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Bruno Carchidi
Chair
“My family and friends are extremely important to me. I am grateful that Rideauwood is part of our community and is so deeply dedicated to supporting those in our community. I am honoured to be able to give back in ways that connect so well with my own values.”
Bruno is currently president of Tubman Funeral Homes. He is also Founding Chair of The Unforgettables Fund, active at Toastmasters and a board member of the Ottawa and District Funeral Service Association.
Jennifer Ellis
“I want to be a part of a team that builds people up and supports them to live fully. As a nurse, I’ve seen how addictions affective lives, but have also seen the impact of lives improved”.
Jennifer Ellis is the Director of Quality and Safety at CHEO, where she has oversight for programming as well as operational services enhancing safety. Jennifer is an advocate for putting “Safety First” and is an experienced administrator who has worked in health care, policy, research and quality improvement. Jennifer lives in Ottawa with her husband and three children, and volunteers to support the health and wellness of her community.
Brenda Valente
“Through a professional acquaintance, I had the opportunity to join the Board to provide the knowledge and experience that I have obtained throughout my career as a professional accountant. It is a wonderful experience to be able to give back to a community that I grew up in.”
Since 1998, Brenda’s career has been in public accounting. Brenda obtained my Chartered Professional Accountant designation in 2001 and over the years, she has had the pleasure of helping not-for-profit organizations, small business and individuals in areas of assurance, business advisory and corporate and personal taxation.
Mark Patterson
Mark Patterson started his career in policing in 1997. He is a graduate of Carleton University. As a police officer, Mark has been in the following sections: Patrol Services, Neighborhood, the Youth and Adult Street Gang Section, the Intelligence Section and various other sections within the Criminal Investigations Directorate. He currently holds the rank of Superintendent and oversees the Human Resources Directorate which also includes the Learning and Development Branch as well as the Health, Safety and Wellness Section. Mark is married to Marnie Patterson who is a Principal within the OCDSB. Mark is the proud father of two boys both playing Junior Hockey, one in Canada and the other within the NCAA.
I joined the Rideauwood Board understanding the importance that persons suffering with addiction and mental health problems get the best care possible. I know that the Rideauwood Team is comprised of compassionate and committed members that, as an evolving community, provide effective services to clients to meet their emerging needs.
Vera Reifenstein
“I volunteer at Rideauwood because I am passionate about supporting an organization that helped me and my family through a very difficult time. I want to ensure it provides these critical services to others in the community.”
Vera Reifenstein is a passionate and experienced marketing, sales and management executive with 20 years of experience working in telecommunications and defense industries. She has led teams of marketing and product management professionals for the past 15 years managing large scale revenue targets and budgets. She currently works as a Sales and Marketing Director for Saab Canada, having previously worked as a Director of Marketing, Sales and Product Management at Cogeco Connexions, Bell Canada and BMT Fleet Technology.
Shanika Abraham
‘I joined the Rideauwood Board because I want to make a meaningful contribution to this great organization and the positive difference they make in our community. As a nurse I understand the value of organizations such as Rideauwood in supporting individuals and their loved ones through their journey.’
Shanika Abraham is the Director of Hematology/Oncology at CHEO. Prior to moving to Ottawa 4 years ago, she worked at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Her passion for high quality care and client/family partnership has developed through her 17 years as a pediatric nurse and healthcare administrator in areas such as Mental Health, Neuroscience and now Hematology/Oncology. Shanika lives in Ottawa with her husband and 10 year old son. After recently completing her Masters of Health Administration, Shanika now spends her time being a ‘hockey mom’ and golfing (weather permitting).
Gord Garner
Mr. Garner is the Executive Director of the Community Addictions Peer Support Association (CAPSA); he is a national public speaker and trainer on addressing stigma and Person First Language. He is living well with his own substance use disorder at the time of this writing. He is dedicated to removing barriers, to enable policy writers, academics, researchers and people with experience of substance use disorders active or in remission to take evidence-based actions to improve the lives of Canadians concerning substance use.
I joined the Rideauwood board to help further the great work being done and ensure the unmet and increasing needs of the community can be met. It is also my hope to help Rideauwood be a catalyst for reducing stigma and increasing access for people questioning their relationship to and health in regards with substance use.
Lois Graveline
“Volunteering with Rideauwood as a board member gives me great pleasure and tremendous feelings of pride. To be able to assist their efforts in helping people in need is an investment of time and talent that to me, is worth every minute.”
For over thirty years Lois has worked alongside some of the most amazing local, national and international charitable organizations. Throughout this humbling journey, she has helped build strong and sustainable fund development and community engagement programs while helping others with strategic planning and rebranding exercises. As an independent consultant and founder of Harmonia, Lois hopes to continue improving the environment for philanthropic giving in Canada.
Martin Methot
Vice-Chair
“Rideauwood is a wonderful institution that helped me on my own path to recovery. I have no doubt that it will continue to help many, many others now and in the years to come.”
Martin is a retired executive from Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. He has several years of experience in the non-for-profit sector and brings to the Board a wide range of skills including fundraising, strategic planning and finance. He has been a volunteer since 2013.
Johanne Levesque
‘’I am deeply inspired by the courage and resilience of the people we serve and proud to be part of the team of dedicated Board members and compassionate professionals that support them as they move forward in their journey and achieve their health and recovery goals’’.
Johanne is a health and social care leader whose commitment to improving the health and well-being of individuals and families in this community has served as a backdrop for her professional and volunteer activities for over thirty years. She has successfully delivered on diverse mandates and always with the same set of values – a systems thinker, focused on building compassionate, effective health care services that always put the needs of clients and families at the center.
During COVID-19, Rideauwood has partnered with other agencies through CounsellingConnect to help youth, young adults and adults who are dealing with substance use issues, or other problematic behaviour such as gambling and gaming or supporting a friend/family member who is. If you are interested in a single session to explore these issues, help is just a click away.
