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Board of Directors

Chair

TOM RIEFESEL, MMM, CD

Senior Manager Security Operations, Canada Border Services Agency

About Tom

Vice-Chair

SERGE BERTRAND 

Retired

About Serge

Treasurer

LINAS PILYPAITIS

Wealth Manager, Nesbitt Burns

About Linas

Secretary

RANDY MAZE

Retired

About Randy

Directors

CPO1 GINETTE SÉGUIN, MMM, CD

Waterfront Management at Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Scott

About Ginette

Dr Shannon Lewis-Simpson

Assistant Professor

Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security/Canadian Forces College

About Shannon

MICHELAINE LAHAIE 

Chairperson, Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP

About Michelaine

DAVID HUDOCK, OMM, CD 

National Director, PCL Construction

About David

Capt (N) Tim O’Leary

Command Mentor

About Tim

CPO1 LINE LAURENDEAU, MMM, CD

Director General Policy, Engagement and Research Chief Warrant Officer

About Line

SPENCER FRASER

Director, Business Development, Inocea Group of Companies

About Spencer

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Charitable number 107935181 RR0001

Chair

Tom Riefesel, MMM, CD, Manager, Canadian Border Services Agency

LCdr Tom Riefesel, MMM, CD (Ret’d) joined the Navy in 1982 as a Signalman Sea 261, and progressed to Yeoman Signals, Chief Yeoman of Signals NATO Standing Naval Force Atlantic, and Chief Naval Communicator at Sea Training Atlantic. He served in all classes of ships and in three operational deployments. Promoted to Chief Petty Officer 1st class in 2005, he served with Maritime Force Atlantic Headquarters as the Unit Chief and subsequently as Coxswain of HMCS Ville de Québec, Coxswain Sea Training Atlantic, Formation Chief Petty Officer Maritime Forces Atlantic/Joint Task Force Atlantic. He was appointed as the Royal Canadian Navy Chief Petty Officer in 2012. In 2016, he was commissioned and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, assuming duties as the Ottawa Detachment Commander Personnel Coordination Centre Pacific. He retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2018 and is currently employed as Senior Manager Security Operations, Canada Border Services Agency. He and his wife enjoy sailing, skiing and beekeeping in Chelsea, QC.

Vice-Chair

Capt(N) Serge Bertrand (Ret'd), RCN

Capt(N) Serge Bertrand (Ret’d) served in the Canadian Armed Forces for nearly four decades. Before retiring in 2015 in the rank of Naval Captain, he served as an advisor to several successive commanders of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Treasurer

Linas Pilypaitis, Wealth Manager, Nesbitt Burns

Linas Pilypaitis served in the Royal Canadian Navy for 20 years and is currently a wealth manager with Nesbitt Burns.

Secretary

Cdr Randy Maze (Ret'd), RCN

Cdr Randy Maze (Ret’d) joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1966 as an Officer Cadet and served in both west and east coast ships after graduation. He served in Squadron Staff, attended Staff College in England, and was XO in HMCS Mackenzie. Staff jobs followed in Maritime Forces Headquarters and National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. After leaving Ottawa, he commanded HMCS Huron after her conversion to an air defense ship, and served in CFB Esquimalt, where he completed a master’s degree in Leadership. Randy was selected for command of the supply ship HMCS Protecteur in 1999. A highlight was a six-month deployment to the International Force East Timor, north of Australia. He finished his career in 2003 in command of the Naval Officer Training Centre in Esquimalt. Randy joined the RCNBF in 2007 and continues his lifelong involvement with Scouts Canada. He lives in Victoria with his wife Valerie and has three children and five grandchildren living nearby.

Director

CPO1 Ginette Séguin, MMM, CD, Waterfront Management at Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Scott

CPO1 Ginette Séguin, MMM, CD hails from Azilda, Ontario, near Sudbury. After a busy and involved youth in extra- curricular activities, local jobs, and college courses, she enlisted with the Royal Canadian Navy and has served for 25 years. Ginette sailed in eleven HMC ships and deployed on seven operational tours. She was appointed Coxswain of HMCS Shawinigan, and HMCS Kingston, and recently on HMCS Harry DeWolf which embarked upon its inaugural deployment through Canada’s Arctic and North American waters in August 2021. Ginette also served with Commander Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (COMSNMG1) Staff and Marlant HQ Halifax in the N3 organization, Staff at CWO Osside Profession of Arms Institute, MARLANT HQ N02 Visits and Protocol, CJOC, and C Navy as the Honours and Recognition CPO. She currently works as Waterfront Management at Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Scott. Ginette joined the RCNBF in 2020 and served a term as Secretary-Treasurer.

