Board of Directors
Meet the passionate and dedicated supported employment and business leaders on the CASE Board of Directors
These volunteers from across the country engage as champions for employment equity and create impact locally and nationally as CASE pursues employment inclusion for all.
Annette Borrows
President
Annette Borrows is Manager, Service and Community Development (Employment) with Community Living BC.
Annette has been serving people with disabilities towards meaningful employment for the past 25 years. She has worked with people from a broad spectrum of disabilities and lived experiences together with a variety of community-based agencies.
Annette is an active volunteer for many community events and serves on a variety of boards including being the President of WASE (World Association for Supported Employment) and has served on the CASE board since 2011. All her efforts are focused on employment equity for people with disabilities.
Garth Johnson
Vice-President
Garth Johnson co-founded Meticulon in 2013, Canada’s first enterprise to deploy the unique abilities of individuals with autism as IT consultants.
Garth’s entrepreneurial career in IT has encompassed roles such as VP of Business and Community Development for iStockphoto and President of Fotolia North America, currently identified as Adobe Stock photo.
Garth brings his personal life experience with having an individual with autism in his family, together with his professional passion for building sustainable, disruptive businesses to auticon Canada’s mission to grow across the country and expand our services into new sectors.
Garth also serves on the board of the Canadian Association for Supported Employment in support of its mission to create sustainable, equitable employment for all Canadians with diverse abilities.
In addition, Garth serves as Board Chair of Between Friends, a Calgary-based organization that provides social and recreational opportunities for people of diverse abilities within the community.
Garth’s passion and dream is to help foster a world where people with diverse abilities are fully integrated into all levels of society, experiencing life to the fullest.
Ernie Thiessen
Treasurer
Ernie Thiessen is the Executive Director for Premier Personnel, a supported employment agency in Winnipeg, MB, and has been employed in the field for over 20 years. Through the years, he has worked as a frontline worker providing job coaching, job search supports and marketing. He has also worked specifically on school-to-work transition programs and has a strong interest in the early connection to employment for persons experiencing disability.
Ernie has also been actively involved in advocacy and awareness around supported employment issues for many years. He has served as Chairperson and board member at the provincial level for the Manitoba Supported Employment Network on many occasions.
Ernie enjoys spending time with his family and loves to help coach a variety of sports in which his kids have been involved (and still enjoys a little healthy sporting competition himself) when he is out of the office.
Shelley Andrews
Secretary
Shelley Andrews has been employed with Avalon Employment Inc. in St. John’s, Newfoundland for the past 21 years where she is currently an Employment Counsellor and part of Avalon Employment’s management team. Shelley supports and helps her many clients and their families navigate the world of Employment following a client-centered approach. Seeing her clients thriving in their work environments and within their communities gives her immense pride and satisfaction. Knowing that they feel valued and appreciated is no better feeling.
Shelley was involved in an 18 Month Social Return on Investment Research project with the New Economic Foundation in England and is the co-author of a report that examined that Return on Investment for Government of NL as it relates to individuals experiencing disability. In addition, Shelley was also part of the Working Committee of the Hire for Talent Project through CBDC-New Brunswick which helped develop a tool for employers to leverage the talent of persons with disabilities to help grow their business.
Shelley is one of the longest serving members on the CASE Board and currently serves as Secretary.
In her spare time, Shelley can be found curled up with a good book, cooking, watching sports, or planning day trips with friends and family.
Devon Broome
Director
Devon has 10 years of professional experience assisting persons who experience disability in advancing their skill sets and obtaining gainful employment.
She became a vocal advocate for persons who experience disability in 1996 when her daughter was born with Spina Bifida. Devon has since been looking at the world through a disability lens, promoting inclusion for all.
Devon is employed with the PEI Council of People with Disabilities (PEICOD), a non-profit organization whose mandate is to “promote the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in Island society.” She began her career at PEICOD in the Community Access department providing advocacy, awareness and supports for community and disability benefits. Devon then transitioned to the Employment department, pursuing her passion for helping people realize their employment and education goals. She is now the Employment Services Manager for PEICOD and sits on the board of the PEI Career Development Association.
As Manager of Employment Services, Devon oversees various employment programs, including pre-employment workshops, one-on-one case management, Job Development, Job Coaching and an Opportunities Fund wage subsidy program “Abilities@Work.” She is also involved in employer engagement initiatives on PEI and is responsible for staff development and training.
Devon has two daughters, Carlee and Rylee, and you can find all three of them singing all across PEI at various events.
Pierre Essoh
Director
Pierre has a nursing, Community health and communication background. Pierre started with NDMS (Nunavummi Disabilities Makinnasuaqtiit Society) as an Employment Specialist in October 2017 and is now the Executive Director. Pierre is responsible for supervising, coordinating and managing different projects, the staff and advocating for the full inclusion of people with disabilities. Pierre is passionate about Inuit culture and supporting marginalized people, homeless populations, Elders, and people with disabilities because he strongly believes that everyone is capable of bringing about change to build a stronger world.
Pierre is a Certified Instructor of the Human Development Model – Disability Creation Process for the International Network on the Disability Creation Process. He trains front- line practitioners and organizations to conduct comprehensive assessments to identify individual and community life habits and address environment barriers.
