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President, Brendon Smithson - Director of Regional Recreation Services for Halifax Regional Municipality
Brendon was the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) Host Society in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), where the team delivered a safe and supportive environment to over 5,000 Indigenous youth from across Turtle Island. He is also a Board Member of the Aboriginal Sport Circle. He was also formerly with the province of Nova Scotia as a Sport and Recreation Consultant supporting the growth of sport, recreation and physical activity within the Mi'kmaw communities. Before his time with the province, Brendon worked in Municipal Recreation for ten years as a Director, focusing on creating inclusive environments for all participants. In Brendon's free time, you can find him in and around the lacrosse community in Nova Scotia, where he is a player, coach, board member and official. When not on the lacrosse floor, he enjoys all that Nova Scotia has to offer, especially its great outdoors and is a passionate football fan.
President-Elect, Laura Jacobs - Manager of Recreation Services for the Town of Kentville
Laura’s career has spanned clinical, corporate, and municipal sectors, all rooted in her commitment to helping people live healthier, more connected lives. She has worked as a kinesiologist in primary care settings, served in case management roles, and managed an integrated health centre in Miramichi, NB. After returning to Nova Scotia with her family, Laura transitioned into municipal recreation—first as Recreation Director for the Village of Port Williams, then as MPAL Coordinator for the Village of New Minas, and eventually joining the Town of Kentville, where she now leads recreation services.
She has been the elected President of Valley Recreation for four years and previously served three years as a Director on the Board of Recreation Nova Scotia before stepping into her current role as President-Elect.
As a mother of three teenagers and partner to a busy farmer, Laura brings a deep understanding of balance, community, and commitment to everything she does. These roles—and the many hats she wears—shape her leadership in every setting. She is passionate about strengthening communities, building sector capacity, and supporting the recreation profession across Nova Scotia.
Vice President of Finance, John Mitchell, CPA - Associate, Mergers & Acquisitions, EY-Parthenon
Director at Large (2yr.), Tissy Bolivar - Program Coordinator for the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg
Tissy Bolivar (she/her) serves as the Program Coordinator for the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, bringing over 14 years of dedicated experience in municipal recreation. A graduate of Acadia University with a degree in Recreation Management, Tissy has consistently championed the role of recreation in enhancing community well-being. She is deeply committed to fostering inclusive, welcoming spaces that encourage participation for all. In her latest initiative, Tissy introduced the PRO Fund, an adult subsidy program designed to complement the existing PRO Kids program. This initiative ensures that all residents, regardless of financial status, can engage in recreational activities, reflecting Tissy's vision of recreation as a means to support and uplift every community member.
Director at Large (2yr.), Wil Van Hal - Recreation Manager for Cape Breton Regional Municipality
Wil has been the Recreation Manager for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality since April 2024. Prior to joining CBRM, Wil worked for the Tim Horton Children's Foundation at camps and the home office. Wil also spent 15 years working in Long Term Care in Therapeutic Recreation in Cape Breton. Wil has coached basketball and soccer for many years and also spent the past 5 years as President of Soccer Cape Breton. He currently volunteers with Special Olympics as a coach with the Active Start and FUNdamentals program in Sydney. Wil and the CBRM Recreation Department are on a mission to build relationships across the municipality and to promote arts, culture and recreation for a more engaged, active and healthy community.
Director at Large (1yr.), Andrew Farrell - MPAL, Bear River First Nation
Bio coming soon.
Director at Large (1yr.), Ruth-Ellen Jackson - Northwood Volunteer Coordinator & Community Recreation Lead
Ruth-Ellen Jackson's (she/her) passion for physical activity, recreation, and leisure has been lifelong. As a fine arts graduate of the University of North Carolina's School of the Arts, Ruth-Ellen established an international career as a professional dancer with New York City's prestigious Parsons Dance Company and the Martha Graham Dance Ensemble. Upon returning home to Halifax, Ruth-Ellen continued her professional dance career with Mocean Dance and received the 2016 Nova Scotia Masterworks Award. She has served on the Boards of Dance Nova Scotia and Kinetic Studio and is a certified Pilates teacher. After graduating from NSCC's Therapeutic Recreation Program, Ruth-Ellen joined Northwood as the Volunteer Coordinator and Community Recreation and Wellness Lead. In addition to her interest in recreation in community settings, Ruth-Ellen enjoys engaging people of all ages in dance, performance, Pilates, and the arts.
Vice President of Monitoring, Clare Steele - Active Communities Coordinator for Pictou County
Clare Steele (she/her) is passionate about community and making our beautiful corner of the world a healthier place to live and play. In her spare time, she can be found teaching yoga, paddling, or on a hiking trail with a couple of her four-legged sidekicks.
