Board of Directors

In addition to the three founders, the directors include experienced individuals from the National Capital Region. We are honoured to have these talented individuals working with and advising Hopewell.

Executive Committee:

President Shelley Shusterman, Co-Founder

Past President Joanne Curran, Co-Founder

Treasurer James Johnstone, CA  Financial Analyst, March Networks

Secretary Judy Smith, Ottawa Catholic School Board Educator

Board Members:

Laura Bruneau, BA. LLB. C.M, lawyer, President Bruneau Group Inc. and NCC Ombudsman.

Mary Bush, former Director General of the Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Health Canada.

Dr. Cathy Kerzner, Psychologist

Nicole Loreto, Director Communications and Community Engagement, Royal Ottawa Health Care Group.

Matthew Rowe, Legislative Assistant and Communications Director to the Hon. Navdeep Singh, Bains, P.C., M.P.

Jane Tallim, Co-Executive Director, Media Awareness Network

Diane Gorman, former Assistant Deputy Minister of the Health Products and Food Branch at Health Canada

Executive Director: Christine Flammer

About our Board Members

Mary Bush Former Director General of the Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion within the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada. Previously Mary led the policy review on nutrition labelling, an important component of Health Canada’s implementation efforts related to 'Nutrition for Health: An Agenda for Action',Canada’s national plan of action for nutrition. Mary provided co-ordination to the Joint Steering Committee during the development of this plan for action, and was involved in the development of the last two versions of Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating. Before joining Health Canada in 1990, Mary worked with the National Institute of Nutrition as program co-ordinator and managing editor of their publication RAPPORT. Over her career she has consulted on many aspects of nutrition, including nutrition education, nutrition labelling and food policy. Born in the Niagara Peninsula, Mary has been an active volunteer with several organizations involved in dietetics and health at the national, provincial, regional and community level. She is a graduate of the University of Guelph with a Masters degree in nutrition.

Joanne Curran A strong belief in health promotion and disease prevention has been behind Joanne’s career choices. A recent recipient of the Y Women of Distinctions Award, Joanne has worked as a Coordinator for Tobacco Sales to Minors and No-Smoking on School Property projects with the Ottawa Regional Health Department as well as the National Nurse Educator and Acting Executive Director of the National Office of the Canadian Diabetes Association. Joanne also volunteered for many years with the Canadian Cancer Society, advocating for improved tobacco laws. After her daughter developed Anorexia at the age of 12, Joanne co-founded Hopewell, The Eating Disorders Support Centre of Ottawa, having found her community sadly lacking in peer support and information services for people affected by eating disorders. Since that time she has been a determined advocate for child and youth mental health, both as President and volunteer Executive Director of Hopewell and as a member of the Consumers and Advocates Network of the Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health at CHEO, the Family Advisory Working Group of the Champlain Mental Health Network, and most recently, the Board of Children's Mental Health Ontario. Joanne also joined Heartwood House's board in 2010. In 1978 Joanne graduated from the University of Toronto with a Masters in Nursing degree and some time later worked as the Executive Secretary of the Canadian Association of University Schools of Nursing. Joanne is married and has three children.

James Johnstone graduated in 2004 from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor Of Commerce (Specalization in Accounting) degree. Currently, James is employed with Deloitte & Touche, LLP and works in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Division.  The majority of his clients are publicly accountable clients operating out of the High Tech sector.  He has been employed with Deloitte for 3 years. In his spare time, James enjoys maintaining an active life, including running, playing baseball and hockey.  He also enjoys cooking and playing guitar.  

Dr. Cathy Kerzner Dr. Cathy Kerzner is a psychologist who works in private practice treating adults and adolescents suffering from eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. A Medical Research Council Studentship Award supported her graduate studies and research which examined factors contributing to and treatment for eating disorders. She has worked in several hospital based eating disorders clinics including those at the Ottawa Hospital, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and the Douglas Hospital in Montreal. Her work in private practice now incorporates hospital based approaches within a client centered private practice setting. In addition to presenting her research at professional conferences, Cathy has given numerous lectures educating the public about dieting and eating disorders. She has served on Hopewell’s Board for the past three years. Cathy enjoys various sporting activities particularly running and waterskiing. She is a frequent volunteer on school field trips and other community activities and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Nicole Loreto is Director of Communications and Community Engagement of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, a leader in mental health. Nicole has extensive experience in communications, public affairs and media relations within both the private and public sectors. Nicole has provided strategic communications leadership across a variety of fields including high tech, municipal affairs, culture & heritage, and health & social issues. She also produced the award-winning Civilization Costume Ball and the Age of Style at the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum. Nicole holds a Masters of Science, Communications and Management from the Maxwell Institute for Public Affairs & Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. She also earned her Bachelor of Social Work from Laurentian University and as a result has developed a good understanding of community care and treatment in addition to her expertise in the field of communications.