Pierre also supports territory-wide research initiatives to support knowledge translation, including a territory wide project that looked at Federal Accessibility Standards in relation to Inuit Societal Values. Pierre represented NDMS at the national and international conferences. Pierre wrote a position paper on medical assistance in dying (MAID) from a Nunavut perspective and is also a member of multiple local and national organizations including the building advisory committee of the Nunavut housing corporation.
Maureen Haan
Director
Maureen Haan has served as the President and CEO of the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW) since 2012, Canada’s only national organization solely dedicated to the vision of equitable and meaningful employment for people with disabilities.
Maureen is a recognized leader in the cross-disability sector. She serves as Canada’s civil society lead on Article 27 (Work and Employment) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and in 2024 was involved with disability Civil Society at the G7 in Italy and with APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) in Peru.
Maureen’s national leadership has included co-leading the Disability and Work in Canada initiative, serving as a Board member of Accessibility Standards Canada and the Canadian Association of Supported Employment (CASE). She was also appointed to the Minister’s Disability Advisory Group (MDAG). In recognition of her dedication to disability rights and gender equity, Maureen was the recipient of the inaugural Hummingbird Award from DAWN Canada.
Maureen began her career in the Deaf community and is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). She lives in Thornhill with her husband and two sons.
Deb Hotchkiss
Director
Deb Hotchkiss has been the Executive Director of Partners in Employment for two decades. Their focus is on inclusive employment for all people.
They assist hundreds of people a year to find and keep employment.
She lives in a small rural community in southern Ontario. She is married with two adult children and an awesome grandson! As a two-time cancer survivor, she has no tolerance for wasting time!
Edina Markovitz
Director
Edina is the Manager of the Supported Employment Services at Agence Ometz in Montreal, where she has worked for close to 30 years in the field of disability employment. She is passionate about removing barriers for individuals experiencing disability and creating opportunities for their personal and professional growth.
She actively participates in numerous local and provincial committees and associations.
Edina has a BA from Concordia University in Quebec and is currently pursuing her MSW at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario.
Lisa Noel Smith
Director
Lisa Smith is the Director of Special Care Services at WorkSafeBC. She holds a Social Service Worker Diploma, a Bachelor of Arts, and a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology.
Lisa brings a wealth of experience in social and community services, having worked across various agencies and regions. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to supporting some of Canada’s most vulnerable and diverse populations in developing vocational skills and accessing meaningful employment.
Lisa is passionate about championing the abilities of all individuals and advocating for equitable access to services.
Jennifer Oliver
Director
Jennifer grew up in Cape Breton and graduated from Cape Breton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies degree in 2006. Following her graduation, she moved to Alberta where she began her career supporting adults experiencing disabilities. She completed the Alberta Supported Employment Consultant Training in 2011. She assisted with the development of a program for at-risk youth that helped them choose education and career paths. She has also received training in Person-Centred Thinking and Person-Centred Reviews.
Jennifer started working at Signature Support Services in Grande Prairie, Alberta in 2007. They are a non-profit agency that supports persons with developmental disabilities. She started her employment as a Job Coach and, two years later, took over coordinating the Employment Supports Program, which she has done for 16 years and is currently the Director of Day Programs.
The Employment Supports Program helps persons experiencing disabilities find employment within the community of Grande Prairie. It is their belief that everyone can find and sustain long-term employment with the right supports. The program’s focus is to help the individuals they support to become as independent as possible. They have had great success, with some people having 15-20 years of employment with the same employer.
In addition to Jennifer’s responsibilities, she is also responsible for much of the staff training and development within the organization.
Cory Thibodeau
Director
Cory Thibodeau is the Executive Director of the Ergon Life Centre in Riverview, New Brunswick. A dedicated counsellor with over 18 years of experience, Cory has devoted his career to supporting adults living with mental health challenges. In recent years, his focus has expanded to include mental health advocacy and supported employment initiatives.
Deeply committed to community leadership, Cory currently serves as Chairperson of the Community Advisory Committee on Mental Health. He is the Past Vice-President of the New Brunswick Coalition of Mental Health and Addiction Services and a member of the Executive Committee of the New Brunswick Association for Supported Services and Employment (NBASSE), where he also served as Executive Director for 18 months and continues to contribute as Past President.
Since 2004, Cory has served with distinction as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces Primary Reserves.
Cory lives in Riverview, NB, with his wife Sarah, where they are raising their four children.
Marcus Jamieson
Director
As Executive Director of TEAM Work Cooperative in the energetic heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Marcus brings a small-town soul to big-picture leadership. Raised in a family where community involvement was just part of daily life, Marcus learned early on the power of showing up, pitching in, and lifting others up.
With over 25 years of experience championing equity and inclusion, Marcus has dedicated his career to empowering people—especially those in the disability community—to build meaningful lives and careers. He’s a seasoned collaborator who knows how to bring government, business, and community partners to the same table.
Marcus serves as Chair of the Board for the Collaborative Partnership Network and Vice Chair of the Nova Scotia Career Development Association, he’s not just in the room—he’s helping lead the conversation.
His leadership style is a mix of kindness, curiosity, and optimistic energy. Whether he’s coaching a team, mentoring a rising leader, or cheering someone on as they land their dream job, Marcus leads with heart and humor.
When he’s not in the office, you’ll find him chasing adventure (and probably one of his four kids) with his wife—hiking, surfing, shooting hoops, or snowboarding.
Marcus is on a mission to create a more inclusive, joyful world—and he’s doing it one connection at a time.
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