Catalyste+ Welcomes Return of Past Chair and New Additions to Board of Directors
TORONTO, September 5, 2024 – Catalyste+ welcomes two new members to their Board of Directors, Alana Patterson and Lise Filiatrault, and the return of Former Chair, Darren Schemmer, to the Board Chair role. Membership formally approved all three at the Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.
Mr. Schemmer was an active board member from 2015 to 2024, acting as Board Chair from 2022 to 2023, and Past Chair from September 2023 to April 2024. His career spans more than 30 years in international development and diplomacy, highlighted by his role as High Commissioner of Canada to Ghana and Ambassador to Togo. He also served as the Senior Departmental Assistant to the Minister for International Cooperation; Director General of Policy, Planning and Management for the Americas Branch; and Director General for Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. More recently, Mr. Schemmer was the Executive Director of Simon Fraser University International.
Ms. Patterson is a lawyer with executive-level experience in negotiations, human resources, government relations, and corporate governance. She is currently the Director of Physician Compensation with Doctors Nova Scotia, where she is the Lead Negotiator for close to $1 billion in physician contracts. She is also an experienced political advisor at the federal and provincial levels of government and an active community volunteer. She served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Federal Minister for International Cooperation, which sparked her appreciation and interest in international development and humanitarian aid.
Ms. Filiatrault has over 30 years of international management experience in Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, Eastern Europe and the Francophonie. The Prime Minister of Canada nominated her as his Personal Representative for La Francophonie while she was the Ambassador of Canada to Senegal. She also served as Assistant Deputy Minister for the Sub-Saharan Africa Branch; Director-General for the Americas Bureau; and Director General for the Europe, Middle East and Maghreb Bureau. More recently, the United Nations Secretary General appointed her to the Advisory Group of the Peacebuilding Fund.
Catalyste+ extends its sincere appreciation and thanks to Lou Naumovski and David Ross as they leave the board. Both have been active members of the Catalyste+ board since 2016, graciously contributing their expertise in business development, finance, and international development. This past year, Mr. Naumovski was the Board Chair and Mr. Ross was the Nominations & Governance Chair.
Visit Catalyste+ Leadership for more information about the Board of Directors.
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