Engineer and has associate membership with the Institution of Civil Engineers and is a Member of The American Society of Civil Engineers.
Norm is currently Director of Facilities Management with CCOC housing in Ottawa and was previously Director of Asset and Property Management with London Middlesex Housing.
Norm is currently a Board Member with Daybreak housing and acts as an Advisor/Mentor to Housing Start-ups through Community Futures & Regional Enterprise Programs. Previously, he was a board member of Victoria Park Community Homes in Hamilton. Norm was a founding member of the board of the Cochrane Centre in St John’s, where he helped to establish a new supportive housing and outreach charity.
He has additionally served on diverse charitable and non profit boards in the fields of social advocacy, environmental stewardship and heritage preservation. Norm’s experience also includes Asset and Property Management in the commercial and government sectors, property development, project management and infrastructure renewal.
Liz Wigfull
Liz Wigfull has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over 20 years with a special interest in social justice and health equity. She holds a Master’s in Conflict Studies from Saint Paul University and her career has spanned teaching secondary school to international volunteering to mental health policy, adult education and knowledge mobilization. Liz is currently the Manager of Program Development of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Canada and Opening Minds at the Mental Health Commission of Canada where she has worked alongside colleagues for almost a decade seeking mental health equity for all Canadians, including people experiencing homelessness and precarious housing. Liz joined the Options Bytown Board of Directors in 2020.