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Board Committees

Finance & Audit Committee

Chair: Martin Roy, Treasurer

Members: Brian Smeenk, Pamela Cheng, Sabina Ghose, Kathy Mok

Committee Mandate: 

Ensure proper financial stewardship including, but not limited to, monitoring financial controls, risk management, disclosure, transparency and regulatory compliance. Review the Budget prepared by the Treasurer. Review financial statements at a minimum semi-annually, in conjunction with meetings of the Committee. Advise the Board through the Treasurer regarding the appointment of external auditors and planning for the audit. Review the results of the audit prior to the Treasurer reporting them to the Board. Review any potential adjustments, exceptions or internal control deficiencies encountered during the audit and management's response. Recommend approval of audited financial statements to the Board. Advise the Treasurer to support appropriate and relevant reporting to the Board, e.g. including financial ratios, benchmarks, and/or targets. Review and support the Treasurer in updating financial policies/procedures, including internal controls. Advise on potential opportunities and risks for financial plans and spending as it relates to forecasts vs actuals/ratios/targets, including large unbudgeted items. Advise on longer term planning – such as potentially looking at other sources of revenue, long term investments, commitments, and cash flows. Advise on Reserve Fund investment/Investment strategy to support the Board, as needed.

Communications Committee

Chair: Penny Stevens 

Members: Harmela Celest, Joshua Dargie 

Committee Mandate: 

Keep and raise the profile of Merit with all interested audiences - current donors, new donors, students, alumni, volunteers, educators, government, the media. Connect with all stakeholders on a continuous basis with content that is up to date and relevant to each audience. Execute communications for mass fundraising appeals. Establish a unified brand look and feel for Merit Corporate and Merit sub-brands: Alumni, volunteers, Student and Educators, events and fundraisers. Establish a “year- round” social messaging agenda through appropriate integration and scheduling of all standing committee needs. Ensure the Merit website presence is up to date, easy to access and content rich. Centralize all communication pieces in Drop-Box for Board access.

Alumni Program Committee

Chair: Peggy Hornell 

Members: William Chinnery, Chair, Alumni Council, Brian Richards

Committee Mandate: 

The mandate of the Alumni Program Committee is to support the personal and professional development of Merit alumni and help keep them engaged with the organization. This engagement includes volunteering, speaking, networking, outreach and peer assistance. The cornerstone activities include continuing alumni personal and professional development events and the Alumni Mentorship Program. Additional activities include supporting organization-wide efforts to maintain an up-to-date alumni contact list, conducting surveys and qualitatively and quantitatively monitoring program success. The Committee will be supported by the Alumni Support Coordinator with the cooperation and assistance of the Program Administrator, as well as other Committees, including Alumni Council, Communications and Volunteer Committees. The Alumni Committee will consist of Board members leading and overseeing the following areas of focus.

Fundraising Committee

Chair: Robert Jenkyn 

Members: Janine Dyck, Brian Smeenk, Penny Stevens, Alison Broadworth

Committee Mandate: 

This committee coordinates the efforts of the Corporate and Foundation Fundraising Committees and those involved with Events and Mass Appeal campaigns. The areas of focus will include raising funds through the following sources: Events, Foundations, Corporations (including the development of Major Gifts program). The committee will also leverage the broader Merit Board and community to access donors and sponsors.

Corporate Fundraising Committee

Chair: Brian Smeenk 

Members: Michael Davoc, Harni Garnesarasa, Sophie Nettleton

Committee Mandate: 

The mandate of the corporate fundraising committee is to raise funds from corporations and professional services firms to fund the on-going needs of The Program. It will work in liaison with those focusing on Events, Foundations and Individual donors. The Corporate Fundraising Committee chair will oversee and drive the strategy and liaise with the other fundraising groups. The committee will also leverage the broader Merit Board and community to access donors and sponsors.

Volunteer Coordination Committee

Chair: Richard Ivey 

Committee Mandate: 

The mandate of the Volunteer Coordination Committee is to assess and meet Merit’s needs through the recruitment, placement and recognition of volunteers. The Volunteer Coordination Committee will work with each committee to identify needs, collect volunteer role and skill requirements, and search for required volunteers across every engagement touch point. The committee’s goal will be to fulfill the volunteer requirements of Merit, grow the population base plus focus on an active volunteer recognition program.

School Outreach Committee

Members: Michelle Manning, Shirley Sue, Ronald Watts

Committee Mandate: 

The mandate of the School Outreach Committee is: At incumbent schools, obtain increased, cooperative, and effective school participation with a view to enhancing educators’ and students’ understanding of Merit and maximizing the number of applications received. At newly enrolled schools, orient educators and students about Merit with a view to achieving above-average participation levels over time. Additionally, the School Outreach Committee will create an Outreach timeline planning tool to help facilitate efficient and resourceful school interactions. Our goal is to create a comprehensive outreach strategy to be used year to year, that can be replicated by similar, new committees as new school boards are added.

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