Board list

Pictou County Roots for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors. The Board of Directors establish proactive policies, maintain and oversee the organization's finances, and focus on the long-term goals of the organization. The following professionals bring their own individual skills, experience, and passion for the organization.

MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Nancy taught elementary school locally for 35 years. Currently, Nancy is and has been serving as Mayor for the Town of New Glasgow. She is a mother and a grandmother.

Nancy learned about Roots for Youth through a conversation with a friend who was involved with an initiative on youth homelessness in Pictou County. She quickly understood the urgent need for the services. She joined the Board in 2011 and served as Chairperson for many of those years.

Homelessness in our community is often not visible. The number of young people over the years that have sought out the services of Roots for Youth is an indicator of the importance and need in our community. The challenges are many in an organization such as Roots for Youth but successes big or small keep us moving forward. The dedication of Board members and staff over the years has been outstanding and much has been accomplished with the help of the greater community.

Born and raised in Pictou County, Will attended St. Francis Xavier University and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Business Administration. At that time, Will began working as an Accountant and Auditor with Grant Thornton LLP while pursuing the Chartered Professional Accountant designation, which he obtained in 2021. In his free time, Will enjoys a round of golf, cooking, and of course, Netflix.

Will currently serves as the Treasurer of Pictou County Roots for Youth.

Erica loves writing, calligraphy, and scrapbooking. Based on this combination of interests, it makes perfect sense that she is the Secretary for the board. After studying biology and history at Mount Allison University, Erica returned home to New Glasgow and started tutoring high school students. This experience led her to pursuing a career in education. She completed her education degree at St. Francis Xavier University and then began working as a high school biology teacher. Teaching has given Erica a unique insight into what youth experience on a daily basis. In the classroom, Erica is passionate about creating thoughtful academic, social, and personal learning experiences for her students. Erica brings this vision and experience to her work at Pictou County Roots for Youth.

Ken was an educator throughout his professional career, having taught in Québec and Nova Scotia. For twenty-eight years, he was a school principal at all levels of education. It was mostly at the high school level that he saw many of his students in homeless or precariously-housed situations. In many of these cases, the students' experience with homelessness was by no fault of their own. Unfortunately at that time, there were no resources or services available to homeless youth in Pictou County. Youth were left to couch surf at friends’ houses or sleep wherever they could find shelter outside. When he retired in 2006, he joined the United Way of Pictou County where he was asked to look after the youth homelessness portfolio. Ken participated in many community meetings to address the urgent need for a youth homeless shelter in Pictou County. In 2011, Ken had permanently secured a local youth shelter, which Pictou County has come to know as the Roots House. This establishment of Pictou County Roots for Youth makes Ken one of the founding members. To this day, Ken still considers this to be one of his greatest professional achievements. His fervent wish is that the Roots House will always be available to homeless youth in Pictou County as a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment. Ken is still serving as a general board member for the organization.

Desmond was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He immigrated to Canada and soon joined law enforcement in Toronto, Ontario as a police officer. Desmond has since retired from law enforcement in Ontario with 32 years of experience. From Ontario, Desmond moved to Pictou County, Nova Scotia, and quickly got involved with Pictou County Roots for Youth. Desmond is passionate about youth and homelessness in our community given his experience in law enforcement. He is particularly interested in social justice issues in rural Nova Scotia that lead to youth homelessness. Desmond enjoys travelling, listening to music, and reading about politics. Desmond has served as Chairperson for the organization and is currently serving as a general board member.

Board Member Recruitment

Pictou County Roots for Youth is actively recruiting new Board members!

Pictou County Roots for Youth Society is a rapidly-expanding non-profit organization in Pictou County, Nova Scotia that makes a positive impact on our youngest and most vulnerable communities and individuals. The organization could not do this work without the experience, professionalism, knowledge, motivation, and ongoing support of an incredible Board of Directors who volunteer their time to make this organization the best it can be.

Pictou County Roots for Youth Society is looking for prospective representatives with extensive human service backgrounds, both educationally and professionally, a strong willingness to engage in ongoing learning, ongoing demonstration of personal accountability, a willingness and ongoing practice of continuously improving the organization, supporting and honoring its representatives in a wholesome and holistic way, and being a leading voice and change agent for our youngest and most vulnerable communities.

If you are interested in getting involved with our organization, please fill out the form to the right!

Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Name*

Email*

Phone Number*

Address*

Have you ever volunteered with PC Roots For Youth Before?

What area(s) do you have relevant skills in?

Do you have any concerns about passing a Criminal Record Check or Intervention Record Check?

Please attach you Cover Letter

Please attach your Resume

Any questions comments or concerns?

Are you 19 years of age?

We acknowledge that the land that we live and work on, Mi'kma'ki, is the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq People. This territory is covered by the “Treaties of Peace and Friendship” which Mi'kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) people first signed with the British Crown in 1725.