JP Melville – Hub Director
JP is an Ottawa-based, social purpose, business and project management consultant who partners with organizations, individuals, and the private sector to assist them with achieving mission.
A summary of JP’s work environments, present and past, includes revenue positive social enterprise, seniors’ housing with a focus on small-scale shared accommodation, supporting Bronson Centre’s growth as a creative hub and service organization (from 45,000′ sq to the sky’s the limit), the current renovation of Bronson Centre’s 1000 person performance venue, construction in general, publishing his own literary projects, sustainable agriculture, and ten years of work in the global south and a couple of conflict zones to boot.
Ruth Truong – Communications
Ruth is an Ottawa-born lover of food and films. Nothing better than experimenting with new recipes or living and learning vicariously through foreign and independent films at Bytowne Cinema (her favourite). She is a graduate of both uOttawa (B.A.) and Carleton (M.A.) with a background in English Literature and the avantgarde of Digital Humanities. When she is not coordinating rentals of Bronson Centre’s non-permanent meeting & event spaces or posting Bronson RISE content, she is working on streamlining Bronson Centre’s online presence.
Never one to slow down, when wearing her other-than-Bronson-Centre hat (s), Ruth is gaining experience in mobilization and organization for decent work. She hopes to increase her capacity to give time and resources toward community care and mutual aid.
Elisa Ojeda – Projects Director
Elisa hails from Chile, South America. She brings us many years of private sector project management experience. She has found a home in Bronson Centre, more than just a place of work. Investing her private sector experience into the social benefit sector, especially our community hub, has been a great change and growth experience (for all of us!). After timelines, Gantt charts, workplans, regular scrumming and budgets, her passions are family, gardening, and too many creative hobbies to summarize here. Elisa is in awe of how beautiful Ottawa is, as a city, and as her new home.
Christian Veselovsky – Outreach and Indigenous Partnership
Born and raised in the Ottawa area, Christian is a graduate of the Social Service Worker program at Algonquin College. As part of the growing partnership between Kateri Native Ministry and the Bronson Centre, Christian splits his time between both organizations. He brings his experience working with Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers to Bronson Centre. Outside of his work, Christian is active in the Ottawa classical music scene, playing cello in the Divertimento Orchestra and singing bass in the Notre Dame Cathedral Schola Cantorum.
Rhonda Flanagan – Strategy Analyst
Rhonda joins us virtually from Melancthon, about as rural as rural gets in southern Ontario. She brings a wealth of not-for-profit housing and social purpose experience to Bronson Centre. Her working and volunteer life has revolved around adult education and property, administration, and Board management. For more than 15 years Rhonda was an education consultant and trainer in the co-operative housing sector. She spent an additional six years as an Easter Seal Society camp director and property manager. Since 2008, she has been a volunteer Board director with the Abbeyfield Houses Society of Durham, Ontario, a charitable seniors housing organization.
We got to know Rhonda through the pandemic and she became our shining star on creative and productive virtual work flexibility. In early 2022 we invited her to join our team. She supports Bronson Centre organizations that collaborate on broad objectives of seniors inclusion in all aspects of their mandates. She keeps an eye out for sustainability, collective impact, and seniors housing alternatives in the context of cultural diversity and an ageing demographic.
Still, Rhonda’s endless scope of vision has discipline. She assists our collaborating organizations with legal agreements, new business plans, and maintaining a coherent link between their organizations’ unique mandates and Bronson Centre as a community hub. Working together, there’s no other recipe for Bronson Centre’s long term development vision, she says.
Ryan Lindsey – Tech Director
Ryan is an Ottawa-born human who has a passion for singing, computers, and making people smile. Working with the Bronson team has nurtured his abilities to :
A) help out with software/hardware gazoozlewums that need some attention (and always will !), and
B) approach Bronson Centre’s IT and tenant community as an everyday learn-grow experience.
IT, Ryans says, is so much more than just information and technology. IT is an extension of our art of living.
Are you a tenant at Bronson Centre? Let’s be creative! Get a hold of Ryan if you have any questions about this website. Want to add a link on your site to Bronson Centre? Questions about your computer or network setup and how, together, we can all become more visible on the net?
Email ryan@wavelengthmedia.ca
Babita Todd – Finance
Babita. Our frighteningly razor-sharp, on-the-numbers bookkeeper.
Babita sailed into Canada from the southern lands of Guyana over three decades ago. She loves the snowy season. It represents peace and rejuvenation.
On the side, Babita owns and operates a time + a half business with her husband. Open pretty much seven days a week from spring through fall. Still, there’s a chunk of good time for rest and play (after all tax info is fired off to the accountant, of course). A perfect arrangement, don’t you know, that allows for full advantage of the Canadian winter, hitting the powdery slopes with fresh crisp air in every breath… like being in heaven… and replenishing for the year to come.
Agnes Warda – Advocacy and Impact Evaluation
Welcome to the Team, Agnes !
Agnes Warda has worked for the federal government, Carleton University, several NGOs and even as assistant to a federal MP. Never one to slow down, she continues as a co-owner and manager of a consulting company JPW Innovation Associates Inc.
“Active in city life” is hardly enough to capture her energy ! Agnes represents community organizations on advisory committees at the city council and the NCC. Active in several social groups (Federation of Citizens Association, Glens Community, Knoxdale Merivale Council). Associated with the Canadian Polish Congress and the Canadian-Polish Club. Involved in many initiatives related to seniors (Ontario Quality Care Alliance, Seniors’ Advisory Group) and most recently with the Abbeyfield Polonia House.
In 2017, she received the Nepean-Carleton 150 Inspiration Awards Medallion as one of 150 volunteers. In the same year, she was awarded the Canada Medal for the 150th Anniversary of the Canadian Confederation for participating in civic life and building Canada’s prosperity. In 2018, she was awarded the title of Builder of the City of Ottawa for her outstanding commitment and activity to the benefit of the City of Ottawa. She has received several volunteer honors from the Province of Ontario, and the Annual Ward 9 (Knoxdale-Merivale) Volunteer Awards and most recently, the Nepean Volunteer Award for outstanding service to the community during the pandemic.
She is a strong community advocate with a heart of gold, seeming boundless energy and, some would say, a will of steel. Her modus operandi is constructive engagement, visibility, and community building and networking.
Wow!
Megan Laroche – Business and Finance Wizard
Megan brings a fresh business and financial perspective to our social purpose ethos. Definitely a people person with a twist on our aging demographic, Megan holds a Bachelor’s in Therapeutic Recreation and a College Diploma in Dementia Studies. From the hard knocks school, she holds, a Master’s in Business and Administration with a concentration in Innovative Leadership. With her enthusiasm for education and community impact, Megan is now completing her Master’s in Social Work.
With her newly achieved MBA and a back pocket full of surprises, we have the most recent ideas and theories on our side. With over a decade, Megan’s experience stems from business and financial management in long-term care, retirement, and community housing in the private sector. A winner for our Bronson Centre team! Yeh!
Megan represents the surrounding counties around Ottawa and the francophone communities. Megan aspires to support Bronson Centre with their long-term projects and their innovative initiatives. In her free time, Megan works, does more work, and works some more, anywhere there’s change initiatives and community benefit. Oh, yes, we love her top priorities: her dogs, cats, and motorcycles… super!
Clementine – Our Office Mascot is Now 14 Years Old !
New team members joining here soon !