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The Annual General Meeting of September 2006 formally introduced the new Heartwood House governance structure featuring 15 individuals appointed by each Member Organization to serve as the Corporate Members of Heartwood House. The Corporate Members elect the Board of Directors, which is comprised of a maximum of 7 individuals. The Board is responsible for supporting the mission and monitoring the work of the Executive Director with respect to compliance with the organization's policy directives. Guided by these policies, the Executive Director is responsible for the day-to-day affairs of Heartwood House, and has full decision-making authority with respect to the management of the organization's operations. At the most recent Annual General Meeting in October 2008 , the Corporate Members agreed unanimously to re-elect the 5 representatives to the Board of Directors. Fran Childs, Jackie Swedlove, Keenan Wellar, Allison Moores and Marilyn Evans. Biographical information for our Board members is available below. Fran Childs has been involved with Heartwood House since its inception, first as a staff member with the LiveWorkPlay organization and then as a volunteer editor of the Heartwood Newsletter and a member of the OC Transpo Unclaimed Items Sales team. Ms. Childs is now a teacher with the Western Quebec School Board, where she teaches a modified Special Education program. She is an active participant in her school community and has volunteered with the Governing Board and School Council. Fran has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa. In standing for election to the board Fran explained that she was excited by the opportunity to contribute to the Heartwood community at the governance level and to support the mission to the benefit of the member organizations and those they serve. Marilyn Evans holds a BA from Dalhousie University and a BEd from Mount Alison University. This former Maritimer has lived in North Bay Ontario and in the Ottawa region for the past 15 years. Marilyn is an experienced teacher of both adults and adolescents, and currently teaches at D’Arcy McGee High School in the Western Quebec School Board. Marilyn has been active in many community organizations and is pleased to now be supporting the continuing growth of Heartwood House. Allison Moores was first introduced to the Heartwood House community in 2003
when she began volunteering with the LiveWorkPlay organization, where she
later completed a student placement and then worked as a staff member. She
continues to volunteer on a regular basis. Allison holds a BSc in psychology from Dalhousie University, as well as BSW
and MSW degrees from Carleton University. She currently acts as a
coordinator of dual diagnosis services for the Ottawa branch of the Canadian
Mental Health Association, where she previously served as an outreach worker
for individuals with serious mental illness living in the Ottawa area. Ms. Moores is very excited to be part of the governance team. She is looking
forward to contributing to the community by supporting the mission and
working with member groups to ensure the continued success and
sustainability of Heartwood House. In 2003-2004 Jackie Swedlove was a daily participant in the Heartwood House community as a member of the staff team at the Hopewell Eating Disorders Centre. Before her time at Heartwood House Jackie helped to create policies for the voluntary sector at Health Canada and also worked with the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Ms. Swedlove is currently an elementary school teacher with the Ottawa Carleton District School board. She has a Bachelor of Physical Education and both a Bachelor and Masters in Education from the University of Ottawa. Jackie Swedlove enjoyed her time at Heartwood House and took with her fond memories of the community and its members. When the opportunity arose to contribute as a member of the Board of Directors, she was very excited to offer her support in helping Heartwood continue to grow and serve the Ottawa community. Keenan Wellar has been involved with the Heartwood House community since its inception, serving as a member of the Founders Group (the inaugural Board of Directors) from 2001-2006. Keenan is the co-founder of the LiveWorkPlay organization for people with intellectual disabilities, one of the original Heartwood House member organizations. Mr. Wellar holds a BA in History and a Bachelor of Education with Ontario Teacher Certification from the University of Ottawa as well as an MA in Linguistics and Applied Language Studies from Carleton University. Prior to the establishment of LiveWorkPlay he was the manager of a national Special Education internet project in association with Canada’s SchoolNet. Keenan was motivated to continue supporting Heartwood governance in 2006 for the opportunity to share his experience with the Carver Policy Governance Model and to help the Board work effectively with Executive Director Maureen Moloughney in support of the Heartwood House mission. Mr. Wellar was elected Chair of the Board in October 2006.
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Governance 
