The Board

Helping Hands is overseen and governed by a local Board of Directors; volunteers from various backgrounds, brought together by a strong sense of community support.

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Adrian Thiel
Second Vice-President

Adrian Thiel

DIRECTOR

Adrian is a finance executive with over 20 years of progressive experience in accounting and finance in the Aviation, Banking and Non-profit sectors. He has a BCOM from Ryerson University and is a member of the Association of Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada holding the designation of CPA, CMA.

Adrian joined Helping Hands to participate in a wonderful organization whose focus is assisting seniors and adults with physical disabilities.

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Andrea Nauss
Director

Andrea Nauss

TREASURER

Andrea is a Chartered Professional Accountant who has worked in public accounting for the past 14 years.

A native of Chester, Nova Scotia, Andrea graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Mount Saint Vincent University in 2003 before moving to Ontario to pursue her career in public accounting.

Andrea is a Manager of Accounting and Assurance with BDO Canada in Barrie. Her focus is on financial statement audits for clients in the not-for-profit sector, with a focus on health-care organizations. She also currently serves on the Barrie Terry Fox Run Committee.

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Christina Burns
Director

Christina Burns

DIRECTOR

Christina has over 10 years experience in program planning and working with vulnerable populations. Christina has held various leadership roles within the community care sector in both not-for-profit and public sectors. She has aligned with health partners and stakeholders to address gaps in the community care field including expanding respite care, dementia services and caregiver support. She is currently a Supervisor within York Region’s Seniors Community Service department.

Christina graduated with an Honours Bachelors of Health Science degree from Western University, holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Recreation Therapy from Georgian College and has her Master of Health Administration in Community Care from Ted Rogers School of Business at Ryerson University.

Christina grew up in Orillia and recently moved back to the area. She is excited to join Helping Hands to promote health and well-being of older adults while supporting caregivers with services to better meet the community needs.

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Jennifer Biggar
Director

Jennifer Biggar

DIRECTOR

Jennifer Biggar is a lawyer practicing at the firm of Russell, Christie, LLP in Orillia, ON, in areas including real estate, wills and estates, and municipal law. After being called to the bar in 2013, she returned to her hometown of Orillia and joined the firm of Russell, Christie, LLP in the same year.

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Queen’s University, and a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School. She also obtained a Certificate of Completion with First Class Honours in International Business Law from the Bader International Study Centre (Queen’s University), which is located at Herstmonceux Castle in England.

Jennifer became involved with Helping Hands Orillia to make a meaningful impact in the lives of seniors and adults living with disabilities in her community.

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Jessica Dolan
Director

Jessica Dolan

DIRECTOR

Jessica is a communications and engagement professional with over 12 years’ experience working in the public sector. She has a passion for change management, internal engagement and corporate strategy which has allowed her to lead communication and engagement for various initiatives such as the implementation of a shared four hospital health information system, capital planning projects and the integration of local health organizations.

Jessica holds an Honours Bachelors of Arts specializing in Organizational Communications and Business from the University of Ottawa, is an APMG (APM Group) International certified Change Management Practitioner, and is a Crucial Learning certified trainer.

As a resident of Orillia, Jessica is passionate about supporting community based healthcare organizations that bridge the gap for the most vulnerable populations.

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Jessica Lewis
Director

Jessica Lewis

DIRECTOR

Jessica holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from York University (Glendon College), a Certification of Human Resources Management from Seneca College, and a CHRL designation. Jessica has worked in various HR roles for the past 20 years, including as HR Manager for the Barrie & Community Family Health Team, where she gained healthcare experience. Jessica currently holds the position of Sr. Director of HR for a US-owned heavy equipment manufacturer and distributor.

Jessica was born and raised in Simcoe County and is involved in various community initiatives such as the Barrie chapter of Ripple of Kindness. She and her husband have a 16 year old daughter and can be found on the weekends hiking the Simcoe County trails with their two Yorkies.

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Joe Fecht
President

Joe Fecht

BOARD CHAIR

Joe is retired and leads an active lifestyle in Orillia.

His over 3 decades of work in social services occurred in BC, NWT and ON. His practice fields include mental health, native communities, juvenile corrections, child welfare, social assistance, day care, nursing homes, family violence and developmental disabilities. His work experiences ranged from front line, management, community development, senior administration and board governance.

He has a BSc from UBC and a MSW from U of T. He has leadership experience in social work with his professional membership organization and the provincial regulatory college.

He has municipal council experience in Orillia and Haliburton County. Currently, he chairs the Orillia Committee of Adjustment.

His lifestyle includes winter activities of curling and skiing and summer activities of motorcycling and sailing. He is past President of the Orillia Curling Club and past Commodore of the Champlain Sailing Club.

He is currently the Board Chair on the Helping Hands Board of Directors. His affiliation with Helping Hands began in 2015 as a volunteer Transportation driver.

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Ryan Spurgeon
Director

Ryan Spurgeon

DIRECTOR

Ryan Spurgeon is a senior leader with 15+ years’ experience in multi-disciplinary design-engineer-manufacture-installation businesses within the construction industry. Mr. Spurgeon is President of ANTAMEX Industries and associated portfolio companies with over 400+ employees across 6 operating brands, 4 manufacturing facilities and project execution on some of the largest construction sites in North America. Mr. Spurgeon has an MBA from Ivey Business School and a BBA (Hons.) from Laurentian University. He was raised Orillia and continues to live in the region (Severn) with his wife and two sons.

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Sharon Knoblauch
First Vice-President

Sharon Knoblauch

DIRECTOR

Sharon has lived in the area for over 30 years and is the founder and primary advisor with Advantage HR Canada Inc. As an executive HR professional she offers strategic Human Resources planning and services locally within the business community and to other businesses with Ontario.

Sharon holds a Human Resources Management certificate from York University, Toronto, ON and a Certificate in Executive Leadership from Queen’s University. She is also certified in Workplace Investigations through the HRPA. She is an active member of the HRPA (Human Resources Professionals Association) and continues to upgrade her skills and knowledge through continued educational opportunities.

Sharon joined Helping Hands Orillia to be able to give back to the community that she loves and to be part of an organization that assists elderly individuals enhance their quality of life.

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Tara Seebaran
Treasurer

Tara Seebaran

DIRECTOR

Tara is a Chartered Professional Accountant, having achieved her designation through the Certified General Accountant’s Association in 2001. She has over twenty years experience in accounting, analysis, audit and strategic planning in a variety of industries, including both profit and not-for-profit industries.

Working as the Director of Finance at a Long Term Care Home, Tara felt that joining Helping Hands, a wonderful organization helping seniors in a different capacity, would be the perfect fit.

Interested in Joining Our Board?