Gail Walker

Chair

Gail is a collaborative strategy guru who enjoys uncovering intuitive insights to help organizations solve tough problems, envision their future and achieve their goals. As a mentor and university lecturer she helped many marketers build their craft and their careers.

Gail has an MBA from the Schulich School of Business and Level 1 certification from the Get On Board program of the Canadian Board Diversity Council. She has been a Vice President at Scott Paper, AT&T Canada and The Mibro Group and owner of the Millrace Group consulting practice.

Outside of work, Gail’s passions include being a Master Gardener, curling, lawn bowling, theatre, and motorsport. She and her husband Malcolm Elston live in Lonsdale (Tyendinaga).

Hilary Murphy

Vice-Chair

Hilary is a licensed professional engineer in the province of Ontario and is one of the owners of Taskforce Engineering, a design-build construction firm located in Belleville.  Hilary was born and raised in Belleville and the health and wellness of her community has always been incredibly important to Hilary and her family.  It is for that reason that she supports the UWHPE both corporately and personally.  She has been involved with UWHPE as a member of the Campaign Cabinet from 2020 – 2022 and served as chair during the 2022 campaign as well as a member of Women United.  Hilary is looking forward to serving her community and UWHPE in a new capacity as a board member and contributing new ideas and thoughts to an ever changing and evolving social services landscape.

Elvin Green

Treasurer

Elvin Green is a Manager of Revenue Collections at Canada Revenue Agency’s East Central Ontario Tax Service Branch. He has also worked at several volunteer roles within the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte community, such as serving as a financial reviewer for the Mohawk Agricultural Society and the Anglican Parish of Tyendinaga. Through his work with the CRA, Elvin has been involved in many successful Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaigns.  Elvin considers his work as a member of the Board of Directors for United Way Hastings & Prince Edward, as a way to give back to his community.

Katherine Potts

Secretary

Katherine Potts is currently a Senior Manager of the People and Culture team at Loyalist College.  Katherine is a Human Resources Professional with over 20 years of comprehensive human resources experience including: labour relations, performance management, compensation, recruitment, benefit administration and health and safety. Prior to her current role, Katherine worked at an agency for 10 years that received funding from United Way HPE and served as a Board member for 6 years with another funded agency. Katherine saw firsthand the impact United Way HPE has in her community and looks forward to serving on the Board.

Margaret Bourgoin

Board Member

Margaret has been involved with United Way Hastings & Prince Edward for over a decade.

After retiring from the Trenton site of Quinte Health after 34 years, Margaret began volunteering for several organizations and joined the United Way HPE team as a member of the Allocations Committee. She found it to be a great first step, in becoming knowledgeable of all that United Way has to offer the community.

She believes that United Way HPE is a great organization and is proud to be a donor and a Board member. She continues to learn more about the agencies in the community and how much they help others.

Margaret is the current president of Quinte Labour Council and board member with SEIU Local 1 Canada. (SEIU Healthcare)

Bernie Boucher

Board Member

Bernie is a retired railroad executive with an extensive 39-year career, having held several senior management positions at Canadian National Railway and OmniTrax. His experience and expertise span operations, business development, human resources, labour relations, and customer service functions. Beyond his corporate achievements, Bernie is driven by a genuine passion for social enterprise and community service. He dedicated 15 years as Chairman of the Board for Arctic Net, a non-profit network of Centers of Excellence involved in crucial arctic research. His commitment to giving back also extends to various board roles including a Trustee position for the Helen Betty Osborne Foundation in Winnipeg, which supports educational opportunities for indigenous youth, and a Directorship with META Vocational Services in Belleville.

Recognizing the profound impact of the United Way, Bernie eagerly embraces the opportunity to contribute to their vital mission. In recent years he has been involved with the United Way allocation committee. Bernie has a genuine passion for lending his expertise and experience to further the United Way’s vision of transforming lives and fostering a stronger, more inclusive community.

