ONE JIB Board Members

The ONE Joint Investment Board that has been established under section 202(1) of the Municipal Act in accordance with Part II of O. Reg. 438/97, as constituted from time to time, acting pursuant to the ONE Joint Investment Board Agreement.

 

Jennifer Dowty

Board Member
April 2, 2022 to
March 31, 2025

Jennifer Dowty (CFA) is an equities analyst and business reporter at The Globe and Mail. She has approximately 18 years of experience working in the financial industry, of which nearly 14 years was at Manulife Asset Management. While at Manulife, Jennifer was a portfolio manager overseeing Canadian and global equity mutual funds, institutional funds, and pension plans. She has sat on ONE Investment’s Investment Advisory Committee since November 2016.

Board Member
June 1, 2024 to
May 31, 2027

Craig Dyer (CPA, CGA) has over 35 years of experience in the municipal finance sector, 23 of which at the Municipal Treasurer/CFO level. Most recently and for 12 years, Craig was the Commissioner of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer for the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, the 10th largest urban centre in Canada. Craig previously worked for Wellington County as Treasurer for 11 years, as well as for the City of Guelph and Halton Region. Craig is passionate about municipal finance, and in particular about long-term municipal financial sustainability. His experience covers annual operating budgets and long-term capital infrastructure planning, municipal debt and reserves, investments and cash flow management, development charges, asset management, procurement and risk management. Craig is a graduate of McMaster University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. He was a contributor to the Municipal Debt Report Series and was the recipient of the Municipal Finance Officers' Association Leadership Award in 2020.
Heidi Franken (CPA, CA)

Board Member
February 28, 2024 to
March 31, 2027

Heidi Franken (CPA, CA) is the Registrar at CPA Ontario where she provides regulatory oversight of Ontario’s 94,000 Chartered Professional Accountants in addition to firms and public accounting license holders and is primarily responsible for CPA Ontario’s compliance with statutory obligations. She has extensive capital markets regulatory experience from several senior positions previously held at the Ontario Securities Commission, including roles in Corporate Finance, Office of the Chief Accountant and most recently in the Enforcement Branch where she was Chief, Office of the Whistleblower and Deputy Director. She led specialized investigation and litigation teams, including a team for registrant misconduct. She also led important policy and operational initiatives including the introduction of enhanced and streamlined national prospectus rules for securities offerings and a risk-based compliance and oversight program for all Ontario-based public companies. She is an experienced public speaker on topics including regulatory compliance, corporate governance and ethics.
James G. Giles

Board Member
April 1, 2023 to
May 31, 2026

James G. Giles (CPA, CFA) is retired from his role as Chief Investment Officer of Foresters Financial (Foresters), where he directly oversaw over $6 billion of the organization’s investment assets. Those assets included both Canadian and U.S. insurance and Canadian pension funds, where he represented the organization on industry groups such as Pension Investment Association of Canada. James broadened the asset exposure of Foresters and hired external managers where necessary. Prior to that he directly managed assets including real estate income trusts (REITs) and preferred shares and managed the investment accounting area. James has over 25 years of total financial sector experience. In addition, he has lectured for many years as part of preparatory programs for students seeking the Chartered Financial Analyst designation as well as for other programs such as the then Society of Management Accountants. He has also been quoted in the media on investment matters. He has sat on ONE Investment’s Investment Advisory Committee since November 2016.
Bill Hughes

Board Chair
May 1, 2023 to
May 31, 2026

Bill Hughes (MBA, MES) is a Senior Fellow at the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance at the University of Toronto. Bill has over 35 years’ experience in finance and public policy at both the provincial and municipal levels of government. Before joining the Institute, Bill was the Commissioner of Finance and Treasurer for the Regional Municipality of York. Bill also held senior positions in the Ontario government, mainly at the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Infrastructure. Most recently, he was the Assistant Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Policy and Planning. Bill was a member of the board of directors of the Move Ontario Trust until its wind-up in 2017. He is a lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, where he co-teaches a course on policy development. He has sat on ONE Investment’s Investment Advisory Committee since November 2018.

Geri James

Board Vice Chair
May 1, 2023 to
May 31, 2026

Geri James (CFA) has over 25 years of experience in designing, monitoring and implementing investment strategies for pension plans, non-profits, sovereign wealth funds, governments and other institutional investors. Geri also has extensive experience in designing and launching investment vehicles such as pooled funds, mutual funds and exchange traded funds for institutional and retail investors. Geri spent nine years as an investment consultant with AON Hewitt followed by 17 years in various roles, including head of business development, head of product and chief operating officer, for BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. Geri was also an ongoing guest lecturer on investments at Humber College. In addition to her work with The One Investment Advisory Committee, Geri is currently a Director of the Board of the Police Credit Union, Board Chair of the Wilderness Canoe Association as well as a founding member of Sparrow, a refugee sponsorship and resettlement program. She has sat on ONE Investment’s Investment Advisory Committee since November 2016.

