BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Marie Oswald
Chair, and Chair Governance, Risk and Nominations

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Marie C. Oswald (Board Chair) is a senior lawyer, compliance professional and independent director from Oakville Ontario, Marie joined the board of ArtHouse in 2015, and currently serves as its Chair of the Board and Chair of the Governance, Risk and Nominating Committee. Her professional experience includes leadership roles as both a securities market regulator and within regulated firms. As a chartered director, Marie chaired the boards of Oakville Hydro Electricity Distribution Inc and its parent company, Oakville Enterprises Corporation, from 2014 to 2019. In 2020 she joined the governance board of Ontario’s electricity and natural gas regulator, the Ontario Energy Board, where she chairs its Adjudication Committee. Marie is also a member of the Ontario Justice Sector Audit Committee and is on the board of the Oakville Municipal Development Corporation. A strong believer in the benefits of the arts, including their important role in promoting positive mental health, she is pleased to be helping ArtHouse achieve its goal of delivering arts-based programmimg free of charge to Halton Region children and youth at risk.

Keith Matcham
Chair Finance and Audit

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Keith Matcham is a partner with EY and serves as EY Canada’s Financial Services Technology Risk Practice Leader. He has more than 34 years of Technology Risk and Internal Audit advisory experience – 25 years in the financial services practice in Toronto and London, England. Keith also spent nine years working in the financial services and telecommunications sectors. He is a UK trained Chartered Accountant and a Certified Information Systems Auditor. Keith has an Honours degree in Chemical Engineering from Loughborough University in England.

Keith has been on the Board of Arthouse since 2017 serving as the Finance Director. He has also been a long time Ambassador for the Halton Children’s Aid Foundation.

Len Pace
Chair Fundraising

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Len Pace is an executive in the real estate investment industry and a passionate participant in children’s and family charitable causes. Len has spent 25 + years in real estate investments working in both Canada and the U.S. in office, industrial, residential and retail management and development. Len has a BA in Economics from Western University, an MBA from York University, and a Bachelor of Education degree from University of Toronto. Len has spent seven years on the board of Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation (CCCF). He and his wife Frances, together with a team of supporters, have raised over $3 million for CCCF, its predecessor Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation, SickKids Foundation, Terry Fox ProFyle, Trillium Hospital Foundation, and, closer to home in Halton, Wellspring, Lighthouse, Arthouse, Just Be You, and Kerr Street Mission. Frances and Len are proud honourees of the YMCA Peace Medal.

Tina Blatchford
Board Member and Past Chair

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Tina Blatchford is the Executive Director of the Children’s Aid Foundation of Halton (CAFH), the fundraising arm of the Halton Children’s Aid Society (Halton CAS).

Tina’s experience spans 32 years in a variety of roles including: Summer Camp Counsellor/Manager; Child & Youth Worker; Supervisor of the Connecting Youth program; Supervisor of Volunteers and Public Relations; and volunteer roles as a Foster parent, youth mentor and Director of the Board of CAFH; with the last 16 years as the lead of the CAFH.

Tina has a passion for youth and believes that the unconditional love shared by family is the most empowering gift of all. “It’s what gives us the confidence to try something and fail, then try again and eventually succeed. This is what we strive to provide for the children and youth we support, a safe and non-judgmental opportunity to find strengths, a stepping stone to success, and with it the courage to seek adventure.”

In her current volunteer roles Tina is the Past Chair of the Board of ArtHouse, an organization providing access to free arts programs for children in need throughout Halton, and she is the immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Stoney Creek.

Tina is married to Camillo and is the proud Step-Mom to two grown “wicked” step-children!

Tina’s favourite quote: “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle” Father James Keller.

Helen McGillivray
Board Member

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Helen McGillivray has been an educator since 1986: teaching in schools, working with adults and children through her private practice Mind Over Dyslexia since 2003, and providing mindfulness training through her company Mindful Well-Being. Facilitating growth and positive change with individuals, and cultivating connection and community is the inspiration at the core of her work and volunteer service.

