Board of Directors

Maryann is now retired, and actively involved in governance, advocacy, fundraising and program implementation with several Not-for-Profit organizations including BGCBigs, Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS), Volunteer Alberta, the Alberta University Hospital Foundation, and Deafblind Community Services.  Prior to that, Maryann Everett was Assistant Deputy Minister of Workforce Strategies, responsible for leading the work of a large division developing policy and delivering programs focused on  growing a skilled workforce for the jobs of today as well as tomorrow.  In addition to ensuring employers have the tools they need to find the employees they require, she also worked with other ministries, the federal government and external Canadian and international partners to support the needs of newcomers, workers, employers and Albertans. Maryann graduated from Dalhousie University with a Masters in Business Administration. 

She completed a B.A. Honours in French from Carleton University; and a post graduate degree in International Development and Cooperation from the University of Ottawa.  She is in good standing as a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D). Maryann started her career in international development and then joined the Government of Canada delivering programs and services for both Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Industry Canada.  She began working with the Alberta Government on Investment attraction from Europe and Asia; labour attraction, economic strategy, and Expo 2000 in Germany.  In 2007, Maryann became Assistant Deputy Minister overseeing a range of assignments from immigration policy and programs, labour market information and intelligence, justice services and workforce policy, strategy and programs.  In 2013, she established the new Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour (JSTL) Ministry, which was renamed Labour in February 2016. Maryann is married with two sons and lives in Edmonton, Alberta.

Jane Ashford lives in midtown Toronto with her husband, three children, and two energetic golden retrievers. After graduating from the University of Western Ontario, she obtained her CA (CPA) while working at Ernst & Young where she worked in the London, Toronto, and Sydney offices in both Audit and Assurance and Corporate Recovery.

After leaving public practice, Jane moved into industry and has held various finance leader positions in the automotive industry, education industry, and most recently, in the condominium industry.

Over the years, Jane has been involved in many charitable organizations including the Assaulted Women’s Hotline, New Circles, Holland Bloorview, and The Shoebox Project. Most recently, she was a Puppy Raiser at CNIB where she was excited to see Maggie graduate and become a Buddy Dog.

Having experience of more than 10 years in Healthcare, Research, Infection Prevention & Control, Non-Profit Management, Therapeutic Recreation, Indigenous / Métis / Aboriginal / First Nations domains, Developmental disability, Mental health, Dual Diagnosis & Public health sectors, Arvind is very eager and humbled to join CNIB Deafblind Community Services where he can serve the community back with his diverse academic and professional experiences. Being worked in front-line healthcare, personally empathize with the situations and challenges in day-to-day work. Arvind's personal values holistically harmonize with DBCS’s Mission, Vision and Values. 

Born in Picton, Charlie grew up and went to school in London. He attended the University of Western Ontario and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. Then, he went to the University of Windsor where he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours).

He commenced his professional career with a firm of Chartered Accountants in Toronto where he started as a student in accounts and achieved partnership status. He left the firm in 1986 to move to Campellford to provide his family, including his three-year-old daughter, with  a more relaxed lifestyle. He joined a regional firm of Chartered Accountants in Campbellford in 1987.  He was a partner in the firm from 1988 to 2016 when he started the process of retiring from public practice.

He has been involved with various not-for profit groups, both on a professional and personal basis, over the years. While his volunteer involvement has not included CNIB, he was looking for a way to use his professional skills to give back to the community. His neighbour in Fonthill, Bruce O’Neil, had described his participation with CNIB, and his enthusiasm and his description of the growth process of the new sector suggested to Charlie that this might be an area that his skills might be of benefit to the organization.

Denise has worked more than 20 years in the not-for-profit, health and education sectors. Her passion has been in working with marginalized populations, specifically in the areas of community development, homelessness and harm reduction. She is a past staff member of CNIB and thrilled to have the opportunity to continue supporting CNIB Deafblind Community Services as a member of the Board of Directors. Currently, Denise works for the Ontario Harm Reduction Distribution Program, within the Kingston Community Health Centres.

She has served as Camp Director and currently Governance Committee member for Camp Wendake, a camp for individuals living with HIV.  Denise is also a licensed wedding officiant performing ceremonies for very happy people.
 

Katherine Hesson-Bolton, Manager, Talent Partnerships and Employer Relations was the inaugural Diversity Employment Coordinator providing foundational consultative support toward the creation of McMaster University’s, Career Access Professional Services (CAPS) supporting equity-deserving students and alumni and those with barriers to employment.

Working alongside faculties, campus, community, and employer partners, the CAPS team assists students, alumni, and employers in guiding their diversity, equity, and accessibility recruitment outreach and related workplace accommodation, inclusion, and funding conversations.  Formally trained as an ASL Interpreter working at the Canadian Hearing Society Ottawa, Katherine volunteered in Deafblind Services. She later joined the DBS team as a Case Manager working both in Ottawa and Toronto. Additional roles included Manager, Lake Joseph Camp and District Manager, Halton/Peel Region.

Her experiences span 25+ years working in the educational and not-for-profit sectors within front-line and management roles, and having served on accessibility, employment, mental health, community, and educational committees.

Nora is an accomplished executive with a background in healthcare in both non-profit and for-profit settings. She is currently the President & CEO at Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC), a position she has held for the last two years.

Prior to her work with Boost, Nora was the Executive Director at Markham Family Health Team overseeing a team of 21 physicians and 70 allied healthcare professionals across three sites. Nora worked as a nurse practitioner, care-coordinator and program administrator at the Hospital for Sick Children. With firsthand experience working in the emergency department, she brings extensive knowledge of children with complex needs from an acute care, ambulatory, and community context. Subsequently Nora joined Marsh Canada Ltd. as a Senior Vice President and National Practice Leader in Clinical Risk Management and Consulting.

In addition, Nora serves on the Board of Directors of Georgina Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic as well as CNIB Deaf Blind Community Services , which provides support and clinical programs optimizing quality of life for so many Canadians. Nora holds a Master of Nursing/Advanced Practice Nursing and an Executive Master of Business Administration.
 

Ron obtained a Bachelor of Administration and a Law degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He was called to the Saskatchewan Bar in 1973. Ron was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1984.

He was in private practice in Regina for 16 years, during which time he was Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission. He has also practiced law in the Ministry of Justice and in 1995 was appointed the Public Guardian and Trustee. In 2014, Ron was appointed the Information and Privacy Commissioner for the Province of Saskatchewan.

Ron has been involved in various senior volunteer roles over the years including the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan, the Canadian Bar Association National Elder Law Section, the Public Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Legal Aid Commission, the Law Society of Saskatchewan, the Regina Catholic School Board, the Campion College Board of Regents, the Regina Public Library Board and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association and the Canadian Institute for the Blind.

Ron is a recipient of the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal, the Canadian Bar Association Community Service Award, and the recipient of the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal.