• e. bhodge@unitedwayhpe.ca
• p. 613.962.9531 ext. 30

Brandi Hodge

Executive Director

Brandi’s passion for the United Way movement saw her first join the organization in 2005, and after a brief hiatus from 2009-2010, she re-joined in 2011; she believes United Way’s are uniquely positioned with its mandate, its brand power, and the respect of the community to contribute to and affect positive change.  As a facilitator and strategic planner Brandi has been actively involved in the social service sector for the majority of her career working with people with disabilities, children, seniors, fundraising and community impact. She has vast experience and interest in organizational improvement initiatives most often working with not for profit organizations and networks to facilitate strategic plans, operational plans, board recruitment, good governance strategies, team building days and the development of policies and procedures. She is a trained facilitator in outcome measurement and evaluation. Brandi is a graduate of Loyalist College, and is a life-long learner with numerous continuing education certificates and courses.

Brandi is a strong believer in community development and grassroots approaches to social issues and is often found working alongside other passionate individuals and organizations to improve community conditions.

She is a life-long resident of Hastings County and lives in Stirling with her husband and two boys.

• e. mcressman@unitedwayhpe.ca
• p. 613.962.9531 ext. 24

Melanie Cressman

Director of Donor Relations

Melanie cares deeply for those in need, and as an entrepreneur she operated Halladay’s Equine for close to 20 years.  Her business model positively impacted many at risk youth, and other vulnerable members of the community.  The business was both a school of horsemanship, as well as a therapeutic place for many people in the community. She has collaborated with local agencies such as North Hastings High School, Community Integration, Children’s Aid Society, United Way, Trillium Foundation, Bancroft Community Transit, Local Doctors, Maggie’s Resource Centre and several other supporting organizations. Having worked for the past two plus years at Procter and Gamble, Melanie has been heavily involved in United Way HPE product sales, and campaign activity — being a strong believer in the work of the United Way in our community.

Melanie has a Bachelor of Science (Agriculture), University of Guelph, majoring in Resource Management.  She is also a certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor, and a 3 time recipient of Silver Power of You Award of excellence in the workplace and presentation skills/ Procter and Gamble. As a sales and fundraising professional with more than 15 years of experience, Melanie brings a great deal of enthusiasm to her position as Director of Donor Relations, United Way Hastings and Prince Edward.  She is a long-time advocate for the United Way movement.

• e. jsmith@unitedwayhpe.ca
• p. 613.962.9531 ext. 29

Jennifer Smith

Resource Development Specialist

Jennifer joined United Way HPE in January 2019.  She has a passion for discovering new ways of bringing non-profits and local businesses together to help facilitate positive impacts within our community. She brings an array of non-profit, development and marketing experience, along with over 10+ years of involvement within the broadcasting and media sectors.

As Resource Development Specialist within United Way Hastings Prince Edward, Jennifer’s goal is to inform local businesses about exciting opportunities within the United Way movement, and how to get involved with the many individuals, programs and services helped along the way.

• e. jcooper@unitedwayhpe.ca
• p. 613.962.9531 ext. 28

Jodi Cooper

Director of Community Impact

Jodi has experience in advocacy, project management, community partnerships, teaching, content creation, and customer service. She studied media and video production at Loyalist College, has an honours BA in Contemporary Studies, and an MA in Communication. Her research focused on collaboration, community building, and dialog generation – between creators/organizations and their publics. Jodi grew up in and around the Belleville area, and has worked with many different community organizations to produce multimedia content to deliver their message. She is an active committee member of Belleville Downtown DocFest.

Jodi is passionate about youth advocacy and children’s rights, having participated in the International Conference on War-Affected Children (2000) as a youth delegate. With her background, she very interested in the opportunities around media literacy, advocacy, and empowering individuals to get their voices heard.

