The board was elected at the Annual General Meeting on June 21st, 2023.
Robert Brinker
President
Robert lives in the Carlington neighbourhood since he immigrated to Canada in 2000. He enjoys community building, home renovation, woodworking and spending time with his dog Layla. He is an FCA board member since 2018.
Leeanne Van der Burgt
Vice President
Leeanne has been a resident of Ottawa for over 20 years. She has been an active contributor in every community she has lived in from volunteering for working groups and committees to sitting on a number of Boards. She has organized and participated in numerous fundraising events across the City for a host of charities and not-for-profit organizations. She has worked with youth for nearly ten years and worked with seniors and adults with disabilities for three. Now living in rural Ottawa, Leeanne is happy to bring that perspective to the work at FCA.
Lorne Cutler
Treasurer
Lorne Cutler has been living in Westboro since 1988 and has been president of the Hampton lona Community Group for many years. Lorne grew up in Toronto, where he received his BASc in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto and an MBA from Ivy School of Business. Lorne has worked in the finance industry since 1984. Lorne is also a Lieutenant-Governor Appointee Councillor for Professional Engineers Ontario, Ontario's licensing agency for engineers where he serves as Vice President and Chair of their Audit and Finance Committee. While interested in all aspects of city building, Lorne is pleased that he has been able to provide FCA with his financial skills for several years acting as Treasurer for the organization.
Phil Sweetnam
Director-at-large
Phil Sweetnam, P. Eng. (retired), is a 2nd generation Stittsville resident who owns a mobile home community and several rental houses on family land. He is the recipient of many community and provincial awards including the City of Ottawa Environmental Award in 2006, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the FCA in 2018. Always active in the community, Phil has a cheerful countenance and is known to never pass on a really good bargain.
Mihailo Mihailovic
DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE
Stephen Barry Turner
Director-at-large
Paul Johanis
Director-at-large
Paul worked in a variety of roles and functions over a 37 year career in the federal public service, from the lowest level to the most senior, ending his career as Assistant Chief Statistician of Canada (Corporate Services). He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from l’École nationale d’administration publique and a PhD in Public Policy from the School of Public Administration at Carleton University. Since his retirement, he has been involved in various City of Ottawa planning files and issues in the defence of greenspace. He is the current Chair of the Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital.
Elizabeth J. McAllister
Director-at-large
Elizabeth McAllister was the President of the Manor Park Community Association from 2017 until 2022. She worked with 6 other Community Associations to form the “Community Collective.” Together they collaborated to address poverty and homelessness in the Ward 13 and Vanier, prepared for consultations with the City on the Official Plan, main street development and worked other issues of mutual concern. Prior to joining MPCA, Elizabeth served in leadership positions in the international development community for over 30 years. She held a number of senior assignments at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., including Director of the Operations Evaluation Department (OED), Director of External Affairs and United Nations Relations and Special Advisor to the Vice Presidency for East Asia and Pacific. Prior to joining the World Bank, Ms. McAllister held executive positions in the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Elizabeth is a recipient of awards for community service and leadership, including a 1994 Governor General's Commemorative She earned her Master’s in Public Administration at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of New Brunswick.
Lynne Davidson-Fournier
Director-at-large
Lynne Davidson-Fournier has been living in Guildwood Estates for over 40 years and is president of Guildwood Residents Alliance. Lynne obtained a B.A. Honours degree in Translation at the University of Ottawa, and worked for over 40 years as legislative translator, revisor and training expert within the federal government. In recognition of her work, Lynne was awarded the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal in 1993 and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. She also wrote a Manual on the translation of regulations in 1985 for the Translation Bureau and was part-time professor at the University of Ottawa for nine years. She was a member of the City’s French Language Services Advisory Committee from 1996-1999, and served as vice-president and president of the School Council of Franco-Cité High School for several years. Lynne is a strong proponent of clarity and accuracy in official texts in a bilingual context.
Warren H. Waters
Director-at-large
Warren is Planning Chair and VP of the Lowertown Community Association, and a retired Geographer and Economist living in Lowertown since 2009. He practiced for over forty years in the fields of environmental and social development. His professional experience includes over twenty years consulting for industry and government in Western Canada and abroad, and twenty years with the World Bank in Asia and Africa, integrating ecological, social and economic principles into the development process.
Past President
Alex Cullen
Past President
Alex Cullen - a former school board trustee, city councillor and MPP - is retired and past-President of the Belltown Neighbours Association (in Ottawa's west end). An avid cross-country skier, he teaches x-c skiing at Nakkertok and Kanata Nordic Ski Clubs and still skis the Canadian Ski Marathon.