Recording Officer, vacant
Student Representative, Agustina Cohen – Dalhousie University
Agustina (She/Her) is a Master of Arts student in Leisure Studies at Dalhousie University. Her research focuses on how youth engage with nature to support wellbeing and advance equitable access to outdoor spaces in NS, using photovoice as a participatory research method. With nearly a decade of experience working and volunteering with children, youth, and adults through the Adventure Earth Centre, Agustina is committed to supporting safe, inclusive, and welcoming outdoor opportunities for all young people. Beyond her academic work, Agustina is also volunteers coaching high school rugby, and is an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking, camping, and sea kayaking along the coast of Nova Scotia. In the role of Student Representative, she hopes to advocate for opportunities to introduce high school and undergraduate students to the field, and help connect young people across the province with volunteer and employment opportunities in recreation.
Recreation Nova Scotia’s Board of Directors will cultivate a sense of group responsibility. The Board, not the staff, will be responsible for excellence in governing. The Board will initiate policy, not merely react to staff initiatives. The Board will use the expertise of individual members to enhance the ability of the Board as a whole rather than substitute individual judgments for the Board’s values. The Board will allow no officer, individual, or committee of the board to hinder or be an excuse for not fulfilling board commitments.
The Board will direct, control and inspire the association through the careful establishment of written policies reflecting the Board’s values and perspectives about ends to be achieved and means to be avoided. The Board’s primary policy focus will be on the long-term results outside of the organization, not on the administrative details of attaining those results.
The Board enforces upon itself whatever discipline appropriate to govern with excellence. Discipline will apply to matters such as attendance, preparation, policy-making principles, respect of roles and Board education.
Continual board development will include the orientation of new board members in the board’s governance process and periodic board discussions of process improvement.
The Board will monitor and discuss the Board’s process and performance at regular intervals. Self-monitoring will include a comparison of Board activity to policies on Board Governance and Board-Executive Director Linkages.
Governance Model
The Board governs with an emphasis on the following:
- Outward vision rather than internal preoccupation
- Encouragement of diversity in viewpoints
- Strategic leadership is more than administrative detail
- Distinction of Board and Executive Director roles
- Collective rather than individual decisions
- Future rather than past or present
- Proactive
Graham Mounsey, Executive Director
Graham comes into the Executive Director role, having been a Program Manager with RNS since 2018. Graham has been working in recreation and sport in a variety of positions for over twelve years. Originally from Scotland, Graham graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Sport Science from the University of Edinburgh and worked with the Scottish sport governing bodies for basketball and snowsports in sport development, events, and workforce development before immigrating to Canada in 2018.
Graham is passionate about the power of the recreation sector to help foster active, healthy, and welcoming communities in Nova Scotia. He loves to explore Nova Scotia all year round in hiking boots, snowshoes, a bike, or a canoe. He is also currently pursuing a Master's in Leisure Studies at Dalhousie University, with a focus on anti-racism and equity initiatives in recreation.
Jillian Anderson, Financial Coordinator
Jillian, her husband Jonny, and their daughter Jovie live within the HRM and enjoy all that Nova Scotia has to offer by leading a very active lifestyle.
Jillian is a talented professional and wears many hats. She is a mom, an Accounting Professional, a Fitness Instructor and a CPA student. She has been in Finance/Accounting/Business for 14 years and brings great experience to RNS.
Jillian is excited to take on this position as an accounting professional and as someone passionate about health and wellness and mental health advocacy. Like many of us, Jillian has been working from home for the past two years and is excited to be in the office again a few days a week to share coffee and morning chats!
Alan MacKeigan, Recreation Education Coordinator
Originally from Cape Breton, NS, Alan graduated from Saint Francis Xavier University in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, and has extensive work experience related to managing youth recreation programs. Alan has most recently completed NSCC's two-year Community Recreation diploma program in 2023.; and accepted the position as Education Coordinator following graduation.
Alan is passionate about raising awareness about the benefits of participating in Recreation & Leisure activities, and can often be found bouncing a basketball, swinging a golf club, or being outdoors with friends and family in his free time.
Kerri Jack, Inclusion and Accessibility Coordinator
Kerri has been working in the recreation field in Nova Scotia for the past 11 years. Kerri worked with the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's as the Community Development and Recreation Director for just under 11 years. During this time, Kerri poured her passion into offering accessible and inclusive programs for residents of all ages.
Kerri lives in rural Guysborough County, where she and her husband, Catlin, are raising their two children, Mackinley and Maverick, and their black lab, Ruger. She enjoys spending time outside and participating in outdoor recreation activities, such as archery, hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking. Kerri also works with many art mediums and enjoys painting, drawing, and crocheting.
Kerri brings a personal passion to the position of Inclusion and Accessibility Coordinator. Growing up in a single-parent home with a limited income reinforced the importance of ensuring that Recreation remains a vital service across Nova Scotia and is accessible and inclusive to all.
Lisa Fedoruk, PRO & Membership Coordinator
After spending the last three decades in and around Vancouver, BC, most recently volunteering with school and sports organizations and working in local government as part of the Community Services team in Richmond for over 15 years, Lisa and her family recently discovered the magic of Nova Scotia and plan to make their property in the Annapolis Valley their forever home.
