Jean-François has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2016. Current Manager of Benefits and Retirement Plans for Interfor Corporation’s North American operations, he has an extensive consulting and management experience in human resources programs, retirement plans, and employee benefits. He also has a strong background in management, having held several leadership positions in various organizations. Jean-François has been a host family and has served as a counselor twice for AFS Canada.
Board of directors
President
Jean-François Mongeau
Treasurer
François Le May
A dynamic and bilingual professional manager and accountant, François Le May has nearly 30 years of diversified experience in administration, finance and accounting in the areas of charity management, training and professional services. He currently works for an architectural firm in Montreal as Director of Administration and Human Resources. Prior to that, he worked for more than 10 years in charitable organizations as Director of Administration where he was responsible for reporting to regulatory bodies.
Board Member
Stéphanie Dubé-Desrosiers
Lawyer and former participant of a year program in Australia, Stéphanie is actively involved in the AFS organization. Her experience has been her gateway to the international arena, which has led her to participate in numerous international projects, study abroad sessions and to work for several years on a project to support training in natural resource management in the Congo Basin led by Université Laval.
Board member
Laurence Belval
Laurence holds a master’s degree in international studies from Université Laval. She is a former participant in an AFS’s annual program who spent time in Germany from 2015 to 2016. Since her experience, Laurence became involved with the organization for several years as a mentor for the intercultural certificate. Driven by a passion for international relations, she has since become involved in various initiatives promoting openness to the world and intercultural learning. She currently works for the Quebec public service as an advisor on Canadian and international affairs.
Board Member
Charles Pedneault
Charles is a professional with wealth industry experience, as an independent financial planner at CFP, and passion for the transformative aspects of technology. He has over 10 years life insurance & investment experience, expertise as an independent financial planner at CFP, supported dozens of MGAs (Managing General Agencies) & AGAs (Associate General Agencies) in their technological transformation, advises and consults with many financial institutions to optimize advisor operations with technology.
Board member
Laurence Delage
Laurence is an attorney, accredited mediator and holder of a master’s degree in public administration management. She is a former AFS participant who participated in the program in Argentina in 2009-2010.
Since her return, she has been actively involved as a volunteer with AFS Interculture Canada. She manages the Intercultural Certification program, presides the Scholarship Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors of the AFS Foundation.
Passionate about intercultural relations and the protection of the most vulnerable, Laurence practices in the fields of municipal and human rights law and has previously worked in the field of immigration and refugee law.
Board member
Sofia Akande
Sofia Akande has acquired valuable cultural intelligence with professional experience extended across three continents (Africa, Europe and North America), an essential asset for leaders operating in environments characterized by diversity and inclusion. She holds a Master’s degree in Organization Management and Development, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relations, and is a Certified Human Resources Consultant.
Sofia began her career with the International Labour Office. In 2020, Sofia founded Perle de Leader, an internationally recognized strategic talent management consultancy. At her firm, she and her team develop tailor-made diversity and inclusion strategies for numerous organizations around the world. Sofia and her team support organizations in implementing inclusive and high-performance practices, therefore contributing to the creation of more equitable organizational cultures.
Board member
Kim Barrett McKenna
Kim holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and has professional experience in the plastic manufacturing business. She supports various social causes through her active volunteer work. Currently, she is a support volunteer at a cancer hospice and a director on the Barrett Family Foundation board.
Kim is deeply committed to the mission of AFS. Her father learned of AFS through a student in his high school in the 1950’s. Kim’s research led to her exchange in France as well as her daughter’s in Austria. Her family has also hosted several students.
Kim believes in the virtues of intercultural learning and wishes to be involved in teaching intercultural understanding across Canada. She has held several roles within the organization, including Chapter President of Southern Ontario, and is presently helping with interviews of students applying to go abroad and also organizing pre- and post- exchange orientations.