Jill Atkey is the CEO of the BC Non-Profit Housing Association. She has been involved in the not-for-profit sector for over two decades, focusing over the last decade on research, policy and advocacy on housing and homelessness. Most recently, Jill led the development of the Canadian Rental Housing Index, an interactive web-based tool that has driven media commentary and community planning in communities across Canada, and a 10-year strategy for solving British Columbia’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis.

Jill also leads the strategy for building the community-housing sector’s capacity through education, policy research and direct supports, and works with government partners at every level to ensure a safe, secure and affordable home for everyone. She is a director with Encasa Financial, the Centre and CIH Canada. Jill was appointed to the Canada-BC Expert Panel on the Future of Housing Supply and Affordability. She is a Chartered Member of CIH Canada and has an M.A. from the School of Community and Regional Planning at UBC.

In a professional career in housing that has spanned over 20 years, Lisa has worked extensively with the Canadian government and the non-profit sector. After having led large-scale projects for program development, legislative reform and housing research for marginalized populations, she is currently a senior housing advisor and consultant at Ontario’s Housing Services Corporation. At the HSC she works with administrators and providers (boards and staff) to plan for their future in a changing environment—end of mortgage and expiry of operating agreements—and for financial viability, governance and restructuring.

Lisa is a firm believer in the role the community-housing sector plays in enabling access to secure, affordable homes. As newcomers to Canada in the 1980s, her family lived in community housing as an affordable option after having faced rental discrimination. This experience fueled her career path in the housing sector and she brings a wealth of knowledge to Centre board of directors.

Michelle is the COO of the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC, COHO Management Services and the Community Land Trust, all based in Vancouver and representing almost 15,000 co-op households. Michelle oversees the day-to-day operations of the team and provides leadership in developing and executing an annual operating plan that supports the strategic direction set by the CEO and board of CHF BC.

Michelle is a passionate about the co-operative business model as an ethical, social and sustainable approach to business. She has been involved in the co-operative movement for 15 years and is the treasurer of the BC Co-operative Association and a non-resident member of WISHS housing co-operative. A Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR), Michelle is in her final year of the Masters of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Union, at the International Centre of Co-operative Management at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Involved with the Réseau Québécois des OSBL d’Habitation since January 2015, Jacques Beaudoin is also a member of the Barreau du Québec. Jacques started being involved in social initiatives as a student in the late 1970s and has developed a solid expertise in supporting community organizations since. Before joining the RQOH team, he worked at the Mouvement Action-Chômage de Montréal, where he represented Employment Insurance claimants before the administrative courts. Since then, he has devoted his expertise to the community-housing sector. He firmly believes that the right to affordable and adequate housing is an essential condition for all citizens’ development. As RQOH’s secretary-general, he is responsible for public affairs and research and shares responsibility for the governance of the organization.

After having worked as director-general of the Federation of Montérégian Housing Cooperatives for more than four years, Daniel now enjoys his retirement  while staying active representing the Quebec Confederation of Housing Cooperatives (CQCH) and its 1,300 members.

At the CMHC from 1982 to 2015, Daniel worked his way up in various positions, mainly in Québec (Montréal region), including a two-year stint at the CMHC head office in Ottawa, where he led and coordinated Appraisal and Inspection Services nationwide. With the support of multidisciplinary teams, he wound up his career as manager – portfolio management, where he was responsible for federal social-housing stock in Québec.

Daniel’s academic background includes an MBA in real-estate management as well as a Business Administration degree from UQÀM. He also holds a certificate in Building Mechanics from École Polytechnique (Université de Montréal), as well as a college diploma in Architecture Technology.

Kit Hickey is the executive director of Housing Alternatives Inc. and of Rehabitat Inc. Housing Alternatives has been providing development and property-management services to housing co-operatives and non-profit housing organizations in the Saint John, N.B. area since 1981. Rehabitat, incorporated in 1985, owns 103 units of non-profit housing for seniors, families and non-elderly singles in Saint John and the surrounding area.

Kit has been with these organizations since their founding and also serves as past-president of the New Brunswick Non-Profit Housing Association and is a board member of several other non-profit organizations in Saint John. Kit received the CMHC Award for Outstanding Contribution to Co-operative Housing in 2004.

As CEO of Horizon Housing, Martina came to the role in 2017 with 20 years of experience in the real-estate sector and a strong track record of driving meaningful growth, solid operations and stakeholder focus. With an ambitious strategic plan, Horizon offered the perfect marriage of her experience in real estate and her passion for implementing innovative solutions.

As a respected leader within the sector, Martina is committed to building strong partnerships with government, private sector and community groups. She currently serves as co-chair of the Community Housing Affordability Collective (CHAC), provides leadership as chair for the Opening Doors Conference and is a member of the Calgary Local Immigration Partnership Council and the Aboriginal Standing Committee on Housing and Homelessness. She serves on boards for the Community Housing Transformation Centre and the Alberta Network of Public Housing Agencies. Martina also served on The city of Calgary’s Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB) for more than a decade and holds a master’s degree in Environmental Design from the University of Calgary and a Certificate of Advanced Real Estate Development Economics from Simon Fraser University.

Jaimee Gaunce is a member of Pasqua First Nation. She holds degree in Kinesiology and Health Sciences with a focus in Indigenous Health. She is currently completing a Double Honors Degree Program in Criminology and Policing at Wilfred Laurier University.

Jaimee’s extensive experience in human resource management and communication with stakeholders, project management and planning has ensured her leadership in the many roles she has occupied as a commercial and community Indigenous consultant. She also sits on the Justice Committee for the Pasqua First Nation. Jaimee is strong in traditional knowledge, providing her with the ability to successfully consult with First Nations and build trusted and successful relationships. In the past, she has worked as a consultant with Ranch Ehrlo working with young women who are aging out of care.

Sandra has 30 years of housing experience in the North. Her first 8 years with the NWT Housing Corporation started in the Baffin region of Nunavut, then to the South Slave Region of the N.W.T and then to the head office in Yellowknife.

In 1998, Sandra took on the role of corporate representative for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. She has filled a variety of roles with CMHC as the work has evolved. She worked as the Northern Housing Specialist for all three territories. Over the years, she has gained an enormous knowledge of northern housing issues and solutions and is well connected with a network of northern industry stakeholders. She has hosted three tours of the North for the CMHC board of directors, allowing the opportunity to pass on the unique cultural and logistical aspects of the housing sector in the North to the board.

Sandra brings a passion for the North, specifically in housing and how critical it is to the well-being of the northern Indigenous communities.

Sandra lives outside of Yellowknife with her Yukon “bush man” and her Alaskan malamute off-grid, and enjoys the outdoors at her cabin in her off time. After 30 years in the North, it will remain her home upon retirement from the CMHC in the summer of 2020.

Tim Ross is the Executive Director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. CHF Canada is a national membership association of housing co-operatives, representing over one thousand members, and home to over a quarter of a million people.

Tim is a nationally recognized non-profit, community, and co-operative housing policy advocate. Through his work with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, he’s forged partnerships across the housing spectrum, and has been a leading voice towards the creation of the federal government’s National Housing Strategy. He is also the founding President of the Community Housing Transformation Centre.
Prior to moving to Ottawa, he served as the Executive Director of the New Brunswick Non-Profit Housing Association, and previously led the Community Action Group on Homelessness in Fredericton.