The Board of Directors is the core governance body of the Corporation. It meets regularly throughout the year and is made up of directors (nominated by the member organizations and the Board of Directors) and appointed by the member organizations.
|
|
Board of Directors |
|
The Board has direct responsibility over a number of committees reporting to the Board. Board committees address matters such as nominations for governance positions, oversight of the Corporation’s governance practices, and governance policies.
Advisory committees provide advice on matters relating to the operations, monitoring, and World Heritage Site periodic reporting. The Corporation’s Executive Director, working in the Grand Pré area, serves as the secretariat for the organization and runs day-to-day operations, overseen by the Board and the Board Chair.
Advisory committees provide advice on matters relating to the operations, monitoring, and World Heritage Site periodic reporting. The Corporation’s Executive Director, working in the Grand Pré area, serves as the secretariat for the organization and runs day-to-day operations, overseen by the Board and the Board Chair.
|
Géraldine ArsenaultGéraldine Arsenault became Field Unit Superintendent for the Parks Canada Northern New Brunswick Field Unit (which manages Grand-Pré National Historic Site) in 2014. Before that, she also worked as the External Relations Manager and the National Historic Sites Manager for the same field unit. Grand-Pré has been part of her responsibilities for the past 14 years in her various functions within the Parks Canada Agency. When not working… Géraldine likes to spend time with her husband, her three adult children and her dog. She has served on the boards of the New Brunswick Environmental Network and le Pays de la Sagouine (Bouctouche NB) in the past, and most recently on the 2019 Congrès Mondial Acadien Organizing Committee. She enjoys playing music with friends, good food… and having a healthy and active lifestyle.
|
|
Dr. Neil Boucher
Dr. Neil Boucher is a retired professor and senior university administrator whose career spans 40 years in the Canadian university system. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in history (Governor General’s medal for highest academic standing in a bachelor’s program) as well as a master and doctorate degrees in Canadian history specializing in the study of the ethnic group to which he belongs, that is, the Acadian community in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. He graduated with his Ph.D. in 1992 from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He began his career as a professor at his alma mater in 1974, an undergraduate university in Nova Scotia and continued teaching there until the year 2000. From that year until 2004 he was academic vice president in charge of teaching and research at that same institution. In 2004 he was named Academic vice president at the University of Moncton, a position he held for two consecutive five-year mandates. He retired in 2014.
During his career, Dr. Boucher published many articles in a variety of journals all of which were directly or indirectly related to his Ph.D. thesis. He also acted as guest professor in other Canadian universities and was a guest lecturer at the Institut catholique des études supérieures in France. Throughout his career he devoted a significant amount of time to public and private institutions working for the betterment of Acadian history in Canada. In 1995, the French government recognized his contribution to post-secondary education and to his community by bestowing him one of the country’s highest scholarly awards, les Palmes académiques. |
|
Beverly Ann Boyd Bev is a retired federal executive strategist with over 35 years of experience at the national and regional levels, including 19 years with Parks Canada (PC). Appointed as a Director-at-large to the LGP Inc. in September 2023, Bev offers broad experiences and knowledge in government administration, public engagement; sustainable development; and natural and cultural heritage protection and presentation. Bev holds a degree in Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University and several commendations from the Public Service of Canada.
Bev has a deep understanding and appreciation of the Landscape of Grand Pré UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over her years with Parks Canada, she advised on public relations and management issues concerning Grand Pré National Historic Site (GPNHS. She participated in the official opening of the then new GPNHS Visitor Centre and supported PC involvement in the UNESCO inscription. In 2020, she joined the Education and Marketing Committee and has been active in the visitor experience concept development process. Last spring, she returned to PC part-time to assist with the completion of the new GPNHS Management Plan. Active in her community, Bev is a member of Planning and Advisory Committee, and the Art in Public Spaces Advisory Group for the Town of Wolfville. She served on the Wolfville Historical Society Board of Directors from 2020 to 2023. With her interest in culinary tourism, the arts, and personal connection, she has worked in local vineyards, and supports various initiatives of the Women of Wolfville network. Born in Cape Breton, and having lived in Ottawa and Halifax, Bev and her husband Steve and dog Belle now live in downtown Wolfville. They have two sons and extended family in Nova Scotia and beyond. |
|
Rene GallantRetired Utility Executive and Independent Consultant
Rene Gallant joined Emera in 2005 as regulatory counsel with Nova Scotia Power. He held numerous positions of increasing responsibility, including VP Regulatory Affairs (Nova Scotia Power), EVP Business Strategy and Regulatory Affairs (Emera Newfoundland & Labrador), VP Strategy & Business Development (Tampa Electric), Chief Operating Officer (New Mexico Gas Company) and VP Strategy and Engagement (Nova Scotia Power). Rene has been an active volunteer with industry and community organizations. Currently a Board Member with the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, he has served on the Boards of Popejoy Hall (Albuquerque), the Straz Center for the Performing Arts (Tampa) and the SuperBowl LV Sponsorship Committee (Tampa). Rene sat on the Council of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada and served as President of the Nova Scotia Barristers Society. Rene was a member of the very first Board of Directors of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer after serving as President of the National Board of Directors of the Canadian Cancer Society, and as a volunteer with the Nova Scotia Division of the CCS. Rene earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Political Science) at Mount Allison University, and his Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie Law School. He was admitted to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1995 and remains a non-practicing member. René and spouse Patti Mitchell live in Halifax with their dogs Lola and Coco. They have three children, Samantha (Townsville Australia), Jack (Halifax Nova Scotia) and Ben (Ottawa Ontario), and one grandchild, Evelyn Jane. |
|
Emily Lutz
|
|
Beverly Palmeter
Beverly Palmeter is a resident of North Grand Pré where her family operates a dairy farm. She and her husband Donald operate a sheep farm in the same location as the family’s dairy farm. She is part of the eighth generation of her family to farm in Grand Pré and work the lands of the Grand Pré marsh.
Beverly has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture which she received from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (Dalhousie University) where she majored in Animal Science. She recently returned to the family farm to take on management roles in both the sheep and dairy portions of the farm. Prior to that, she worked as a Sales Associate and Team Lead for Penningtons retail store, as a Sales Representative for DACO Animal Nutrition, and as an Agrologist with the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture. Her community is very important to her. She has undertaken many leadership roles in her community including volunteering with a local 4-H Club and County 4-H Council as well as with Landscape of Grand Pré Society and Landscape of Grand Pré Incorporated, Purebred Sheep Breeders’ Association of Nova Scotia, Grand Pre Marsh Body, Kings County Federation of Agriculture, West Nova Holstein Club and the Nova Scotia Heritage Conference. |
|
Cyrilda PoirierCyrilda Poirier worked 24 years with the Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador until her retirement from the organization in 2010. In 2013 she came out of retirement and assumed the role of president. She has (and is still actively doing so as a volunteer) devoted her professional life to the Francophone and Acadian communities on a national, provincial, and Atlantic level. Besides being a founding member of a few Acadian cultural organisations, she was also a founding member of two national foundations and more recently gave her voice and support to a third one in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In 2019, she was recognized by the Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador with the Prix Roger Champagne. She has since also become a member of the Compagnie des Cents-Associés which recognizes the contribution and dedication of individuals throughout Canada. In 2021, Cyrilda and her husband, Raymond (now retired but still working as a scientific researcher), left St. John’s and settled in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Besides exploring and discovering their new home province, they are also discovering the world through their extensive travels. |