Board of Directors
The AFS Interculture Canada board of directors is made up of women and men who wish to get involved, on a voluntary basis, to make a difference.
François Le May
President
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.
Laurence Belval
Vice-President
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.
Isabelle Rivard
Treasurer
A human resources professional with over twenty years of experience, Isabelle Rivard holds an MBA and is a member of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés (CRHA). She has built her career both in corporate environments and consulting, developing a broad expertise that allows her to meet a wide range of HR needs at both strategic and operational levels.
She currently serves as a Change Management Advisor at the Centre d’expertise Dossier santé numérique (C.E. P-DSN) for the CIUSSS MCQ. There, she contributes to a major digital transformation project, supporting the adoption and implementation of high-impact organizational solutions.
Deeply engaged with AFS Canada for several years, she has served as a student advisor, hosted twice as a host family, and, since 2023, has led family intake and hosting support. She has also completed AFS Canada’s "Foundations: Intercultural Competence Framework (ICL_FR)" certification.
As Treasurer of the Board of Directors, she leverages her rigor, strategic vision, and commitment to support the organization’s financial governance and advance its intercultural mission.
Stéphanie Dubé-Desrosiers
Administrator
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.
Laurence Delage
Administrator
An attorney, accredited mediator, and holder of a Master’s degree in Public Administration, Laurence Delage is an AFS alumna who spent a year in Argentina in 2009–2010.
Since her return, she has been actively involved as a volunteer with AFS Interculture Canada. Notably, she chairs the Scholarship Committee and serves on the Board of Directors of the Humaneo Foundation.
Sofia Akande
Administrator
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. She began her career at the International Labour Office.
A committed volunteer with AFS Interculture Canada for the past five years, Sofia serves on the Board of Directors of AFS Interculture Canada and is Chair of the Board of the Humaneo- AFS Interculture Canada Foundation.
After nearly fifteen years of experience in the financial sector, she founded Perle de Leader in 2020, a strategic talent management consultancy supporting organizations in developing human-centered, inclusive, and intercultural leadership practices.
Kim Barrett McKenna
Administrator
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.
Stéphane Beaudoin
Administrator
Stéphane has been a vocational training teacher for over 26 years and holds a Certificate in Pedagogical Training from the Université de Sherbrooke. He also holds a diploma in fire safety and served as a volunteer firefighter from 1996 to 2007.
Deeply involved in his community, he has been a host family for AFS Canada since 2016. The following year, he became a student and family advisor and joined the Deux-Monts local committee. After serving as the local hosting coordinator, he assumed the presidency of the committee in 2023.
Suzanne Lambert
Administrator
Suzanne has been an emergency communications dispatcher for the Montreal 911 Call Center for 31 years. She has also been active in her union for 12 years as a representative and trainer for CUPE Quebec.
Introduced to volunteering at an early age by her mother while hosting Olympic athletes in 1976, she has since dedicated herself to various non-profit organizations. Starting in amateur sports, she later devoted her time to many equally noble causes. Today, in addition to being a host family, she serves as President of the Lanaudière chapter committee for AFS.
Passionate about connecting with others and collaborating, Suzanne sees immense potential to develop in every human being, a commitment she hopes to pursue for many years to come!