 

Blake Stacy

Board Member

Blake Stacy is an Engineering Manager at Procter and Gamble Belleville Plant. He first became acquainted with the United Way/Centraide(UWCC) Mission through the company’s Workplace campaigns. Starting by volunteering for the workplace events he sought other ways to contribute to the mission of UWCC. In particular Blake is motivated by the leadership role that United Way HPE can play in a community that needs some local love.

Krista Vandermeer

Board Member

Krista Vandermeer grew up in Belleville and brings over 15 years of leadership experience in community health and development. After pursuing a Masters of Public Health, Krista spent 7 years in Africa developing and leading programs aimed at creating healthier communities by breaking down barriers and facilitating access to services and supports for the most marginalized populations in rural Mozambique. Currently, she is the Director of Programs and Services at the Belleville and Quinte West Community Health Centre, striving towards the vision of a healthy community where everyone belongs. This is Krista’s first time sitting on a Board of Directors and she is excited to share her expertise in building health communities and her passion for social justice and health equity.

Shirley Van Steen

Board Member

Shirley has many years of experience in the housing field at the Federal, Provincial and Municipal levels including affordable housing development;
housing program administration; property management; homelessness/emergency shelter programs: mortgage underwriting; and
housing policy.

Prior to retiring from the position of Director, Housing Services with the Regional Municipality of Durham, Shirley was a Regional Director with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Executive Assistant to the Deputy Minister. She was an active community volunteer in Durham Region as Chair of the Library Board; Vice Chair of the Committee of Adjustments; Secretary of the Community Development Foundation; Board member of the United Way and Grant Review Committee Member with the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Since moving to Prince Edward County, Shirley has continued with her volunteerism initially with the Ontario Trillium Foundation and then as Vice Chair of the PEC Affordable Housing Corporation. She enjoyed her experience participating in a United Way’s Citizen Review Panel and often cooks with Food to Share in the County.

Shirley holds a Graduate Diploma in Public Administration (Carleton University) and a B.A. Economics (Queen’s University).

Donna Bovolaneas

Board Member

Donna comes to the Board after a forty-year active career as a professional accountant and over a decade of post-retirement service as an independent director.  Her active career was not traditional, with a variety of progressively senior roles first in auditing, financial reporting, and professional standard setting, and then government relations, public policy development, and financial services regulation in Canada and abroad.  Her final overseas role, as Secretary General of the international Public Interest Oversight Board, permitted her to play a key part in reforming the process of setting international practice standards for the global auditing profession.  These varied experiences forged Donna’s deep commitment to financial reporting excellence and ethical business behaviour, as well as her desire to use her skills to improve lives and futures.

Before moving abroad, Donna served for several years on the Boards of the Ajax-Pickering United Way and Big Sisters of Ajax-Pickering as well as leading a United Way workplace campaign at her federal government office.  After retiring to New Brunswick, she sought to contribute to her new home province through a second career as an independent director for a number of provincial and local boards. These included, amongst others, Service New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Community College, and the Multicultural Association of Charlotte County dedicated to welcoming and settling newcomers to Canada.

Donna moved to Wellington, Prince Edward County in 2024 and is deeply grateful for how welcoming the community has been to her and her husband.  She is eager to make a difference by contributing to better lives, brighter futures and stronger communities through the United Way HPE.

Joanna Hayes

Board Member

Joanna is a lawyer at Henderson Williams LLP in Belleville and Picton, practicing in the areas of wills & estates, real estate and business law. She combines her expertise in business law and estate planning to advise business owners and private corporations on general corporate and commercial matters, as well as corporate reorganizations, acquisitions, and comprehensive business succession planning. Prior to settling in Prince Edward County, Joanna worked for over 10 years as a lawyer in the public sector and various non-profit organizations in Toronto. She provided public legal education to diverse communities and managed access to justice projects for marginalized groups, including women, children, youth, immigrants, refugees, and survivors of gender-based violence. Her experience in community based organizations provided her a deep appreciation for the rigors and complexities of fundraising as well as the strategic and operational planning necessary to build sustainable community programming. With a passion for social justice work and a deep commitment to supporting her local community, Joanna is excited to apply her diverse skill set and advocacy experience as a board member. She is honoured to be part of the important work of United Way HPE in supporting a stronger, more equitable and inclusive community.

