Board of Directors
Meet our Board of Directors
Board members play a crucial role in guiding us towards a sustainable future and ensuring we have the necessary resources to advance our mission
Colleen Ritchie - Board Chair
Colleen is a connector - a matchmaker pairing people, places and ideas with a touch of the unexpected all in the name of entrepreneurial success. She believes that relationships are what it really comes down to; when they’re set in motion, great things happen.
With two decades as a public relations practitioner focused on events and sponsorship combined with her entrepreneurial know-how as an owner operator of a catering business and event planning company, Colleen brings membership to life for women entrepreneurs, partners and sponsors in her role at the Centre for Women in Business.
Outside of work you will find Colleen out with her dog Memphis in the north end of Halifax. She loves to cook for family and friends and is always on the hunt for her next great treasure at a flea market or auction. Community building through volunteerism keeps her connected to people and working toward equity for all. A strong gratitude practice keeps Colleen rooted in what is rather than what is not.
Connect with me here: Colleen Ritchie | LinkedIn
Rozina Saeed - Vice Chair
Rozina is extremely passionate and enthusiastic about working with and supporting a building a thriving community that provides programs, services and supports for families, seniors and community members. A strong visionary leader and manager who motivates others to be the best they can. A strategic planner and passionate volunteer, Rozina has been an active community member supporting organizations such as common roots urban farm, the mobile food market and CSCNS to name a few.
In her day to day work Rozina has helped managers work to build workplace cultures that celebrate learning; where people use their own creativity to perform their jobs better and freely share their ideas with others across the organization.
Leticia Smillie - Secretary
Leticia Smillie is a food systems planner with the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), co-chair of the Halifax Food Policy Alliance (HFPA), and steering committee member of the Food Communities Network. Leticia has been the municipal representative for the Mobile Food Market since it began in 2016. Leticia graduated from Dalhousie with a Master of Urban and Rural Planning, with a particular focus on community engagement in planning practice. Her recent work has focused on increasing community involvement and impact in designing communities that promote arts, culture, and health. Leticia is working to bring the Region's first food strategy to life, JustFOOD Halifax: an action plan for the Halifax Region, which is being co-developed by HRM and the HFPA.
NANCY MANSFIELD - Treasurer
A Chartered Professional Accountant and former entrepreneur, Nancy has over 25 years of experience in accounting and finance. She has worked with a variety of organizations – spanning diverse industry sectors such as retail and service based entities to non-profits and manufacturers.
Providing outsourced CFO/Controller Services since 2012, Nancy is a detail oriented problem solver, with a demonstrated track record in monitoring organization performance and highlighting significant trends. Other areas of expertise include cash management, compliance filings (HST/Payroll/WCB and Tax), month end close process, budgeting, cost reductions and process efficiencies.
Arvind Babajee
Arvind BABAJEE is a multi-skilled professional who commands more than 20 years of experience in various industries. He has held different leadership positions in various companies, including management consulting, financial services, corporate & offshore banking, tax planning, M&A, corporate & transactions advisory.
The most exciting aspect of his job is that it covered all sectors and enabled him to work with various sector specialists all around the globe. This global connectivity and collective knowledge added tremendous value to his professional skills, eventually benefiting his clients.
AB is a qualified Fellow Chartered Management Accountant - FCMA & CGMA from the CIMA, UK & AICPA, USA. He is also a jurist and has an LL.M /Master of Laws from King’s College London, UK. He completed his MBA International from the Univ of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, France. He is a Senior Executive Fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge USA, and an Associate of King’s College (AKC), UK.
Crystal John
Crystal John is a Social Worker with a passion for community development. She is the proud mother of two. Crystal is an advocate for women’s empowerment and is trained as a birth and post-Partum doula for over 30 years supporting women and families in their childbirth choices. Crystal earned a Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Social Work degree from Dalhousie University. She is currently employed as a Social Work Coordinator at Adsum House for Women and Children. Crystal experience spans across areas of Afrocentric interventions, Gendered and Sexualized Violence, Research, Adult and Parenting Education, Housing and homelessness, therapeutic counseling, parenting support, resource, food insecurity and service advocacy. Crystal has been involved with the Mobile food Market since it’s inception and lead the North End team as a host organization through The Mulgrave Park Caring and Learning Centre. A passionate advocate for food security and urban renewal. Crystal has worked closely as a community advocate and liaison with many levels of government, including health, community services, and education.
