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Staff

Board of Directors

As a non-profit organization, New Frontiers Aboriginal Residential Corporation is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The members of this Board are highly experienced and committed to providing decent, affordable housing for individuals and families of Indigenous ancestry. A list of current Board members follows.

Arnold May retired from Ontario Power Generation in 2002 as Senior Analyst of Aboriginal Relations. He has been on Wigwamen’s Board since 1996. Arnold is Ojibway and a member of Nipissing First Nation where he served as Councillor for 6 years. His career was devoted to working with First Nations in the Province of Ontario in resolving grievances that they had filed with the provincial electricity generation and transmission company. Upon retiring, Arnold set up a consulting business (Beedaubun Enterprise) and did consulting for various corporations by providing advice and guidance and acting as a facilitator for ongoing discussions related to various initiatives, projects and partnerships. Arnold is certified in Conflict Resolution; Training System Design, Development and Delivery; and, is a qualified Industrial Mechanic Millwright and Machinist. He has been a Director on various Provincial Boards in the past, and continues to sit as Director.

Suzanne Brunelle is Métis with Menominee, French, and Irish roots. She earned her Bachelors’ degree at York University’s Glendon College, subsequently dedicating over forty years to federal public service, including 15 years in Real Property. She serves as the Senator of the Toronto & York Region Métis Council and is an active member of the Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council, the City of Toronto Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee, and the Centennial Aboriginal Education Council. She is also the coordinator of the Community Ethics Network, a membership-funded collective of over 50 community health and support sector organizations that promote quality community healthcare and support services.

Suzanne joined the Board of Wigwamen Incorporated in July 2020 and looks forward to contributing to the goals of the organization as well as the learning she will gain along the way.

A Certified Management Accountant with experience in the property management field, Valerie works as a Controller for a real estate investment company. She has been a member of Wigwamen’s Board of Directors since August 1996. In her spare time, she works toward her goal of becoming an accomplished roller-blader, and enjoys bird watching.

John Arciuch worked for a number of years in the area of Aboriginal relations at Ontario Power Generation, and prior to that, in the environmental and forestry services field. He joined Wigwamen’s Board in February 2000. John has worked with many groups in the Toronto area to develop co-housing project proposals and holds an MBA degree from York University.

Tabatha, a proud member of Nipissing First Nation, holds the distinction of being named CEO of the Year for 2022 by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2023, and named as Top 100 Lobbyist in Canada four years in a row. As the President and CEO of CCIB, she is dedicated to rebuilding and strengthening the path towards reconciliation and fostering a prosperous Indigenous economy for the benefit of all Canadians. With a background in electrical engineering, Tabatha is committed to promoting Indigenous inclusion and diversity in Canada’s energy sector.

In her role at CCIB, Tabatha serves the Indigenous community by supporting the Indigenous economy and sits on various boards, including the Dexterra Group, Wigwamen Incorporated, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and Catalyst CEO Advisory Board in Canada, among others.

Tabatha’s dedication to diversity extends to her efforts in removing systematic barriers to enhance opportunities for Indigenous businesses and women across all industry sectors.

Glen Jennings has been a member of Wigwamen’s Board of Directors since 2006.  In addition to his volunteer work with Wigwamen, Glen has served on the Board of Frontiers Foundation as Secretary-Treasurer. Glen is a solicitor practicing in Toronto in the area of criminal law, focusing on complex fraud and Charter litigation. His practice has included a wide variety of criminal matters at both trial and appellate levels, as well as regulatory and disciplinary matters.  Glen was called to the Ontario Bar in 1994 after completing his articles at a leading Canadian criminal law firm.  Glen is also involved with lecturing at various leading continuing education programs in the legal profession.

Waylon Iserhoff is a member of Taykwa Tagamou Nation. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer for the Six Nations of the Grand Development Corporation, which manages Six Nations’ economic interests and its economic development opportunities. From 2015 to 2019, Waylon was Taykwa Tagamou Nation’s Busines Development Officer where he provided support to its Chief & Council with their various business interests. Waylon has over 25 years of experience in a variety of finance and accounting roles with Thrive Cannabis, Hudson Bay Company, Loblaw Companies Limited, Moody’s Investor Services and Deloitte. Waylon is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and has a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Toronto and a BA from the University of Western Ontario. He joined the Wigwamen Board in 2017.

Ian Jacobsen is Mohawk from the Mohawks of Kanesatake First Nation and is currently the Director of Indigenous Relations at Ontario Power Generation.

For much of his career Ian has worked for and with Indigenous communities and organizations. Over the past 15 years, Ian has worked in various areas of Ontario’s energy sector including Transmission and Distribution, Waterpower, and Nuclear Generation. Ian’s passion and focus is dedicated to building strong, collaborative relationships with Indigenous communities, organizations and businesses with a focus on creating opportunities for prosperity and mutual benefits within Ontario’s energy sector.

In 2021, Ian led the development of the Ontario Power Generation’s inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan. A key commitment of the plan includes growing the company’s economic impact with Indigenous communities and businesses to $1 billion by 2031.