Board of Directors for 2010 - 2011

President - Richard Turcotte
Vice President - Deborah Valdez
Secretary - Noel Gates
Treasurer - Meryl Scott

All Directors 2010 - 2011

Noel Gates
Stephan Paape
Lydia Richard
Lori Roche-Leblanc
Rhonda Morrison
Meryl Scott
Mary Tessier
Richard Turcotte
Deborah Valdez

Board Executive

Richard Turcotte
President

Richard Turcotte is a 61-year old, Alberta-born grandfather. He is a graduate of the University of Alberta in Public Administration. He is currently the proud grandfather of four grandsons and one granddaughter. Besides currently being very involved with them, he has been very involved in children's education in the Outaouais by serving on the Western Quebec School Board as a school commissioner.

Mr. Turcotte is a retired public servant having worked for the Department of Justice for 32 years before taking his retirement. He has also had a long history with Indian Affairs across Canada due to this work for the public's justice in the Department.

Mr. Turcotte briefly served as the Executive Director of the Regional Association of West Quebecers in 2007. Health issues curtailed his engagement then but he is now back to volunteer his services to the Association by serving on the Board. Mr. Turcotte is fluently bilingual and dedicated to preserving the bilingualism of the region.

Deborah Valdez
Vice President

Happy to be on the Board of the Regional Association of Western Quebecers and ready to offer my professional background and experience to the benefit of the Association. As a recent transplant from the Monteregie, I look forward to better acquainting myself with the region and assimilating into the dynamic fabric of the community.

As an English-speaking Quebec resident who has lived and worked in Montreal, the South Shore and the Eastern Townships, I can fully appreciate the various challenges facing the English-speaking community of the Outaouais in light of declining demographics and scarce resources.  As the Director of Student Services at Heritage College, I come face to face with competing priorities on a daily basis, which generates strategic and creative solutions in order to safeguard quality delivery of college services, while remaining competitive and viable.

I do believe that I will contribute, in a concrete way, to the English-speaking community in Western Quebec.

Meryl Scott
Treasurer

Meryl was born in the Pontiac and comes from a family that has been in West Quebec for several generations and she understands the problems of the English-speaking population in this area. She has an extensive business management background including experience as a comptroller of co-owned Scoville Development and Design Inc. Meryl also formed another company called Meryl Scott Interior Design & Décor Inc. which she has successfully managed for over 30 years. She has a long history of dealing with personnel, the public, suppliers and subcontractors in a fair and positive manner.

Effective sales and interpersonal skills add to her successful approach to many tasks and subjects for over 36 years as a designer. In 2007 Meryl was chosen Business Woman of the Year by the Consumers Choice Awards for the national capital region. This award was decided from polling 2, 580 consumers in this region.

Her ability to envision constructive solutions and to communicate effectively on a wide range of subjects, makes her an asset to RAWQ's Board of Directors. Meryl enjoys working with other members in the community, on the Board, the Outreach and the Personnel Committees and as the Treasurer of the Board.

Noel Gates
Secretary

Born and raised in England, Noel studied philosophy, politics and economics before emigrating to Canada in 1950. Once here, he received Master's degrees in political science from Queen's University (1951) and in linguistics from the Université de Montréal (1964). He has worked as a Parliamentary Interpreter in the House of Commons and the Senate, as well as a grants officer with the Canada Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Since retiring in 1985, Noel has been active as a free-lance translator and has been a member of the Regional Association of West Quebecers board of directors since 2002 together with his wife Ilse-Marie. The couple are also volunteer editors of RAWQ's newsletters and other publications. They have four grown-up children and four grand-children.

Board of Directors for 2010 - 2011

Rhonda Morrison

After a brief stint living in Ottawa and Toronto, Rhonda Morrison returned to her hometown, Shawville, Quebec,   with her husband in 1989 to raise their family in a rural setting. Rhonda is currently Interim Director of the Outaouais office of CEDEC (Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation).

Her experience on the job and many roles with various volunteer organizations have given her a vast network of contacts and understanding of the challenges of non-profit organizations and the English-speaking community of rural Quebec.

Rhonda is testament to life-long learning and the value of capacity building as she was afforded the opportunity to grow and build her skills with CEDEC for the past 10 years. She is a very proud Outaouais resident and loves working in and with her community.

In communities across Quebec, CEDEC shares its experience in planning and developing partnerships with the aim to strengthen local economies and employability of the English-speaking and broader community.

Stephan Paape

Stephan Paape was born in Montreal, Quebec but grew up in North Bay, Ontario. He has a BA in International Studies from Glendon College of York University and an MA in International Affairs, with a focus in international development, from Carleton University. Following his undergraduate degree, Stephan spent a year and a half teaching English in South Korea. He is currently a public servant. Stephan's time with the Public Service has involved various positions with the Canadian International Development Agency and the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Stephan is interested in economic, social and environmental issues. He is also a member of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and stays active through community and local sports organizations.

Lydia Richard

Lydia has been an Aylmer-ite for over forty years and identifies with the Outaouais. She was teacher for 29 years before the fusion of the school boards. She is a mother of six and grandmother of eleven children. Needless to say, she is well acquainted with all of the challenges that parents and children face growing up in the English-speaking Community of West Quebec.

In recent years she has noticed that local health-care support groups are weak to non-existent for English-speaking residents. She would like to be a part of seeing support groups re-established especially to assist those dealing with grief and cancer. Besides assisting with other issues and activities, Lydia hopes that as a volunteer member of the West Quebecers Board of Directors, she would be able to help strengthen health-care support groups' and be instrumental in coordinating their efforts.

Lori Roche-Leblanc

Lori arrived in Aylmer from San Francisco in 2007 marrying a French-Canadian.  She loves her new home and takes great pride in it.  Her husband's family is bilingual with French as their native tongue. Being English-speaking and married into a French-speaking family has its rewards and difficulties.  Culture shock hit her right away with French everywhere in writing and in most conversations.  In search of a role in her new home, Lori found RAWQ.  Two and a half years ago she called the office and was invited to drop in for coffee. Since then she has periodically volunteered in the office, on committees and on the Board.  Lori has now returned to the Board after taking some time off.

Lori brings a vast range of experience with her from the States such as office management, web site design and finally running a successful business in dog boarding and training.  She was secretary / community liaison of her local neighbourhood association for eight years meeting with residents, district supervisors, and charitable and environmental organizations.  Lori spearheaded the effort of getting her neighborhood zoned for permit parking by organizing the residents and conducting public hearings.  She also was the conduit through which neighbours could communicate. Through this network they helped police solve burglaries in the area, installed a safer floor in a park playground, formed community gardens, reduced speed limits, closed a business that encouraged drug use in back alleys, built bicycle lanes, etc. 

Lori is a strong advocate for community organizations knowing through experience that people can make a difference if they stand up for what they believe in and support each other! 

Mary Tessier

Mary has sat on the Board of the West Quebecers for many years. As an active community member, Mary sits on the board of St.Vincent de Paul and is a volunteer at St. Mark's Church with the CWG. Mary's strengths in community service lie in her good nature and positive attitude, Mary will continue to Chair the Outreach Committee of the Association where she has a pivotal role in the planning and implementation of the association's social events, such as the Awards Banquet, Golf tournaments, and membership activities.