Board of Directors

Chair

Barbara is a retired Certified Fund Raising Professional. Her professional career in the philanthropic sector includes positions as Philanthropic Counsel within various charitable organizations, Chief Development Officer with the QEII, Executive Director with the Colchester Regional Hospital Foundation and Director of Public Relations for the Colchester Regional Hospital.

Barbara holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Consumer Studies) from the University of Guelph.

She is a dynamic, dedicated senior management and fundraising professional with a proven record of success and demonstrated ability to assemble effective, productive teams with a donor-centred focus. During her career, Barbara has been responsible for leading several major fundraising campaigns and served as a volunteer with the Make Way Campaign – Truro Campus Community Appeal Committee. 

Her passion for NSCC is a result of a sibling's experience as a mature student at the College and witnessing the positive transformation in that person's life path.

She is a keen and active community volunteer as a current member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Truro and holds a leadership role in the Truro Christmas Index Program. Barbara resides in Valley, Nova Scotia.

Vice-Chair

John Lindsay is Chairman of East Port Properties Limited, a realty advisory firm focusing on workplace real estate in Atlantic Canada.

Significant projects have included Purdy’s Wharf in downtown Halifax, the Bluefrog Business Campus and Wilkinson Warehouses in Burnside, 351 & 235 Water Street in downtown St. John’s and the Beclin Business Park in Mount Pearl.

These developments included the first office building seawater cooling system and the first internet as a building service in North America, as well as 10 LEED Certified buildings, including the first LEED Certified multiple occupancy warehouse in Canada, the first LEED Gold office in NL and the first LEED Certified warehouse campus in Canada.

A long-time YMCA volunteer, John is a past Chair of the Halifax YMCA and past Vice-Chair of YMCA Canada and is currently Chairman of the Capital Campaign for the new YMCA Centre of Community in central Halifax.

Secretary Treasurer

Anne-Marie brings extensive executive business and senior financial leadership experience within diverse sectors including clean technology, higher education, real estate, and energy. Anne-Marie is currently the Chief Financial Officer of SwitchPACE Community Interest Corporation. She was the inaugural President & Chief Executive Officer of CPA Atlantic School of Business and held senior leadership positions as Principal through The CFO Centre Canada and at CPA Canada / CMA Canada.

Anne-Marie is a chartered professional accountant with a BBA from the University of New Brunswick and an MBA from Heriot-Watt University. She was nationally recognized with the prestigious Fellow of the Society of Management Accountants designation, followed by the Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant award from CPA Nova Scotia. Anne-Marie was honoured to receive the Certificate of Achievement from UNB Fredericton in 2019 for outstanding service to the accounting profession, followed by the Top 50 CEO award from Atlantic Business Magazine in 2021.

Actively involved in her community, Anne-Marie currently volunteers as Chair of the BBA Program Advisory Committee at Yorkville University, as a member of the Investment Committee at the University of Kings College, as an advisor with the CBP-DTO Advisory Board, and is a course facilitator with CPA Canada’s Financial Literacy Program. Anne-Marie is the past President of Financial Executives International Canada - Atlantic Chapter and past Vice President at Large of the Canadian Academic Accounting Association.

Board of Governors Representative

Gerry Post is best known in Nova Scotia for his advocacy to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities. Internationally he is known for his work in city planning, geomatics and public sector modernization. He was born in post-war Holland and then his family immigrated to Canada in the early 1960’s. He fell in love with the country because of its abundant geography and opportunities – but his gratitude for Canada and its veterans stems back to his upbringing in Holland.

Gerry graduated from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1975 with a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Urban Planning and began his professional career as the youngest municipal Director of Planning in Canada with the Town of Ajax. He made his way east in 1976, when he became the Director of Planning for Windsor-West Hants in Nova Scotia.

Gerry has worked for the Council of Maritime Premiers as a land use and geomatics advisor and became involved in international development in Latin America through the University of New Brunswick. He spearheaded an expert panel that helped to revolutionize Ontario’s land registry system through a public-private partnership.

In 1990, Gerry became the CEO of Eastcan Geomatics and won the Nova Scotia Export Development award. He also worked as a Senior Manager at KPMG on projects to modernize land records management in Jamaica and the public sector in Qatar, as well as the Bangladesh Environmental Management Project, the Jordan National GIS Strategy, and the City of Amman Master Plan. The master plan project was recognized with the World Leadership Award in Town Planning and Urban Governance. He also partnered with the Mayor of Amman to create the Amman Institute for Urban Development, a think-tank that advised many organizations and governments in the Middle East and was recognized by the World Bank in its global urban development strategy.

Gerry was an advisor to the Prime Minister of Grenada in 2013, working to reform the country’s land and environmental planning records system when he fell ill, which resulted in him becoming paralyzed from the waist down. Since then, Gerry has worked extensively with the accessibility movement. He won a Nova Scotia Human Rights Award in 2017 for his work as the spokesperson for the Bill 59 Community Alliance which advocated for and assisted with drafting the Nova Scotia Accessibility Act.

Gerry came out of retirement in 2017 to become the inaugural Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Accessibility Directorate. Here he established a partnership between NSCC, the Rick Hansen Foundation and the Province of Nova Scotia to introduce the Rick Hansen Association Accessibility Certification Program to our province. Gerry is currently retired while remaining active as a volunteer and advocate for accessibility and community planning.

Director

Following high school graduation in Amherst, David pursued a marine career aboard Bluenose II while obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Recreation Management from Acadia University.

After working in broadcast sales and management with ATV, he and his wife Elizabeth moved to Yarmouth to open their first Tim Hortons franchise in 1986.

