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

Angela Surrette is Chair of the Board and an Executive Committee member. As a marketing communications consultant, during the past 20 years Angela has worked in not-for-profit, government and the private sector. Her professional expertise and guidance extends beyond her career into her community. Previous select volunteer commitments include work with organizations such as Pier 21; Nova Scotia Hospital Foundation “Festival of Trees”; and ”The Great Big Gig" for the IWK Health Centre. She was recently appointed to the Board of Governors of Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) in Halifax. Angela received a Bachelor of Public Relations Degree from MSVU and holds a certificate of proficiency in French from the Universite de Montreal. In her spare time, she enjoys cycling and travelling with her husband Mark, and their two daughters, Allison and Caroline.

Jon Bekkers is Vice Chair of the Board, Facilities Committee Chair and an Executive Committee member. He 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.

Patricia Donnelly is Board Secretary and an Executive Committee member. She 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.

Nathalie McLean is Treasurer of the Board, Finance Chair and an Executive Committee member. She 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.

David Postill is Chair of the Public Relations Committee and an Executive Committee member. David is the Vice President of Marketing for Ocean Nutrition Canada. With twenty years of experience, David has held a variety of executive level positions in the Marketing, Advertising, and Communications industries. David brings vast expertise in all established and emerging aspects of marketing with a robust track record of success in the automotive, public sector, technology, packaged goods and pharmaceutical sectors. David has an Honours B.A. from Queen’s University and volunteers with a range of local charities and educational institutions. He and his wife Shannon have three children enrolled at Sacred Heart School of Halifax.

Sister Sally Mahar rscj is an Executive Committee member. She 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 three 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.

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.

Susan Brisseau is Chair of the Advancement Committee and Executive Committee member. Susan is a mother of three daughters, Clarissa, Grade 11, Alexandra, Grade 9 and Olivia, Grade 5. Susan is married to Guy a pediatric surgeon and assistant dean of post graduate medical education at Dalhousie. Susan is currently the Past President of the Parents’ Guild and has been very active volunteering at SHSH since her return to Halifax six years ago.

Ross MacDougall is the Chair of the Planning Committee and an Executive Committee member. He 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.

Anna Stuart CMA, CMC, is Chair of the Nominating Committee. She is a Vice President with Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette. Anna leads public sector executive searches throughout Atlantic Canada in addition to leading the firm’s human capital solutions consulting and career transition practices. In addition to her work with Sacred Heart, Anna is the Vice-Chair for Brigadoon Children’s Camp, a member of the Nominating Committee for the Canadian Cancer Society (NS) and a member of the Arise Campaign and Finance Councils for Saint Benedict parish. Anna lives in Halifax with her husband Lex, and their two daughters, Erin and Holly.

Rebecca Saturley is a partner with Stewart McKelvey’s Halifax office where she practices labour and employment law. A frequent speaker on labour and employment topics, Rebecca is also the Co-Chair of Stewart McKelvey’s Student Committee responsible for recruiting and mentoring the firm’s summer students and articled clerks. In addition to her Sacred Heart involvement, Rebecca is the Chair of Feed Nova Scotia’s Board where she also sits on the Governance Committee. Rebecca lives in Halifax with her husband, Keith Bourne, and their two children, Sally and Oliver.

Heather Zwicker is an Analyst with Altus Group, preparing analysis and portions of appraisal reports, and developing cashflow projections across varied asset classes of commercial real estate. In addition to sitting on the Board of Governors, Heather is a Past President of the Sacred Heart School of Halifax Alumnae/i Association and serves on the Board of Directors for Bide Awhile Animal Shelter.

Mike Ryan is the President/CEO of Envirosytems Inc. where he oversees a group of business servicing North America for Industrial Cleaning and Waste Management services. In addition to his Sacred Heart involvement, he is a director of many businesses in Nova Scotia and abroad. Michael lives in Halifax with his wife Leanne and their four children, Olivia, Lauren, Jack and Rachel.

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.

Louis Lawen, P.Eng. 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.

Mark Nickerson is Vice President of Merex Incorporated, a Halifax-based firm specializing in the production and export of seafood products. Mark lives in Halifax with his wife Stephanie and their son, William. William is a Sacred Heart student.

Dr. Rohini Bannerjee Class of 1993, is an Assistant Professor in International Francophone Studies in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics at Saint Mary’s University where she teaches French language and contemporary Indian Ocean Francophone literature and Cultural Studies. Before serving as Alumnae Representative on the Planning Committee of the Board, Rohini has been a student, an employee and a volunteer at Sacred Heart since 1981. Starting off as a Primary student, Rohini went on to work in the After-School programme, at the Portry Desk and Uniform Shop, and then as High School Faculty in 2004. She was also Treasurer, Secretary and President of the Alumnae. Rohini lives in Halifax with her husband Dr. Karim Mukhida and their two sons, Ishan and Vikesh.

Wendy MacGregor is a non-practising lawyer, writer/director of "Do the Right Thing" anti-bullying production, and member of the Nova Scotia Task Force on bullying and cyber-bullying. She is a board member at the Citadel Theatre Society, and is a past board member, chair, and fundraiser for the Ecology Action Centre. She worked on the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Theatre Project (2011), and is co-founder of SOAR (Sending Orphans of AIDs Relief). She lives in Halifax with her husband Larry Stordy, and their three children, Hannah, Will, and Isabel.

Tamara Drummond is Dean of Students at Sacred Heart High School where she also teaches Social Studies 7 and Civics 9. She has been at the school since 2001, and previously taught in Mississauga, ON. In addition to her Dean and teaching duties, Tamara is the faculty advisor for the Student Council, Prefects and Call to Remembrance. Tamara and her husband Gary have two children attending Sacred Heart, Erin and Riley.

Sarah Cassidy Class of 1976, is a Communications Advisor with Statistics Canada in Halifax. Sarah is the CASHA rep for the Sacred Heart School of Halifax Alumnae/i Association. Sarah lives in Halifax with her husband Pat and their dog Riley. They have two daughters, Devon and Ainslee who attended Sacred Heart.

Traci Sullivan is the Human Resources Coordinator at Secunda Marine. In addition to the Board of Governors, Traci serves on the Sacred Heart School Parents' Guild Executive and the Advancement Committee. Traci lives in Hubley with her two daughters, Mairin and Ailie.