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Our Team

Every great organization is led by a hardworking team. We are so thankful for each of the dedicated and enthusiastic people that make up our Board of Directors and Habitat staff.

Office

Sara Cooper

Chief Executive Officer

Erin O'Connor

senior director, housing & development

Lei Han

director of corporate services

Shawna Blanchard

director of fund development

Sandra Oey

Senior Manager, Communications and Marketing

Brianna Adams

Manager, Family Services

Nancy Currie

Manager, Real Estate and Development

Julie Chatelain

Volunteer Coordinator

Karlee Ouellette

Fund Development Coordinator

Lily Carpenter

Executive Coordinator

Emma Zajac

Administrative Coordinator

Mayila Ilagan

Finance Assistant

Build

Stuart Williamson

Construction Manager & Site Supervisor

ReStore

Allan Avis

Director of RESTORES

Bruce Latham

Manager, ReStore Stittsville & General Manager, Online ReStore

Karen Vejprava

Manager, ReStore City Centre

Margaret Oliver

Manager, ReStore Train Yards

Rommella Steele

Donations Supervisor

Myrna Beattie

ReStore Procurement Specialist

Sean Leamen

Supervisor, ReStore Trainyards

Alan Soulsby

Full Time ReStore Driver

Our Board of Directors

Headshot of Wendy Grimshaw, Habitat Greater Ottawa Board Member, Treasurer.

Wendy Grimshaw

Board Chair

CEO, Dementia Society of Ottawa
Head Shot of Kelly Elliot, Habitat Greater Ottawa Board Member, Director.

Kelly Elliott

Vice-Chair

Chief Operating Officer, McMillan LLP
Head shot of Scott Stevenson, Habitat Greater Ottawa Board Member, Chair.

Scott Stevenson

Past-Chair

Former Senior Executive, CLC
Head Shot of Amirah Fayek, Habitat Greater Ottawa Board Member, Director.

Amirah Fayek

Treasurer &
Chair of Finance Committee

Director of Finance Administration, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Head Shot of Merryn Douglas, Habitat Greater Ottawa Board Member, Director.

Merryn Douglas

Secretary &
Chair of Governance Committee

Director, CHEO
Head Shot of Brad Rodgers, Habitat Greater Ottawa Board Member, Director.

Brad Rodgers

Director &
Co-Chair Housing Advisory Council

Director of Development, Dream Unlimited
Headshot of Bonnie Martell, Habitat Greater Ottawa Board Member, Chair of Land Development Committee.

Bonnie Martell

Director &
Co-Chair Housing Advisory Council

Senior Manager of Development, Colonnade BridgePort

Danielle Robinson

Director &
Co-Chair Revenue Advisory Council

Director, Philanthropic Advisory Services, BMO Private Wealth

Alison Sochasky

Director &
Co-Chair Revenue Advisory Council

Social Impact Specialist, Canadian Real Estate Association

Innogen Henderson

Director

Chief Financial Officer, Regional Group
Head Shot of Leslie MacLean, Habitat Greater Ottawa Board Member, Director.

Leslie MacLean

Director

Former Deputy Minister, International Development

Cody Campanale

Director

Director of Land Development & Finance, Campanale

Wendy Grimshaw is the CEO of the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County.  Wendy has twenty-five years of leadership experience in the public, for profit, and not-for-profit sectors, with a strong focus on strategy and finance.  She has an extensive governance background and has served on a variety of not-for-profit boards and committees including the Family Services Ottawa, the Champlain Hospice Palliative Care Network, the Pembroke Regional Hospital, the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre, and the Champlain Maternal Newborn Regional Program.  Wendy has a strong interest in supporting the important work of Habitat for Humanity in providing a hand up and a decent place to live for the families in our community. She is a CPA CMA with an MBA (University of Ottawa) and a BA Honours (University of Western Ontario). 

Phil has over 25 years of senior management experience in policy development, program management and the management of strategic transformations in the public sector. He also established and ran a small consulting company with clients in Canada and overseas for 10 years. He has worked with non-profit organizations for a number of years as both a front line volunteer and through strategic and board work. 