Their company, Adcor Marketing Limited, grew to include five Tim Hortons and a Wendy's restaurant. Recently retired, David is enjoying being a new grandparent, spending time with family and remaining engaged in his community.

Along with serving on Tim Horton's boards and committees nationally, he has served on the boards of Nova Scotia Business Inc, Yarmouth Hospital Foundation, Yarmouth Rotary Club and Western Regional Enterprise Network.

David was named Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce and Commerce Magazine Business Person of the Year in 2007.

Director

Mi'kmaw from Listuguj, QC, Houston is a lawyer who is passionate about educating the wider public on issues of social justice and helping allies and those wishing to become allies on what it means to be Indigenous in Canada.

His motivations come from growing up in an Indigenous community at a time where his community was constantly negotiating with the Federal and Provincial governments over resource allocation such as logging and fishing.

In 1981 the Department of Fisheries and Oceans alongside Sécurité de Quebec raided his community with hundreds of officers beating citizens and seizing fishing nets.

These moments strengthened Houston’s resolve to join the fight in the court rooms and at the negotiation tables where these discussions take place.

Now his passion is educating the wider public so these tragic incidents remain a thing of the past.

Director

Sharon is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and earned her MBA from Saint Mary’s University. Sharon started her career in the banking industry in Toronto before moving to Halifax to start her own business in the baking industry. After ten years as an entrepreneur, Sharon moved on to a senior finance position in the agricultural industry, where she spent 15 years as a CFO. Sharon now works as a Portfolio Chief Financial Officer with The CFO Centre Canada, ensuring clients are positioned for success by leading, developing and executing financial strategies. Sharon has a variety of experiences working as a volunteer with organizations that support the development and education of young people.

President

Don Bureaux, President of Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), is an experienced leader dedicated to the education of adult learners throughout Nova Scotia. His background includes teaching, program development and administration and collaborating with educational institutions around the globe to create successful learning opportunities for students.

Read full bio

Director

Andy Cutten is a founding partner of Halifax Global Inc., a management consulting firm in Halifax, where he provides executive advisory services, strategic and operational planning, financial modelling, consultation and facilitation services.

Originally from Truro, Andy obtained his Bachelor of Commerce Degree at Saint Mary’s University and his MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business, Northwestern University, Illinois. His professional designations include CPA CA (Chartered Professional Accountant, Canada) and CMC (Certified Management Consultant).

Andy previously worked with Ernest and Young (EY), the International Department of CIBC, Moore Corporation Ltd., and he has lived in Toronto, London (England), Chicago (Illinois) and Annapolis, Maryland.

In 2017, he and his wife Glenda started a rare book business, Raven & Gryphon Fine Books.

Andy is a Board member with the Canadian Forces Liaison Council Nova Scotia and a past Board member of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) Nova Scotia.

Director

Bob MacEachern began his broadcasting career over 30 years ago and is the owner of Port Hawkesbury based radio station CIGO-FM. In 2013 he received the Radio Television Digital News Directors’ Lifetime Achievement Award.

He is a partner in several companies based in the Strait Region. Bob is active with community organizations including past president of the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce, past Vice Chair of NSCC Board of Governors, Inverness-Richmond Career Development Centre, Festival Antigonish and the Port Hastings Historical Society.

Bob is married to Brenda MacEachern and is a father of three.

Director

Julianne Misner brings an insightful community-level alumnus perspective to her role on the NSCC Foundation Board as a two-time NSCC graduate with four years of leadership experience in student government.

Her involvement with the College continued after graduation through the ongoing development of community partnerships, participation in special events and support of student-driven campus initiatives.

Now a Program Assistant with the NSCC Annapolis Valley Campus Achieve Program, Julianne supports learners transitioning from supported high school programs to greater independence and community connection.

Julianne has more than a decade of experience in employment support, career planning and service navigation, giving her real-time insight into local labour markets, the complex challenges facing job seekers, opportunities for community development and economic stimulation.

She specializes in solution-focused, strength-based coaching that motivates others to effect positive change in their lives.

Director

Tom Wile is Vice President of Sales, Atlantic Canada, with NEI Investments.

As a 20+ year investment professional, Tom's primary focus is delivering differentiated investment solutions to financial advisors in the world of Responsible Investments and ESG Integration. Over the years, Tom has worked on the institutional and retail side of the investment industry.

A Halifax native, Tom is married and has two grown children attending MUN and Queens. As an entrepreneur, Tom founded and owned Tom's Little Havana, a Halifax staple in the food and beverage business, for 20 years until selling in 2017.

In addition, Tom has sat on numerous boards and investment committees in Halifax, including Nova Scotia SPCA, Sacred Heart School and Neptune Theatre.

Ex-Officio

Ashley Power is the Executive Director of Nova Scotia Community College's Foundation and Alumni Relations team.

Ashley’s NSCC connection started as a student in 2000. During her five years of studies at NSCC, Ashley was heavily involved with student leadership and was part of the core team who developed the first Student Association common constitution for NSCC.

Having completed Applied Communications Arts, Graphic Design, Radio Television Arts (now Radio, TV & Journalism), and Public Relations programs at NSCC, a path that was only made possible through student awards and bursaries, Ashley worked for several years in non-profit with Skills Canada-Nova Scotia leading both provincial and national events, along with program management and volunteer coordination.

As alumni, she remained keenly involved in the life of the College, participating in NSCC’s strategic planning, along with being an ambassador for the College and a mentor to students.

She eventually returned to NSCC in 2007, when she was hired to explore a new college-wide alumni program. Ashley developed that concept into the robust pan-provincial program it is today, with an alumni community of over 100,000 and over $1 million raised in contributions to the Alumni Engagement Fund. After her return, she also served as a staff representative on the NSCC Board of Governors.