Appointee Biographies

MICHAEL JACQUES

Michael Jacques is a front-end clerk for Sobeys. His community involvement includes formerly serving as a Board member for Community Living Welland/Pelham and Community Living Ontario.

KERRIE ST JEAN

Kerrie St Jean is a Manager Operations, International Affairs for The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). Her community involvement includes serving as a Trustee for the Rainbow District School Board.

KATHERYNE HOFFSCHMIDT

An OCT certified teacher working with the York Region District School Board. In my role as a high school French teacher, I am currently working with students enrolled in both the Core and International Baccalaureate French Programmes.

LORIE LAROCHE

Lorie is a bilingual social worker and Educational Development and Digital Learning Specialist in Ottawa. She has a diverse background in mental health, research, trauma intervention, psychotherapy, workshop facilitation, and teaching at the university level. She is a seasoned professional and expert in a variety of multidisciplinary academic and social work settings, including disability, mental health (child, youth, and adult), hospital, crisis intervention, and child welfare. As a recognized professional in her field, she excels at assessing needs and in synthesizing and communicating key information in an engaging manner.

TRISHA YOURTH

Trisha Yourth is the Vice Principal of Crystal Bay Centre for Special Education, a school for students ages 4-21 with developmental disabilities. Trisha has 20 years of teaching experience, most of those years teaching students who are deaf/Deaf or hard of hearing. Trisha is a dedicated volunteer with the Kanata Minor Hockey Association, having been a coach and convenor over the past 5 years. Trisha holds an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, a teaching degree from OISE, a Master of Education and many additional qualification courses for professional development.

MIKE GATOPOULOS

Mike Gatopoulos, of Brant, is Vice-Chair of the Lansdowne Children's Centre. He is also a member of the Brantford Brant Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the County of Brant Public Library Board of Directors.

KRIS KNUTSON

Kris Knutson, Ph.D. has nearly 20 years of teaching experience in Canada, Mexico, and Asia. His Ph.D. research focused on financial literacy in classrooms. In addition to his teaching experience, he worked for a non-profit promoting financial literacy for children, youth, and adults. He currently teaches post-secondary education courses.