He first came to Habitat for Humanity during builds, which he participated in for four years.  Phil is very enthusiastic about the work this organization does.

Kelly is the Chief Operating Officer at McMillan LLP. Previously Kelly was the Managing Director of National Operations for the Canada Region of Dentons, the world’s largest law firm. In this role, Kelly leads the National Operations team, Firmwide Communications team and Knowledge and Legal Operations team and is a member of the Firm’s National Management Committee.

As a former Partner practicing in the area of project development and project finance, Kelly is ranked as of one Canada’s leading lawyers in the areas of real estate law (Best Lawyers, Legal 500) and banking and financial institutions (The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory). Kelly was also named a 2019 recipient of the Ottawa Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 award, which recognizes accomplished and rising business leaders in the National Capital Region. Kelly is committed to mentoring and championing women at all stages of their careers.

Scott Stevenson has been a senior executive in the federal real property community since 2007. He joined the public service in 1999 after being an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces for nearly 15 years, where he learned to lead groups of people to solve complex problems.

He has performed leadership roles in policy and program management at the Department of National Defence and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada.  He was the senior official responsible for the infrastructure and housing portfolios in these two large decentralized organizations.  He has been an active volunteer in the community of Kanata over the last 20 years, coaching youth sports including soccer, hockey and rugby. 

He graduated from Queen’s University with a Master’s in Public Administration in 1999 and from Royal Roads Military College with a Bachelor of Arts in Military and Strategic Studies in 1988.  He is aiming to use his professional knowledge and network to help advance the Habitat mission.

Amirah is VP Finance at Trillium Healthcare Products. Prior to joining Trillium, she worked in in various industries including the not-for-profit  sector in Ottawa and abroad. She brings 25 years of experience in finance, strategic planning, performance measurement, and project management. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant, holds a Masters in Business Administration and a Project Management Professional certification. Ottawa raised, Amirah feels fortunate to be able to give back to her community through Habitat for Humanity. When not working or volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her family including her twins who are involved in several activities and sports in the community.

Merryn is passionate about innovation that enables people to live their best lives. She is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) and has a Masters in Health Administration (MHA) from the Telfer School of Business. Merryn brings a variety of experiences from both the private and public sectors. These include designing and commercializing medical devices, leading community and hospital-based health services, and leading data-focused teams working to make care better in Ontario. She collaboratively engages customers, clients, and their families in the process of co-design. She is excited to support Habitat for Humanity in partnering with families to make home ownership more accessible. Merryn and her husband enjoy being active outdoors, getting their two young children and the dog outside no matter what the Ottawa weather brings!

Brad Rodgers is currently overseeing the development and construction of Dream’s Zibi Development (34-Acre Waterfront Community) and is involved with Dream’s Lebreton Flats Library Pacel development. Brad brings experience in development and construction with an interest in cultivating opportunities to provide attainable and affordable housing in the National Capital Region.

Bonnie has over 15 years of project management experience, and is currently a Senior Manager of Development with Colonnade BridgePort. In her day-to-day role, she focuses on strategic project positioning and delivery on multi-family, commercial and industrial projects. She is committed to city building and applying best practices in all facets of the development and construction lifecycle. 

Bonnie is a graduate of the Urban and Regional Planning program at Ryerson University and a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners as a Registered Professional Planner (RPP).  In addition to serving on Habitat Greater Ottawa’s Land Committee, she is also part of the Executive Committee of Urban Land Institute (ULI) Ottawa and career mentor with Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO).

At present, Danielle holds a national role with BMO Private Wealth, advising affluent Canadians on how to create multi-generational legacy impact using philanthropy. In addition to this work Danielle collaborates with her peers to author thought leadership content on a variety of specialized wealth planning topics for use by BMO Private Wealth financial professionals and their clients. Danielle is also a part-time educator to international students at Algonquin College as a professor within the post-graduate certificate program in Brand Management.