Director

Dr Shannon Lewis-Simpson, Assistant Professor, Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security/Canadian Forces College

Dr Shannon Lewis-Simpson (MA, PhD, York) is an archaeologist, and heritage educator who has served as a Naval Warfare Officer in the naval reserve for 30 years, including a few years in the Royal Naval Reserve as a Mine Warfare Officer. She has deployed as a Gender Advisor to NATO Mission Iraq. She is a founding member of the Canadian Committee of the International Blue Shield Working Group. She is a researcher in Cultural Property Protection and Human Security with the Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security. She lives in Harbour Main, Newfoundland and Labrador and is an active scouter and community volunteer.

Director

Michelaine Lahaie, Chairperson, Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Capt(N) Michelaine Lahaie (Ret’d) is a 30-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, retiring at the rank of Naval Captain. During her time in service, she was posted to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Esquimalt, Halifax, Kingston, and the National Capital Region. She participated in multiple NATO exercises, and deployments with the Royal Canadian Navy, including Operation SHARP GUARD, a naval blockade assisting United Nations’ peacekeeping efforts in Yugoslavia, and Operation APOLLO, Canada’s military contribution to the United States-led international campaign against terrorism. In 2014, Ms. Lahaie received the Chief of Defense Staff Commendation for Outstanding Leadership and Professionalism for her role as Commandant of the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean, Quebec, where she had the distinction of being the first woman Commanding Officer. Ms. Lahaie served as a member of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and in 2019, was appointed to the post of Chairperson of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission.

Director

David Hudock, OMM, CD, National Director of Defence, Security and Federal Government Relations and Business Development, PCL Construction

Capt(N) David Hudock, OMM, CD (Ret’d) retired from the Royal Canadian Navy in 2013 after 32 years of service to Canada where during which he was a Navigator, Combat Officer, Executive Officer, and Commanding Officer (HMCS Winnipeg and Sea Training Pacific). He was Commander Maritime Operations Group 5 aboard ships and in Task Groups that saw service with NATO, in the first Persian Gulf War, in the Adriatic/Former Yugoslavia as part of Op Sharp Guard, and other patrols, operations and readiness generation deployments around the world. Ashore, he served in Halifax, Esquimalt, Toronto, London, the United Kingdom and Ottawa as a teacher/trainer, staff officer, student, Director, Chief of Staff and all-round semi-useful strategic-level mover/generator of ideas, policies, and operational outputs. David joined the Naval Association of Canada immediately upon retirement and served on the National Board of Directors 2013-2016. He was honoured to join the RCNBF and be elected to its Board of Directors in 2021. David is now employed by Canada’s largest construction company, PCL Construction, as their National Director of Defence, Security and Federal Government Relations and Business Development.

Director

Capt (N) Tim O’Leary, Command Mentor

Capt (N) Tim O’Leary has sailed in a number of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships with both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force, as well as with Strike Force NATO. He has enjoyed several command appointments. These happily included Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships MONCTON and YORK, and served as the Central Region Captain, responsible for the seven Naval Reserve Divisions and roughly one thousand five hundred officers and sailors serving throughout Ontario. Capt(N) O’Leary has deployed to 23 countries, including tours in Bosnia-Hercegovina and Afghanistan.

Director

CPO1 Line Laurendeau, MMM, CD, Director General Policy, Engagement and Research Chief Warrant Officer

CPO1 Line Laurendeau, OMM is originally from Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec. She joined the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) almost three decades ago and is currently employed as Director General Policy, Engagement and Research Chief Warrant Officer. A Sonar Operator by trade, CPO1 Laurendeau has not only mastered her profession but also served the RCN in many other capacities such as: recruit instructor, area Cadet advisor, training coordinator and chief SONAR operator at Canadian Fleet Pacific. Aside from receiving the Order of Military Merit in 2014 for her diligence, loyalty and dedication, she takes special pride in memorable experiences such as being selected as the RCN sentry at the National War Memorial in Ottawa in 2004 and being part of the group that participated in the first-ever Women’s Hockey National in 2000 in the CAF.

Director

Spencer Fraser, Director, Business Development, Inocea Group of Companies

LCdr Spencer Fraser (Ret’d) served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) for 20 years in a variety of Canadian frigates and destroyers and was a member of several RCN operational staffs. From 2000 until his retirement in 2003, Spencer served as a Project Director for the Directorate of Maritime Requirements Sea (DMRS), where he oversaw various national and international programs and was the RCN’s representative to several NATO committees and Working Groups.
Since his retirement, Spencer has worked in the field of Unmanned Vehicle Systems (UVS), focused primarily on systems designed for military training and surveillance. He was instrumental in bringing the creation of the Canadian Centre for Unmanned Vehicle Systems (CCUVS) to fruition and has been the Chairman of the Board since 2011. He is currently also serving as a board member of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI). Spencer is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada (BA-1987), Kings College London UK (MA- 2000) and Queen’s University (MBA-2003). He is also a Certified Management Accountant (CMA-2004) and is currently the Director Of Business Development at Inocea Group of Companies.