Valley Heartland

Gary Simonsen

Board Chair

Gary is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of leadership experience in the real estate and association management sectors, including serving as CEO of the Canadian Real Estate Association from 2011 to 2017. He has deep expertise in governance, strategic planning, and board development, and previously consulted with not-for-profit organizations. Known for guiding organizations through transition and modernization, Gary brings a collaborative, future-focused approach to board leadership.

Mary Van Buren

Mary holds an MBA in international business from McGill and a B.Com from the University of Ottawa. Fluent in both English and French, she is also a Certified Association Executive. Her leadership extends across various prominent not-for-profit entities and crown corporations, including Export Development Canada. Recognized for her governance expertise, Mary has served on numerous professional boards, and spearheaded a governance transformation that resulted in receiving a Governance Professionals of Canada Award of Excellence.

Paul McAuley

Paul worked on health system integration at the South East Local Health Integration Network, and served as VP of Governance and Strategy at Quinte Healthcare, before becoming the founding CEO of 3SO, a provider of shared services to regional hospitals. Most recently, Paul led the merger of 3SO, the organization he founded, with Mohawk Medbuy, a national shared services organization, where he is now a VP.

Judith Pineault

Judith spent ten years in the C-Suite of a large multi-national firm, before turning to consulting. She would later co-found a custom manufacturing firm, where, as CEO, she led the firm’s financial management and business development, establishing export markets in North America, South America, China, Japan, Morocco, and Sweden. Having sold the business in 2019, Judith returned to consulting, mentoring start-ups and scale-up enterprises. As an Advisor to Launch Lab, the Regional Innovation Centre, Judith has extensive knowledge of the region’s innovation ecosystem, and serves on the board of Community Futures Eastern Ontario.

Shannon Lebrun

Shannon has served as the chair of non-profit boards during periods of transition and stabilization, and is an executive with Corus, one of the country's largest media and television production companies, which is home to brands such as the Global TV Network. Shannon has developed a strong knowledge of the Community Futures Program as Chair of the Board of Directors at ACC Futures, where she has helped to foster innovation and collaboration between peers.