Board of Directors
Maureen Donovan
Board Chair
Maureen Donovan is the chair of the Spencer House Board of Directors, a position she has held for the past five years. She has been the owner of several small businesses, spanning more than thirty years, and currently is the President of the Dakin Company, which is involved in land development in Nova Scotia. Maureen has held positions on many Boards, including the Whistler Community Foundation, Whistler Community Services, Halifax Bridge World and the Atlantic Bridge Federation, to name a few. She is passionately interested in the well being of seniors in our community, and is committed to the sustainability of Spencer House and all its wonderful work.
Ward Skinner
Treasurer
Ward has served as Treasurer on the Spencer House Board for a number of years. He is a retired FCPA, CPA, with over thirty-five years of experience advising clients on accounting, tax and business issues. Ward has also served as a volunteer on numerous other boards of charitable organizations.
Ward has a membership at Spencer House, and says he enjoys meeting other seniors there, as well as working with the amazing staff. Besides his work as Treasurer, he has put in countless hours doing physical labour to help make Spencer House a pleasant place to be. In Ward’s words, “I love being part of an organization which works tirelessly to improve the lives of our seniors.”
Mark DeWolf
Secretary
Mark is a retired teacher of English and drama, having taught in Halifax and Singapore. For many years he also performed satirical sketches with Ray Whitley on CBC’s Information Morning program. He is also a longtime member of the classic rock band now known as Comeback.
Mark has been a volunteer at Spencer House for eleven years, serving on the Board of Directors, presently as secretary. He directs plays ( which were written by him), and performed by Spencer House members, both at Spencer House as well as other venues. A senior himself, he understands the importance of companionship and rewarding activity in the lives of older people.
Mark very much enjoys spending time with the Spencer House members, some of whom he has known for all eleven years. Writing and directing the plays the members perform provides an outlet for his creative streak.
Glen Amirault
Director
Glen has been both a member of the Spencer House Board of Directors and of Spencer House itself for a number of years. He is a retired teacher who goes out of his way to make newcomers feel welcome at the facility. Glen has, and continues to, save Spencer House thousands of dollars by being our resident handyman. He enjoys playing cribbage and interacting with other members he calls his “family”. Glen serves on the Board because he feels Spencer House is a vital part of life for its members, and wants to help it flourish.
Matt Gallant
Director
Matt is a Chartered Professional Accountant, licensed in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. He works as an Assurance Partner for Grant Thornton LLP, based out of Halifax. Matt joined the board in 2018, and has worked with Spencer House over the years to ensure financial compliance is maintained annually, as well as working closely with the other Board members on strategic direction and future sustainability of Spencer House. He is also a member of the Investment Committee.
During his spare time, Matt enjoys spending time with his family, including his two young daughters. He values the opportunity to be involved with Spencer House, feeling the comradery, connections, and various other services the Centre provides to seniors is critical to our future.
Adrian Mason
Director
Adrian is a relative newcomer to the Spencer house Board, having moved here with his family from the UK in 2020, where he worked in housing development in London for over twenty years. He works here for the provincial government as Director of Housing Development within the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Adrian’s work with the provincial government involves growing capacity within the non-profit Community Housing sector., and working with individual organizations as they build toward financial sustainability. Aidrian feels this insight could prove beneficial for Spencer House as it expands programs and services for members.
Adrian joined the Board of Directors because, as a relative newcomer to Halifax, he was struck by how welcoming Haligonians are. He feels serving on the Board is one small way he can reciprocate this generosity.
Gavin Giles
Director
Gavin is a recent and welcome addition to the Spencer House Board. A lawyer by profession, he has almost forty years of experience dealing with people from all walks of life. Gavin has a strong sense of community and social justice, and the volunteer work these involve. He served with the Red Cross for over a decade, being National Chair from 2017-2020. His work there saw him engaged in many aspects of humanitarian service. When his time with the Red Cross ended, Gavin was looking for new opportunities to volunteer. Spencer House came to mind as his wife had done foot care there for years,
and he is himself a senior.
Gavin says his joining the Board of Spencer House is proving to be a good fit. He is impressed with all that the facility offers to seniors, and is pleased to be part of the wonderful things happening there. His late mother taught her children that giving to others is very important, and he finds this easy to do at Spencer House where all who are involved are attentive, energetic and committed to making Spencer House the best it can be.
Judith Bonnell
Director
Judith has been a member of Spencer House since November of 2014, and has served on the Board of Directors for several years. She is a retired teacher, who spent most of her life in Cape Breton. She is involved in many activities at Spencer House, including the theatre group, exercise classes and cribbage, just to name a few. Judith is an avid promoter of the facility, feeling strongly it provides a welcoming place to keep up an active lifestyle, which is vital for seniors. She enjoys having meals there with her friends, where stories are swapped and laughter shared.
Judith feels serving on the Board is a way to give back for all the benefits she enjoys at Spencer House. Working with the exceptional staff is a delight, and she looks forward to being part of the wonderful things that are happening at Spencer House.
Ellen Pottie
Director
Ellen is a longtime member of Spencer House who serves on the Board of Directors because she feels she can be a voice for other members. She attends Spencer House almost daily, and is very tuned in to what is happening in the lives of others who are there. Ellen participates in the Two Houses theatre group, and organizes the weekly bingo games.
Ellen is a born caregiver, who retired from service as a cook in a nursing home, cooking in a day care, running a group home, among other things. Like others, Ellen looks at the people of Spencer House as her “family”. She wants to do her part to make sure the facility is the best it can be
Amber MacLean
Director
Amber has been a member of the Spencer House Board for two years. Her background in hospitality and culinary has supported her time and involvement with Spencer House, where she has a particular interest in their meal program. Having had two grandmothers who lived at home into their late nineties made Amber realize the value of community, which Spencer House provides.