Some of her volunteer service includes work with Volunteer Builders since its inception in 2000, President of the Davis Dyslexia Facilitators Association of Canada, organizing two community builds (in collaboration with community partners) for Halton Community Housing Corporation recipients, providing Mindfulness Training Sessions for single parents at Home Suite Hope, member of the ArtHouse Advisory Committee in 2017, and member of the ArtHouse Board since 2018.

Helen believes that participation in the arts promotes “well-being” through meeting some of our universal human needs including the need for self-expression, creativity, learning and joy. She is grateful for this positive change ArtHouse can provide for communities.

Melanie McGregor
Board Member

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Melanie McGregor works in community mental health and addictions management with a focus on quality improvement, development, community engagement, and health promotion. Her background includes experience with secondary education, family support, contracts management, and fundraising. She has Chaired the Halton Suicide Prevention Coalition since 2018 and also writes a bi-weekly wellness column for local Halton newspapers.

Melanie is a Mental Health First Aid Canada Master Trainer, an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training Facilitator, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and has a Master’s degree in English Literature and a Bachelor of Education degree. A passionate learner who loves reading, baking, and playing tennis, she has been blessed with great life teachers, the greatest of all being her 13-year-old son.

Lesley Kennedy
Board Member

STAFF

Don Pangman
Founder and ED

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Don is the Founder of ArtHouse. Celebrating its 13th Anniversary June 2022, ArtHouse has served over 10,500 young people with 748 programs.

Don’s professional career includes 30 years on Bay Street and over the last 22 years he has been involved in the charitable sector as a fundraiser and consultant. He has served on the boards of the Oakville Symphony Orchestra, St. Mildred’s Lightbourn School, the Oakville Community Foundation, the United Way of Oakville and the Toronto and National Boards of Canadian Music Competition.

Don is the recipient of the United Way Chair’s Award in 2004, the McPhie Award from the Children’s Aid Foundation of Halton, Rotary International Foundation’s Paul Harris Award, Oakville’s Community Spirit Award in the Arts and in 2012 he was presented with The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2016 he was honoured to be named a Life Governor of St. Mildred’s-Lightbourn School.

Don and Judi have raised 5 children and have 12 grandchildren.

Gemma Hagerman
Program Director

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Gemma was born with a smile and looks at everyday as “amazing” particularly when it comes to the opportunity to support young people. And she has a natural love for the arts attending a Performing Arts School and studied piano and violin. Before joining ArtHouse in 2011 where she has enjoyed 11 wonderful years helping the organization grow across Halton, she worked in the corporate world in consumer insights and logistics areas with Royal Canin, Campbells Canada and Stanley Tools. Gemma is married and is the proud parent of 3 children.

Taylor Meneghini
Program Manager

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Taylor has always been passionate about community development and working with children. She has lived in Halton all of her life and has always been active within her community. She started volunteering with children and families over 8 years ago with the North BurLINKton group. She also did a placement with the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Foundation while completing her post-secondary education. This led her to start her career in the non-profit world as a Community Developer and Volunteer Coordinator at Community Development Halton, where she worked for 5 years.

Taylor started working with ArtHouse April 2018 as a Program Manager focusing on providing community-based programs for children and youth who may not have access. She continues to be a positive mentor to the children and youth she works with. Taylor and Tyler welcomed baby Liv into the world in September 2021.

Lori Lafreniere
Finance Manager

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Lori has a background in accounting and finance. She was born and raised in Halton, where she learned to play the violin. She is very excited to be background support for ArtHouse and to be part of a team where the focus is on helping others.

“The two girls had behavioural issues and would challenge us every chance they got. Now they see that we truly care about them and have a much easier time showing respect and communicate much better. When they are sad or upset they come and talk to us.”

-TAYLOR , ARTHOUSE PROGRAM MANAGER