Matthew Rowe Matthew is Legislative Assistant and Communications Director for the Hon. Navdeep Singh Bains, Liberal Critic for International Trade and Member of Parliament for Mississauga-Brampton South. Working with one foot in the House of Commons and an eye on the national media, Matthew manages a team focused on developing good trade policy, holding the government to account and serving the needs of constituents. Like all political staff, Matthew is busy but has always made time to be involved in the community. In 2002, on the nomination of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Matthew was awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for his volunteer work. Matthew first joined Hopewell as a volunteer at their Annual fundraising gala and was invited to join the board in 2006.  

Judy Smith Judy Smith is a Job Coach for the Ottawa District Catholic School Board. Over her career of 35 years, Judy has worked in a variety of settings and with many students, especially youth with disabilities and those at risk. For the past 3 years, Judy has been chair person for the schools Eat Smart program, which helps provide healthier meal choices for students and staff. Judy has been involved with Hopewell since inception, helping with fundraising, public awareness, speakers bureau and the Board of Directors the last 4 years. Judy has two wonderful daughters who are also very active in the community and has a very supportive partner. She looks forward to continuing her support in the community.

Jane Tallim Much of Jane’s career has focused on enhancing the physical and mental wellbeing of children and youth. A former English Language Arts teacher, Jane joined Media Awareness Network – an internationally-recognized Canadian centre of excellence and expertise in media and Internet education – in 1995. As MNet's Director of Education, she developed many of its award-winning media education resources and programs on a wide range of media-related topics - including violence, body image, representation, consumerism, junk food marketing and cyberbullying. As MNet’s lead trainer she promoted media education extensively through national and international speaking engagements. In 2005 Jane left MNet to join Ontario's Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health at CHEO. As the Centre’s Program Leader for Youth Engagement and Strategic Education, Jane oversaw a number of youth-led initiatives designed to empower young people in developing mental health awareness activities and to facilitate their having a greater voice within the child and youth mental health sector. Returning to Media Awareness Network in January 2008, Jane now leads this organization as its Co-Executive Director.

Diane Gorman enjoyed a rich and varied career in the Federal Public Service until her retirement in 2006.  Diane served as an executive in several Departments, including Health Canada, Environment Canada, and the Treasury Board. She held positions both in Ottawa and the Regions (Vancouver and Edmonton). Prior to her retirement, Diane served for five years as the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Health Products and Food Branch at Health Canada with a mandate to ensure the Canadian public has access to safe and effective food and health products.  The Public Policy Forum in its publication, “Ten Tough Jobs” described this job as one of “the toughest policy and management jobs in the Public Service”.  Throughout her career Diane was known for her strong leadership and management skills.  She negotiated several International Agreements and won many awards, including the Head of the Public Service Award, the Deputy Minister’s Award for Values and Ethics, and the US FDA Honor Award “for her personal efforts to establish vibrant, cooperative interactions between Health Canada and the US FDA for the public health benefit of North America”.  Diane has been an active member on many Boards and Councils, both nationally and internationally and is a committed volunteer within her community.  Diane is married and has four daughters and two granddaughters.  

Shelley Shusterman A co-founder of Hopewell, Shelley Shusterman has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto. Retired after many years with an Energy Conservation/Environment Consulting Firm in Ottawa working in Finance and IT, she has been involved with and continues to be active in several local charities, holding varied executive positions. She now divides her time working on the boards of two charities, volunteers teaching computer skills to seniors, and being a hands-on grandmother. Recently, Shelley co-chaired the web site and office automation project.

Laura Bruneau is an experienced, fluently bilingual lawyer from the national capital region, who specializes in resolving and settling sensitive disputes involving legal and/or administrative issues. For over 15 years, she has worked in the field of lawsuits relating to professional negligence, director and officer liability, insurance coverage, medical malpractice, bankruptcy, employment law, shareholder rights and class actions.  Ms. Bruneau is the National Capital Commission’s first Ombudsman as well as the President of her own boutique legal consulting firm. Ms. Bruneau has been repeatedly appointed by the Courts to respond to thousands of complaints and administrative appeals involving high profile, high conflict class action cases, where her work related to the adjudication of varying and complex individual issues.  In the course of her work, Ms. Bruneau has responded to thousands of individual inquiries, complaints and claims Canada-wide, namely in the tainted blood scandal. Ms. Bruneau holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Saint Francis Xavier University and a Law Degree from l’Université de Moncton.  Ms. Bruneau is a graduate of the University of Windsor Law School program in advanced negotiation, mediation, and arbitration as well as the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators national program.  Ms. Bruneau is also a certified management consultant.