Board of Governors

Board members come from diverse backgrounds and traditions, but each of them shares a common belief in the value of Sacred Heart education. Each is wholeheartedly committed to seeing the school grow and flourish. The Board of Governors is made up of present and past parents, alumnae, faculty, Religious of the Sacred Heart, and members of the wider community.

Sacred Heart School of Halifax was incorporated on May 17, 1985. By the Act of Incorporation, a lay board became responsible for the continuation of Sacred Heart education which had its beginning in 1849 in Halifax.

The board's primary responsibilities are:
  • to assure that the goals of Sacred Heart education are upheld.
  • to ensure adequate financial support.
  • to develop, approve and review policies necessary for the efficient operation of the school.
  • to review the general operation and management of the school annually.
Committees of the Board:
  • Public Relations
  • Advancement
  • Finance
  • Planning
  • Facilities
  • Nominating

Our Board Members

Mark Bursey (Board Chair & Executive Committee Member) is a partner with Stewart McKelvey's Halifax law office, where he practices corporate and tax law. In addition to his Sacred Heart involvement, Mark serves as member of the Board of Governors of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia where he also sits on the Governance & HR Committee. Mark lives in Halifax with his wife Jane and their two children, Ellen and Ted.

Angela Surrette (Vice Chair & Executive Committee Member) is a freelance marketing communications consultant. In addition to her current Board role at Sacred Heart, she is a member of the Family Campus Campaign Steering Committee. Angela also shares her time and expertise with the Canadian Optimist Atlantic Sailing Team (COAST). She currently lives in St. Margaret's Bay with her husband, Mark and their two daughters, Allison and Caroline.

Patricia Donnelly (Board Secretary & Executive Committee Member) has been Headmistress of Sacred Heart School of Halifax since 1999. Her graduate degrees are from the University of Notre Dame (English) and from the University of Toronto (Educational Administration). Before coming to Sacred Heart, Patricia worked in the Catholic School system in Newfoundland, as a high school teacher in both girls' and co-educational schools, as a principal, and as teacher and administrator in a programme for gifted students. She is married to Brian Casey, and has two daughters, Ana, and Deirdre (class of '09), both of whom are involved in post-secondary studies.

Marc Furlotte, CA (Past Board Chairperson & Executive Committee Member, Nominating Committee Chair) is an Investment Advisor with CIBC Wood Gundy in Halifax. In addition to his role as Past Chair of the Board of Sacred Heart, Marc serves as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee of the IWK Health Centre Foundation. Marc lives in Halifax with his wife Anne, and their daughter Meaghan who graduated from Sacred Heart in 2008.

Debora Murphy (Public Relations Committee Chair & Executive Committee Member) is a retired nurse from the Capital District Health Authority where she was the Director for Perioperative Services. Debora is the Chair of the Public Relations Committee and a member of the Family Campus Campaign Steering Committee. Debora lives in Halifax with her husband Dr. Michael Murphy and their youngest son, Ted.

Jon Bekkers (Facilities Committee Chair & Executive Committee Member) is a residential home builder in Halifax. In addition to being a Board member at Sacred Heart, Jon is the Treasurer for the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher. Jon lives in Halifax with his wife Susan and two children Carley and Hannah.

Tom Levesque (Finance Committee Chair & Executive Committee Member) is a Regional Manager at the Atlantic Business Centre of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Tom currently serves on the school’s Finance Committee; he has also been on the Facilities Committee. He lives in Halifax with his wife Lori Arnold and sons Nicolas and Simon.

Gord Helm (Planning Committee Chair & Executive Committee Member) is the Manager of Solid Waste with the Halifax Regional Muncipality. In addition to his Sacred Heart involvement, Gord serves as member of the Chair Committee for Tall Ship events. Gord lives in Halifax with his wife Judith, and their two daughters, Abby and Hannah.

Sister Sally Mahar rscj (Executive Committee Member) is an alumna and former Headmistress of Sacred Heart School Halifax. She has been a member of the Board of Governors since beginning in 1985. Sister Mahar has filled several leadership roles for the Society of the Sacred Heart in Canada. In addition to her Sacred Heart involvement, Sister Mahar has served on the Pastoral Council of the Archdiocese of Halifax, and as Roman Catholic Chaplain at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre. She is currently active in Liturgy at Saint Mary’s Cathedral Basilica. She lives in Halifax in the North end with 3 other members of her community.

