Directors at Large

Shirley is a proud member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg (KZ) First Nation. Shirley resides in the Gatineau area – in the heart of Alqonquin unceded & unsurrendered territory where her ancestors hunted, travelled and traded along the majestic Kitchi Sibi river and happily goes back and forth from the city to her community because all her family & friends live there.  She will readily admit that she has the best of both worlds (urban and community). 

She retired from the Public Service in 2013 from the First Nations & Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada and has since worked with several Indigenous non-for-profit organizations in different capacities since then. 

Shirley was elected in May of 2021 as the Women’s Representative for the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation Tribal Council (AANTC) and was recently elected as the Algonquin Women’s Alternate for the Quebec Native Women in October of 2022. 

Shirley is also a Federal Indian Day school survivor and is well versed in cultural and traditional protocols. 

She considers herself a very active activist and was involved in many battles when she was in the Public Service to improve Indigenous representation in the workforce.  Today she continues to work tirelessly to engage and advance the social and economic conditions of all women of the Algonquin Nation. 

Shirley greatest success is being called Mom by her 3 adult children, and Kokomis to her 5 grand-children.   She spends most of her leisure time with them running to hockey arena’s, ski hills or in the local gyms.

Kerry Patterson-Baker currently serves as VP Communications and Public Affairs for the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC).   A seasoned executive with experience inside multinational, government and non-profit organizations, Kerry’s expertise includes strategic communications, government relations, and business development. Prior to FPAC, Kerry was National Director of Government Affairs at Symantec Corporation, the world’s largest provider of security products and solutions to prevent cyber-attacks.   She has also held senior PR/GR roles with TD Bank Group, PwC, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft Canada.

Kerry is based in Ottawa and is the past Chair of the city’s Youth Services Bureau Foundation. She holds a BA in Political Science from Carleton University.

Elena Merritt is a lawyer and an experienced advisor with over 9 years leading complex files in the public sector and private practice. In the last 6 years, Elena’s practice has focused on environmental and natural resource law. She also holds certification as an Associate Mediator with Mediate BC and has appeared before all levels of court in B.C. She is a past Board Member of a number of sections with the Canadian Bar Association and has showcased leadership on issues of access to justice and alternative dispute resolution. Elena is delighted to be back in the National Capital Region and to be joining the Board of the Canadian Club of Ottawa. She is thrilled to be a part of organizing and hosting events that foster dialogue on issues of national importance.

Georganne Burke

Georganne Burke is a seasoned veteran of political activities in the United States and Canada. 

She worked on Aboriginal outreach and issues and managed the parliamentary process for a Private Member’s Bill.

Georganne also spent a decade in the private sector in marketing, both in the publishing and computer industries. She has an MBA in marketing and strategic management.

As Senior Vice President at Pathway Group, she is responsible for managing relationships with the federal government, utilizing her extensive network on behalf of clients.

She is also a political commentator, panelist, and avid social media commentator on Twitter and Facebook, as well as in mainstream and ethnic media.

Aquilas Kapend Dapaah is a trial lawyer and fierce advocate for justice. Prior to that, she worked as a Commercial litigator representing individuals and large corporations in business law.  With a decade of experience under her belt, she employs zealous advocacy skills in the courtroom and through all stages of litigation. When she is not in a courtroom advocating, she is active in various community endeavors committed to the empowerment of women and our youth.

She is cofounder of a Non for profit called The Rise Initiative, an organization that Helps impact community based initiatives to succeed  

She is also the founder of Financially Savvy Girl, a platform that provides financial intelligence to help millennials improve their money management and one that is invested in women’s economic empowerment. 

As a mentor in law and financial literacy, her philosophy in life is as follows: we have two hands, one is to help yourself, the other is to help others