Community Development Corporation of Sault Ste. Marie & Area
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Board of Directors

The board consists of volunteer members from the area. Their responsibilities include general operation, development of corporate policy, strategic direction, budgeting and the Investment Fund. There are a total of nine seats on the Board. There is also a minimum of two standing committees reporting to the Board of Directors of the Corporation. The first standing committee is the Investment Committee. The second standing committee is the Community Development Committee. Other committees are struck upon the direction of the Board of Directors to carry out any further duties the Board deems necessary for the corporation to execute its mandate.

Board Recruitment

CDC Board members are recruited through an open process that includes the following steps:

Positions are advertised in the local newspaper
Expressions of interest and resumes are reviewed by a selection committee
Applicants are screened for the community they represent and relevant skills
Candidates receive an orientation package at meeting with executive director
Selection to the Board is by resolution
 

Current Board of Directors

Jerry Dolcetti, Chair

Jerry Dolcetti is retired from the position of  Commissioner of Engineering and Planning for the City of Sault Ste. Marie and is a registered professional planner. He is also Chair of the Board of Directors for the Sault Ste. Marie Airport Development Corporation. The Corporation owns and operates the Sault Ste. Marie Airport, and has a board of directors and a staff of 22.

Jerry has been a member of the Community Development Committee of the CDC and a board director since 1995.

Rachel Tyczinski, Vice Chair 

Ms. Tyczinski is the current City Clerk for the City of Sault Ste. Marie.  She also held the positions of Deputy City Clerk,  Manager of Quality Improvement and Corporate Affairs Officer for the City of Sault Ste. Marie.  She was also the Administrator of Prince Township. She received the designation of Certified Municipal Officer in 1998. Her community work has included being a board member of Sault Ste. Marie Naturally Green, Administrative Officer of the Prince Township Volunteer Fire Department and a member of the Community Development Committee of the Community Development Corporation of Sault Ste. Marie & Area.

Chris Pomeroy, Secretary/Treasurer

Chris Pomeroy has been employed with KPMG since 2005 when he moved to Sault Ste. Marie with his family.  He graduated from Redeemer University with a bachelor of arts degree in Business, completed additional university credits, including credits obtained at Algoma University.  He became a Chartered Accountant in 2008.  Chris has worked as an auditor for over 15 years for a variety of business enterprises, not for profit organizations and public sector entities in the Algoma region. 

Chris has volunteered time on various boards including the Sault Ste. Marie Free Methodist Church, the Free Methodist Church in Canada and a current board member for the Sault North Rotary Club. 

Brandon Boissoneau

Brandon Boissoneau joined the board of directors of the CDC in 2023.  He is currently the Assistant Business Entities Manager for Garden River First Nation. Brandon graduated from Algoma University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) in 2018 and completed the Canadian Securities Course in 2019. Brandon worked for 5 years at Community First Credit Union, was an Investment Advisor for 2 years before joining the Garden River Business Entities team April 2022. Brandon assumed the acting Manager role in August 2022. Business entities in Garden River include: Silver Creek Golf Course, Garden River Aggregates Division, Garden River Highway Division, Garden River Bingo and Ojibway Park including other joint ventures and business opportunities.

Heather Bot

Heather Bot is the Executive Director of Ontario's Algoma Country travel association.  As the lead staff, she represents the Association in varying capacities from building strong working relationships with Association partners to ensuring the Association fulfills its mandate and champion on behalf of the tourism industry in Ontari's Algoma Country.  A proud Northerner, Heather was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie.

Jason Gauthier 

Chief Jason Gauthier from Missanabie Cree First Nation was elected as a Councillor in 2010.  He was elected as Chief in 2013, re-elected in 2016 and again in 2019.  He has an honours degree in Sociology with Certification in Social Welfare.  He has published articles in Law Journals and sat at the interim Grand Chief of Mushkegowuk Tribal Council.  He sits as a member of the Royal Society for the Advancement of the Arts in London England, and is a current member of "Actra", the union of Actors in Toronto.  He holds a CVOR (Commercial Vehicle Operators License) as well as certification in computer hardware, software and networking. 

Stephanie Hopkin

Stephanie was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. After secondary school, Stephanie moved to London, Ontario where she completed a double major in Comparative Literature and Culture and Technical and Rhetorical Writing. Shortly after graduating, she moved back to Sault Ste. Marie and worked as a Communications Officer for the Ministry of Natural Resources in the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services Branch. From November 2011 to November 2014, Stephanie worked in the Mayor’s Office for the City of Sault Ste. Marie as the Community Engagement Coordinator. Currently, Stephanie is a Regional Coordinator at Tourism Northern Ontario. In this role, she combines her passion for public relations with her love of the outdoors and travelling to focus on the organization’s marketing, communications and investment attraction initiatives.

Stephanie has sat on a number of committees including the Age-Friendly Sault Ste. Marie Steering Committee, the Algoma Youth Engagement Network, the Board of Directors for ONWIN.ca, and sat as chair of the Chamber of Commerce’s Strive Young Professionals Group for 2014. Currently she sits on the Board of Directors for the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce and the Young Professionals Network of Ontario. She is also actively involved in the Economic Development Council of Ontario’s Marketing Committee.

Derek Jackson

Derek Jackson is the Employee & Community Engagement Manager with McDougall Energy. He has a background in business management including Human Resources, Business Development, and Marketing.  As a lifetime volunteer and resident of Sault Ste. Marie, Derek has been involved with various organizations over the years.  Currently, Derek also holds positions on the Board of Directors of Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce, Strive Young Professionals Group and the Sault Area Hospital Foundation.

Bill Pasiak

Bill Pasiak is a Certified Management Accountant experienced in investment review, strategic planning, and productivity improvement. He has held budgeting and controllership positions in both the public and private sectors.

Bill has been a life-long volunteer and continues giving his time and expertise for a variety of causes. In May 2010 he received a 20-year Volunteer Service Award from the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration for his ongoing contribution to the United Way's Community Investment Committee.

Resource members

Nevin Buconjic, FedNor.