Agamani (Mani) Chakrabarty
Mani is an economist and founder of ASBB Consulting and research and economic advisory based in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Mani grew up in Yellowknife, NWT, where she found her desire to develop rural and remote communities. She holds a business degree and a master’s degree and a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Alberta and a master’s in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Mani’s work experience spans both the public and private sectors. She was an economist with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and, most recently, a Senior Consultant with Deloitte. Mani is pleased to call Yarmouth her current home.
James MacGowan, FCPA, FCA, TEP - Board Consultant
Jim recently retired as the senior tax partner in the Deloitte Atlantic practice. Prior to retiring, he was one of the leading private company tax practitioners in the firm serving high net worth clients across the country. Previously, Jim spent five years in Calgary as the Managing Partner of the Alberta Private Company Services practice. In this capacity, Jim oversaw the delivery of all professional services to some of the largest private companies in Western Canada. During the same period, Jim was also the national leader of Deloitte’s Private Company Service Tax practice, the largest of its kind in the country. Before his time in Calgary, Jim was the Director of Operations of the Atlantic tax practice of Deloitte and a member of the National Tax Executive Committee of the firm. In retirement, Jim continues to serve high net worth clients across the country. In particular, he specializes in providing advanced tax planning for private companies and the shareholders, tax and estate planning for high net worth clients with a special emphasis on life insurance planning.
Robert McMichaei
Robert is committed to creating positive change through innovative initiatives. As a Project Coordinator at the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub, he actively leads projects redefining healthcare accessibility. Simultaneously, he's a part-time student studying social innovation at the University of Cambridge, where he gains insights into creating, and sustaining, community change. Eager to extend his work, Robert looks forward to leveraging his strengths in diverse community initiatives, building on his passion for positive change through innovation.
Brian Posavad
Brian is a well-versed community leader with a proven track record of initiating transformational change for YMCAs across Canada. In 2015, Brian joined the YMCA of Greater Halifax/Dartmouth as the President and CEO where he supports a purpose driven team of more than 400 staff and volunteers in creating healthy communities, through the power of belonging. Brian has a value driven approach that focuses on inclusion, health, wellness and youth development.
Prior to joining the Halifax YMCA, Brian was Vice President of Operations and Facility Development with the YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford where he was responsible for building community partnerships, developing new facilities, and creating innovative programming for the diverse communities he served.
Brian lives in Halifax with his wife Jodi and their two sons Ben and Carter.
Eryn Murphy - Lawyer
Eryn Murphy is a Corporate and Real Estate Lawyer with DCL Law and has a passion for community service. From Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Eryn's journey in the legal field has been marked by leadership and a commitment to social responsibility.
Eryn's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Social Anthropology from Dalhousie University and a Juris Doctor from the University of New Brunswick. During her time at the University of New Brunswick, Eryn distinguished herself as the Chair of the Speakers' Committee, showcasing her ability to lead and organize events. Additionally, she served as a mentor to incoming students, contributing to the development and support of the academic and legal community.
This experience further fueled her desire to make a positive impact on the lives of others, leading her to actively engage in volunteer work with women's organizations. Eryn's dedication to fostering inclusivity is also evident in her commitment to enhancing her proficiency in French, with the goal of serving clients in both official languages.
Admitted to the Nova Scotia Bar in 2022, Eryn is an active member of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society and the Real Estate Lawyers' Association of Nova Scotia (RELANS). She had the honor of speaking at the 2023 RELANS conference for real estate lawyers in Nova Scotia, in addition to participating in various speaking engagements focusing on legal education for the general public.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Eryn resides in Dartmouth and maintains her ties to Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore through her work with the Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue team, embodying a genuine connection to the local community. She is proud of her diverse skill set and passion for making a positive impact.