Prior to joining BMO Private Wealth, Danielle served as the President and CEO of the Ottawa Senators Foundation | Ottawa-Gatineau Youth Foundation for 15 years. During her tenure leading National Hockey League (NHL) outreach efforts, more than $80 million was secured through various sponsorship and fundraising activations, resulting in more than 1,200 grants to 300 different charities throughout the National Capital Region. Before her career in the NHL, Danielle worked in a variety of marketing-communications, corporate community relations, and fundraising and granting roles at Let’s Talk Science, Volunteer Canada, Clarica | Sun Life Financial, and United Way East Ontario.

Danielle and her husbuddy Wayne are a blended family with two sons. Together they enjoy travel, an outdoor lifestyle, a variety of sports, and social time with friends and family.

Alison Sochasky (she/her) is the Social Impact Specialist for the Canadian Real Estate Association supporting the REALTORS Care® program, community-based efforts of REALTORS® across Canada, and staff volunteerism within the Ottawa Region.

Born and raised in small-town New Brunswick on the Fundy Bay in a house built by her parents from the ground up, Alison has called Ottawa home since 2008. She started her career in retail sales in the early 2000s and then returned to school in 2010 to specialize in supporting and advocating for people with disabilities entering the workforce and gain valuable paid employment. This is where she started connecting with the social impact side of the Ottawa business community which led her into a focus on fundraising, communications, and strategic growth operations for nonprofits with a dedicated focus on supporting women, people with disabilities, and the next generation.

Innogen began her professional career at KPMG where she specialized in the real estate and construction industry, eventually leaving to work within the private sector at Minto, CLV and The Regional Group of Companies.  She brings a wealth of experience as a financial leader with a focus on setting strategic plans that align with corporate vision while managing budgets, forecasts and people.

Innogen received her Bachelor of Commerce, Honours from the University of Ottawa and holds the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) designation.  She previously served on the board of directors for other not for profit institutions and is passionate about providing access to affordable housing in the community.

Ms. MacLean began her federal public service career with Veterans Affairs Canada, including the Veterans Review and Appeal Board from 1995 to 1998.  Ms. MacLean was the executive exchange officer with Australia’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs from 1998 until 2000.   She also worked in the publishing industry with Macmillan of Canada, with CBC as a freelance/weather reporter, and with UPEI as a sessional lecturer.

Ms. MacLean holds an MA in English Literature from the University of Toronto, a BA in English Literature from the University of Prince Edward Island, and a certificate of proficiency in French from the Paris Eurocentre.

Cody Campanale brings more than ten years of industry experience to his role as Campanale’s Director of Land Development and Finance. He’s been with the company since June 2016, after a successful stint as a Real Estate Broker for Keller Williams Ottawa Ltd. and RE/MAX Hallmark Realty. Cody’s professional journey is marked by a Broker’s License from OREA Real Estate College and advanced education from the University of Victoria and UBC’s Saunders School of Business. He’s also a Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE) with the Real Estate Negotiation Institute (RENI) and has a certification in Powerful Negotiation Skills with Performance Management Consultants (PMC).

In his current role, Cody oversees a broad spectrum of responsibilities, from land acquisitions and feasibility analyses to project management and financing. He’s also the Broker of Record for Campanale Real Estate (1992) Ltd., demonstrating his well-rounded expertise.

Cody’s unique blend of creativity and analytical thinking sets him apart. His passion for arts and music fuels innovative problem-solving, while his investigative nature ensures balanced, well-thought-out solutions. Cody’s commitment to providing adequate housing and fostering communities drives his work, aligning with his belief that homes are where memories and identities are formed.

Clients and colleagues describe Cody as friendly, confident, and a skilled negotiator. His top skills encompass negotiation expertise, creative thinking, analytical acumen, effective communication, and strong project management.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Cody is actively engaged in community initiatives. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association and holds the role Chair of the Urban Infill Council. He’s also dedicated to charitable causes, evident in his involvement with the 2023 Canadian Culinary Championships, supporting organizations like MusiCounts and Spirit North.