Sister Mary Finlayson rscj has been Provincial Superior for the Canadian Province of the Religious of the Sacred Heart since August 2006. She taught at Sacred Heart School of Halifax for almost ten years. Mary is also on the Board of Governors of The Sacred Heart School of Montreal. Mary lives in the Provincial House community in Ottawa.

Nathalie McLean is a Chartered Accountant who provides general accounting and tax services to a small group of clients. In addition to Sacred Heart, Nathalie is a volunteer with Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers, The Festival of Trees (Mental Health Foundation) and Saint Thomas Aquinas Canadian Martyrs Parish. Nathalie lives in Halifax with her husband Darin and daughter Emma.

Heather Zwicker is a Portfolio Analyst with ING Real Estate Canada, assisting in the financial analysis of commercial real estate investments.  In addition to sitting on the Board of Governors, Heather is President of the Sacred Heart School of Halifax Alumnae/i Association and is an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity HRM, serving as Chairperson of the Fund Development Committee.

Wilfred Boudreau is the Roman Catholic Coordinator of Chaplaincy for the Archdiocese of Halifax and he works out of the New Halifax Infirmary. Along with his involvement with the Sacred Heart School, he ministers as a Permanent Deacon. Wilfred is married to Vera. They have five adult children and three grandchildren.

Elizabeth Irwin practices real estate as an Associate Broker with Royal lePage. Her current commitments include Vice Chair of the Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission where she also chairs the Licensing Committee and sits as a member on the Liaison Committee. Her association with Sacred Heart as a Board member has also placed her on the Public relations and Branding committees. She has recently returned from El Salvador where she spent two weeks building homes with Habitat for Humanity. Elizabeth has two children David and Sarah Blair (SHSH, 2001) and enjoys condo life in the downtown core.

Patty Himmelman is a Financial Advisor with PEAK Investment Services. She is an alumna of the Sacred Heart, graduating in 1972. She lives in Halifax with her husband Mike; their son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Gena, live in Calgary.

Paula Webber is the Service Manager at Flynn Canada responsible for roofing repairs, emergency roof leaks and small roofing projects. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Roofing Contractors Association of Nova Scotia as treasurer and the executive of the Atlantic Chapter of Construction Specifications Canada. Paula lives in Bedford with her daughter, Brittany.

Mike Sangster is a Physiotherapist at the IWK Health Centre, practicing in pediatric pain management and developmental pediatrics. In addition to his Sacred Heart involvement, Mike serves as vice-chair of the Nova Scotia College of Physiotherapists and as vice-chair of the Pain Science Division Executive of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. Mike lives in Halifax with his wife Cathy and their two children, Sylvia and Mary Cate.

David Postill is Senior Vice President with Y&R, one of Canada’s largest and most pre-eminent Advertising and Communications Companies.  Y&R is distinguished by their propriety knowledge, marketing rigor and creative solutions.  David is a trusted advisor and strategist and serves as Director for a number of Canadian Boards.  He writes widely on politics and has extensive experience in brand management, federal/provincial government relations and corporate governance.  David lives in Halifax with his wife Shannon MacDonald and their three children, Gemma, Anna and Jacob.

Archbishop Anthony Mancini is the Archbishop for the Archdiocese of Halifax and serves on the Board of Governors of the Sacred Heart School of Halifax as an ex-officio member.

Louis Lawen, P.Eng. Louis is a professional engineer and is President of Dexel Development Limited (Development and Construction Company). He serves on the Housing Trust of Nova Scotia. Louis and his wife, Veronica, live in Halifax with their three children.

Ross MacDougall Ross is a Certified Management Consultant and is a founding partner and the President and CEO of Concertia Technologies Inc. of Halifax. In addition to his Sacred Heart involvement, Ross is a member of a number of advisory boards including the Industrial Advisory Board for the Dalhousie School of Computer Science. Ross and his wife, Kim, have two children attending Sacred Heart, Eileigh and Kyle.

Heather MacDonald Heather is the Social Studies Department Head and teaches Social Studies 9, History 11 and Sociology 12 at Sacred Heart High School. She has been at the school since 2004, and previously taught in Vancouver, Australia and England. In addition to her teaching duties, Heather is faculty advisor for the Model UN Program and coordinates the annual Grade 9 Quebec trip. She currently lives in Halifax, but spends much off her time off at her childhood home in Cape Breton.