Board Of Directors

The founding and current board of the SECC is as follows:

David LePage (British Columbia)

David LePage is the Founder and Chair of the Board of Buy Social Canada, a social enterprise that advocates for and promotes leveraging existing procurement to create community value. Buy Social Canada provides training and consulting to governments, corporations and non-profits on social procurement policy, practice, and measurement, and offers a third-party Social Enterprise Certification Program.

David LePage is engaged with social enterprise in multiple roles and is a recognized international leader and speaker on social enterprise and social procurement. He has been instrumental in development of a supportive ecosystem for social enterprise in Canada as founder and Chair of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada, Principal at Accelerating Social Impact, CCC; a partner in the Social Enterprise Ecosystem Project; and a co-founder of Social Enterprise Institute. He designed and has been a Professor at the University of Fredericton MBA in the Social Enterprise Leadership Program since its inception in 2014.

David is the author of the book Marketplace Revolution, from Concentrated Wealth to Community Capital.

Email: david@buysocialcanada.com

Anne Jamieson (Ontario, Toronto)

Anne is the Senior Manager, Toronto Enterprise Fund, based out of United Way Toronto. She launched the Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise series in 2004, is a founding member of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada, chairs the Ontario Social Economy Roundtable, and is involved with the Toronto Community Benefits Network. She presents regularly on social enterprise development and impact investing at conferences, seminars and webinars. Anne’s background is in small business development and, for contrast, international commercial finance. Anne holds an MBA from Ivey, and an Honours BA from U of T.

Andy Horsnell (Nova Scotia)

Andy has worked for over three decades to help community-based enterprises and local economies be more resilient, self-reliant, and sustainable. He has worked with 100s of community organizations — large and small, rural and urban ‒ throughout North America and abroad. As a volunteer, he currently serves as co-chair of the Sustainable Economy Commission of Nova Scotia and vice-chair of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada, and served as a founding director of the Social Enterprise Network of Nova Scotia, and chair of the Centre for Local Prosperity. In early 2018, Andy left the firm he co-founded (Common Good Solutions CIC), to work as an independent consultant in the areas of social enterprise and local economic development. He lives on his small farm in beautiful Kempt Shore, Nova Scotia.

Marty Donkervoort (Manitoba)

Marty is a social enterprise practitioner, teacher and writer. He has started, managed and supported numerous social enterprises over the past 30 years. His book “Inner City Renovation: How a Social Enterprise Changes Lives and Communities”, was published in 2013. He currently teaches courses on social enterprise at the Faculty of Business, University of Winnipeg and provides management consulting services to existing and proposed social enterprises. Marty’s tip for social enterprise is “to be successful, you need competent and passionate management.”

Dr. Norman Greenberg (Nova Scotia)

Dr. Norman Greenberg is a Psychologist living near Halifax Nova Scotia. He worked within the Mental Health Program of the Health Authority where he created Affirmative Ventures over 25 years ago.

This non profit organization has several social enterprises which employ people recovering from mental illnesses. Since 2007, it developed a continuum of affordable housing options and is currently designing a 40 unit building for mental health survivors and seniors.

In nearby Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Norman and the Board of Directors of the Flourish Well Being Society are developing a seniors club. The club will support optimal aging activities locally among seniors but until then, the club is beginning its programming on line.

Norman served on the CCEDNET board, is a charter member of the Social Enterprise Council of Canada and serves on the board of the Social Enterprise Network of Nova Scotia.

Norman owns and operates his private sector business in Bridgewater. Alternative Programs for Youth and Families supports high risk children and their families.

Norman is married, with two grown children, three grandchildren and Rubin, their 14 year old Springer Spaniel.

Penelope Rowe (Newfoundland)

Penelope is the CEO of the Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador. She is an entrepreneur, researcher, planner and promoter of the voluntary, non profit sector. She is a tenacious advocate for the integration of social and economic development. She is also “a renowned bridge builder” committed to citizen engagement in the co-construction of public policy creating vital connections between policy shapers and community-based experience. She provides leadership in forging new directions and building innovative programs to provide infrastructure support to the voluntary sector.

Sarah Leeson-Klym (Manitoba)

Sarah Leeson-Klym is the Regional Networks Director for the Canadian CED Network. In that role, she works with network leaders across Canada to create opportunities for learning, dialogue, and alignment across a variety of community organizations and leaders. In previous roles with the network, she developed local social enterprise development programs, advocated to local government to support the sector, and hosted many learning events to build strength and knowledge with social enterprises and community organizations. Before joining the SECC board, she was also local co-host for the 2017 Canadian Conference on Social Enterprise. She encourages social enterprises to get connected — leverage your amazing work with others to build support and make a bigger impact.

Elizabeth Chick-Blount (British Columbia)

Elizabeth is the Chief Executive Officer of Buy Social Canada. In this role Elizabeth coordinates and connects Buy Social Canada’s work with public, institutional, and private sector purchasers to design and implement Social Procurement and Community Benefit Agreement policies and practices. Elizabeth has a degree in Law from the University of Cambridge and is a graduate of Year Here, a post-graduate program in Social Innovation and Social Enterprise. Elizabeth’s experience spans study in Law and legal research, frontline roles in communities, consulting for the public sector, and working with social enterprises in the UK and Canada. Elizabeth understands the importance of ensuring cross-sector collaboration and community co-creation in the work needed to build healthy, thriving and accessible communities.

Niamh O’Sullivan (British Columbia)

Niamh O’Sullivan is the Manager of Social Enterprise and Community Benefits at Buy Social Canada. Buy Social Canada is a social enterprise that is advancing and promoting social procurement by bringing socially driven purchasers and social enterprise suppliers together, building business relationships that generate social benefits to communities across the country. Niamh’s work is focused on building business relationships that generate social benefits to communities across the country. Her experience includes facilitation, engagement, implementing community benefit agreements, strengthening and connecting social enterprises within the ecosystem across Canada, as well as establishing a culture of trust in partner relationships and with social enterprises to achieve lasting impact.

Mandy Burke (New Brunswick)

Mandy Burke operates and manages four social enterprises under the umbrella of Saint John’s Learning Exchange. Her background is business consulting and her experience in workforce development as a supportive employer to create more equitable opportunities for people facing barriers to employment correlates to what many other social enterprises in smaller municipalities across across Canada experience.