• e. acooke@unitedwayhpe.ca
• p. 613.962.9531 ext. 35

Alyssa Cooke

Community Impact Coordinator

Alyssa joined our team in September of 2019. Her background in managing a membership-based organization is proving invaluable to United Way HPE. She has an education in business, excels in customer service, is skilled at relationship building and has a proven track record with event fundraising.

Alyssa is excited to build on her strengths and experience and her commitment to health and overall wellness by engaging with the community to foster her passion for helping others, to help kids experience amazing opportunities and to make lasting connections with her community.

• e. youth2youth@unitedwayhpe.ca
• p. 613-962-9531 ext. 23

Kaitlyn Lalonde

Youth2Youth Coordinator

Kaitlyn is the newest member to the United Way HPE team. She has a passion for empowering and advocating for young individuals by working as an ally to support them in making positive and impactful changes to not only their own lives but to the community as a whole. It is important to her that each young voice is not only heard but truly listened to and that they gain the tools and skills to be successful in all that they do.

Kaitlyn recently graduated from Trent University with her Bachelors of Social Work degree. Before she attended University, she completed her Mental Health & Addictions diploma at Fleming College. She is passionate about breaking down stigmas and barriers that are often associated with mental health and substance use and strongly believes in advocating and educating wherever she can.

As the Youth2Youth Coordinator at United Way HPE Kaitlyn is excited to build strong and lasting relationships with the youth and see their passions come to life. She is also passionate about working with the community partners who are dedicated to supporting youth. She strongly believes in the United Way and Youth2Youth movements and is excited to be a part of it.

• e. communications@unitedwayhpe.ca
• p. 613.962.9531 ext. 22

Tracey Reid

Marketing and Communications Manager

Tracey has been a graphic designer for over 25 years, with experience in communications, marketing and public relations. Tracey has dedicated almost 10 years to the nonprofit sector. These experiences have given her a deep appreciation for how nonprofits improve the quality of life in our community, and Tracey is devoted to using her skillsets to assist them in this goal by making their communications more personal, more genuine and more human.

Tracey also continues to nurture these values and passion for community in the next generation of marketing professionals through teaching graphic design courses online at Loyalist College.

Tracey believes that smart, ethical marketing can make the world a better place. She strives to create content that helps nonprofits tell better stories, push their organizations to excel and do work that matters. Tracey’s passion for great design and love of her community shines through in her work, and this is why Tracey is honoured to do this at United Way Hastings & Prince Edward.

• e. finance@unitedwayhpe.ca
• p. 613.962.9531 ext. 25

Corrine Engelmann

Finance Manager

Corrine joined United Way after many years of providing accounting services to charities and small businesses in Belleville.

Originally from Toronto – Corrine’s career began in a chartered accounting firm, and in due course she opened her own small business accounting company.   A chance to relocate for her husband’s work brought the opportunity for travel, and as a member of the International Women’s Club and other non-profit organizations in various cities abroad, she volunteered for almost two decades in a diverse range of activities, from making baby blankets for teenage mothers living on the street in Mexico City to creating a health database at a free medical clinic for African immigrants in Moscow.

Happily settled in Center Hastings, and while working on the business side of local charities and non-profits, she witnessed the enormous generosity of individuals and businesses in our area, as well as the dedicated work of local community agencies, and is delighted to be using her skills to provide back office support to the devoted team at United Way HPE.

• e. support@unitedwayhpe.ca
• p. 613.962.9531 ext. 21

Rhea Patio

Administrative Assistant

Rhea has a thorough and comprehensive background in the Customer Service Industry, having worked for over 10 years as the Lead Customer Care Representative in the business sector of the telecommunications/cellphone industry. Her skills include effective customer service/interaction and optimal efficiency in large-scale operations. Rhea has gained extensive experience through a variety of different positions which provided her with many opportunities to work for a multitude of people of varying cultures and diversified groups.

Rhea came to United Way HPE after volunteering for six months, donating her time and effort, connecting personally with donors.  Rhea fosters an environment of collaboration, cooperation and mutual respect.