Our Board of Directors

After a seven-years-long exile to Montréal, Patrick Desbiens returned to his native land in 2003. He then got actively involved in starting up several food service companies and was the co-owner of a business until 2009. Trained as a special education teacher, he went back to social work. He became coordinator and case worker in a new community organization called “Homme aide Manicouagan.” In 2010, he started up the second safe house for fathers with children in Quebec called “Maison Oxygène Gens du Nord.” Still working for Homme aide Manicouagan, Patrick is also a spokesperson for Table nord-côtière de concertation sur les réalités masculines and the Vice-president of the Maisons Oxygène network in Quebec.

After more than thirty-five years of living on the North Shore and trained as a special education teacher, Françoise Richard became responsible for the “Conseil du statut de la femme du Québec”. She contributed to the establishment of some fifteen community organizations, including the “Fonds d’investissement pour l’entrepreneurship feminin” and the “Corporation des services universitaires du secteur ouest de la Côte-Nord.” Sustainable development has been a life-long principle of hers. With her travels all over the world, she has gained a better understanding of the ways of life of the different cultures which enrich our planet and the issues that they face.

Jacinthe Pomerleau is a pioneer in the development and implementation of childcare services. Over the years, she has contributed to the development of close to 400 places in recognized daycare services by overseeing the leadership and management of social economy businesses that create wealth for those communities. Very much involved in her community, she has been a member of various organizations and committees, including the Comité famille pour l’élaboration de la politique familiale de la Ville de Baie-Comeau, an administrator for five years at the CLD Manicouagan with a seat on the social economy board and a member of the Board of Administrators of the Fonds d’investissement pour l’entrepreneurship au féminin. She strongly believes in the potential of communities to take ownership of their future.

A native of Baie-Comeau, Vicky Grégoire-Tremblay has worked with several concepts related to MUWBR activities during her career, including governance and social accountability. When involved in international development or economic development missions, she seeks to lead the projects entrusted to her from a sustainable development perspective.

To come up…