Board Member
June 1, 2024 to
May 31, 2027

Deborah Leckman (MBA) is a senior investment professional with over 30 years experience in the pension fund and retail wealth industries. Deborah previously served a six-year term as Commissioner and Director of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) whose mandate is investor protection, promoting fair and  efficient capital markets, and financial stability. She is a member of the OSC Investory Advisory Panel. Deborah held the role of Senior Vice President at TD Waterhouse and was responsible for the $15 billion equity program at OMERS prior to that. She currently sits on various other pension plan boards, insurance and independent review committees. Deborah is a Chartered Financial Analyst and hold a B.Comm and an MBA from McGill University. She has completed the Pension Governance Education Program at the ICPM University of Toronto Rotman School of Management.

Mike Melinyshyn (MBA, CPA, CMA)

Board Member
February 28, 2024 to
March 31, 2027

Mike Melinyshyn (MBA, CPA, CMA) joined the team at the Town of Innisfil in early 2020 as CFO/Director of Corporate Services and Deputy Treasurer. He has significant private sector experience in regional, national and international organizations. Serving as CFO for the last fifteen years, he has expertise in streamlining operations to improve processes using lean concepts and developing comprehensive strategic plans to help organizations succeed. Mike has closely partnered with the community - chairing several economic development and industry boards. He has worked with municipal councils to encourage businesses to expand or relocate into communities. His partnership with various colleges and universities has helped businesses grow by integrating the latest advanced technologies into their business processes to create a competitive advantage. Mike has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, a Master of Business Administration with a focus on Management Development and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.

ScottPountneyHeadshot

Board Member
July 1, 2021 to
May 31, 2025

Scott Pountney (CFA, CAIA, RIPC) is Director, Managed Assets Program at Aviso. His Investment industry experience spans 25 years, where he has worked with institutional investors, investment consultants, high-net worth clients, financial advisors, as well as retail clientele. His current role includes developing and providing investment insights and thought leadership pertaining to capital market trends, economic insights, and investment strategies across all asset classes. Scott is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and holds the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), and Responsible Investment Professional (RIPC) designations. Scott serves on the Practice Analysis Working Body for the CFA Institute and regularly contributes course content and exam question development for various courses offered through the Canadian Securities Institute.

Search Results Web results  Stephen Rettie, CPA, CMA

Board Member
April 1, 2023 to
May 31, 2025

Stephen Rettie (CPA, CMA) is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Town of Bracebridge.  He has also been appointed as a Deputy Treasurer for the Town under the Municipal Act.  Prior to becoming Chief Administrative Officer, Stephen accumulated eight years’ experience as a Municipal Treasurer, most recently as the Director of Finance/Treasurer with the Town of Bracebridge. In that role he was responsible for the financial management of the municipality, including ensuring accountability in annual audit and budget, internal controls, risk management and insurance, asset management and process improvement. Prior to joining the municipal sector Stephen was Controller for eight years at a transportation company in Muskoka. Prior to joining the ONE Joint Investment Board, Stephen sat on ONE Investment’s Peer Advisory Committee since October 2015.

 

Board Member
June 1, 2024 to
May 31, 2027

Nancy Taylor (BBA, CPA, CA) is the Commissioner of Finance/Treasurer for the Regional Municipality of Durham. Nancy oversees all finance related functions with an annual overall budget in excess of $2.8 billion and has transformed the department to become a valuable team contributor across the organization. She has dedicated her 31+ year career to supporting the municipal sector. Professional involvement includes Past President of the Municipal Finance Officers Association, inaugural Member of ONE Investment Board, Past Chair of the Ontario Regional and Single Tier Treasurers, Past Chair and currently Vice Chair of Durham Municipal Insurance Pool, among others. She strives to support modernization in partnership with creating a supportive and people centred focus.

Christine Tessier pictureBoard Member
May 31, 2023 to
May 31, 2025

Christine Tessier (CFA, CAIA) is currently Co-Chief Investment Officer at Foresters Financial, where she contributes to the oversight of the company’s general account and pension assets. She is currently a board member for The One Investment’s Joint Investment Board. Prior to joining Foresters, Mrs. Tessier was head of Investments at CAA Club Group, where she oversaw the company’s corporate, pension and P&C insurance assets. Prior to working in the insurance industry, Mrs. Tessier worked in institutional product development at Invesco Ltd. She was a Principal at Mercer Investments, where she focused on Manager Research. Mrs. Tessier is a CFA charterholder and a CAIA charterholder. She holds an honor bachelor of commerce degree from Laurentian University.