Lisa brings extensive experience working in recreation, sport, and community development, and she is recognized for her people-centred and strategic approach to problem-solving, relationship building, and process development. Outside of work, Lisa is a mother to triplet girls who have played a wide variety of school and community sports ranging from softball, ice hockey, rugby and field hockey, and all of whom now love to play outside, whether it be skiing, skateboarding, bike riding, exploring the forest with the family dog or foraging for mushrooms. Lisa’s most recent passions include snowshoeing and learning how to grow food to nourish her family and the community.
Fawn Logan-Young, Equity & Anti-Racism Coordinator
Fawn Logan-Young (she/they) is an Anti-Racism and Equity consultant and facilitator, who has supported the creation and promotion of Recreation Nova Scotia’s (RNS) Anti-Racism Charter in Recreation.
Fawn was Parks Canada’s Youth Ambassador in 2021. There, she worked for the federal Communications and Outreach Team promoting outdoor recreation, wellness, and diversity, while in tandem, supported internal diversity, equity and inclusion commitments. More recently, Fawn worked with former MLA for Preston as the Constituency Assistant for the Preston Township. On the side, Fawn pursues an initiative she started in 2017, called Different Rooute which aims to connect youth with the outdoors, themselves, and their community through recreation programing and facilitation.
As Fawn continues supporting the Anti-Racism Charter in Recreation, she looks forward to helping signatories reimagine their policies and social culture through an anti-racist lens.
Fantanesh Attomsa, Regional Physical Activity Consultant - Central
With over 15 years combined in the social services and healthcare industries, Fantanesh is passionate about creating therapeutic and inclusive spaces within our communities.
She studied health sciences and graduated as a registered massage therapist from the Canadian College of Massage and Hydrotherapy in 2018. Her passions for community and representation in health led her to start a wellness company in 2018 and a non-profit health organization in 2023, where she offers programming, workshops, and services to communities throughout Nova Scotia.
Outside of work, you can usually find her at the gym, near the water, at social events or enjoying the outdoors with her three kids.
Fantanesh feels very aligned with Recreation Nova Scotia and looks forward to continuing to build relationships and promote healthy, active lifestyles throughout our province.
Cathy LeBlanc, Regional Physical Activity Consultant - South Shore/Valley
Bio Coming Soon!
Emma Clarke, Regional Physical Activity Consultant - Cape Breton
Emma graduated from NSCC with her Therapeutic Recreation diploma in 2019 and continued her studies at Dalhousie University. Graduating in 2022 with her BSc in Therapeutic Recreation and passing the NCTRC exam, she obtained her Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist designation (CTRS). After working in various healthcare settings with older adults and youth, she took on a part-time role funded for Eight months with Recreation Nova Scotia as the Inclusion and Accessibility Assistant. After living in Dartmouth for a few years, she moved back to Cape Breton with her husband and two cats. Emma is excited to continue working with Recreation Nova Scotia in her new position. She is eager to learn new things, network, and promote the importance of recreation and physical activity. During her leisure time, she loves to go for walks, read, and try new coffee shops in the area!
Michelle Richards, Regional Physical Activity Consultant - Cape Breton
Michelle comes to RNS/CCTH with extensive experience in recreation at the community, municipal, provincial, and national levels. She has a passion for getting people of all ages active for life in all four seasons and a deep understanding of building collaborative relationships and networks.
Michelle’s vast and varied experience in the field includes working with Cross Country Ski Nova Scotia as the Cape Breton Ski Ambassador, running summer surf programs with the Municipality of the County of Richmond, and serving on the boards of Hike Nova Scotia and the Surfing Association of Nova Scotia.
Eric Lumsden, Regional Physical Activity Consultant - Highland
*Bio coming soon
Kim Halliday, Regional Physical Activity Consultant - Fundy
Kim joins us from her position as Physical Activity Coordinator at the Region of Queens, and prior to that, she was the Active Living Coordinator at the Town of Berwick. She has coordinated efforts to increase physical activity in youth by setting up multiple programs, including a Youth Try It aimed at helping a rural community in Queens. Kim currently chairs the Lunenburg/Queens Recreation Coordinators/Directors Association.
Recreation Nova Scotia is a provincial, not-for-profit organization established in 1998 resulting from a merger of the Recreation Association of Nova Scotia, the Recreation Council on Disability in Nova Scotia, and Volunteer Nova Scotia. In partnership with the volunteers and professional recreation community, Recreation Nova Scotia advocates on behalf of all Nova Scotians for recreation and leisure opportunities to promote the values and personal, social, economic, and environmental benefits of recreation and leisure.
Recreation Nova Scotia is committed to maintaining relationships with recreation practitioners, community organizations, government officials, students, the business sector and other professionals in the recreation field to ensure that all Nova Scotians have access to recreation activities that contribute to an improved quality of life and healthier communities.
Recreation Nova Scotia is located in Mi’kma’ki, the traditional unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq people.