 

Pam Julian

Board Member

Pam is a senior nonprofit executive with over 15 years of experience leading provincial and national sport organizations through strategic transformation, governance modernization, and sustainable growth. She currently serves as President & CEO of Ontario Cycling and as Chair of Cycling Canada’s Interprovincial Council, roles through which she has guided organizations in strategic planning, policy development, risk management, and building inclusive, values-driven cultures.

Across her career, spanning Ontario Cycling, Ringette Ontario, and Dive Ontario, Pam has developed a deep appreciation for the role that strong organizations play in building communities where people can thrive. She is also a KidSport Ontario board member, reflecting her long-standing commitment to equitable access and community wellbeing.

A proud resident of Picton, Prince Edward County, Pam is deeply connected to the region and to the people United Way HPE serves. When she’s not in the boardroom, you’ll likely find her exploring the back roads and trails of PEC with her dog, camera in hand, she’s an avid photographer with an endless appreciation for this corner of Ontario. A proud mom and auntie, Pam brings both professional rigour and genuine heart to everything she does. She is honoured to contribute her governance experience and community spirit to the Board, and to be part of the important work of building a stronger, more caring community for all.

Darryl Griffioen

Board Member

Darryl Griffioen is the co-founder of OneLook Productions, a Belleville-based media company specializing in real estate, corporate, and community-focused content throughout Hastings and Prince Edward Counties and the surrounding regions.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management from Royal Roads University and brings experience in business development, marketing, strategic planning, team leadership, and creative storytelling. Through his work, Darryl has collaborated with a wide range of local businesses, organizations, and community leaders, helping them communicate their stories and connect with the people they serve.

Darryl has lived in the region for nearly a decade, first in Prince Edward County and now in Belleville. He values the area’s strong sense of community and enjoys contributing his experience to initiatives that support its continued growth and well-being.

Outside of work, Darryl enjoys travelling, spending time with family and friends, appreciating architecture, design and great landscaping, and exploring the outdoors and local areas with his dog, Charlie.

Craig Jackman

Board Member

Craig is a former Professor at Loyalist College in the Schools of Media and Business.  He was also Vice-President and Acting President of OPSEU Local 420 at Loyalist, and the original PA Announcer for the Belleville Senators.  Prior to moving to the Quinte area, he had a successful media career in Ottawa in the fields of radio and advertising, as well as Contributing Writer for a media magazine and software tester with Adobe Systems.

Craig has been a longtime volunteer.  In Ottawa with the Ottawa Food Bank and with community churches.  Here in Quinte, he is a Director of the Rotary Club of Trenton, a Director with Loyalist College Radio, a member of the Quinte Labour Council, a Director with OPSEU Region 4 Retirees, a volunteer with the Stirling Musical Instrument Lending Library, and a past volunteer with County FM in Picton.

Craig looks forward to working with United Way HPE to continue to make Hastings and Prince Edward vibrant and caring communities for everyone.

Rachel Brown Matthews

Board Members

Rachel Matthews was born and raised in the Quinte region and is delighted to be returning to Belleville with her husband and two young sons after nearly eight years away. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in History from Queen’s University, as well as a post-graduate certificate in Human Resources Management from Humber College. Rachel is also a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) and Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) through the Human Resources Professionals Association.

Rachel brings extensive experience in workforce planning, employee engagement, and strategic leadership across the private and not-for-profit sectors. As Senior Manager of Human Resources and Service Administration at Highland Shores Children’s Aid, she has gained a greater understanding of the challenges facing children, youth, and families in our communities, which in turn has strengthened her commitment to building a more equitable and supportive region for everyone. Rachel is honoured to serve on the United Way Board of Directors. She is passionate about giving back to the community that shaped her and believes in the power of collaboration, compassion, and strong community partnerships to create lasting, positive change.