Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors provides faithful leadership and strategic vision, ensuring the Academy remains rooted in its Catholic mission and prepared for future growth.

Tim Lau, Chairman

Dr. Tim Lau has been involved in the Maryvale community since 2006. He is the Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry inpatient unit at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and Director of Undergraduate Education for Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa. He is the Chair of the Canadian Organization of Undergraduate Psychiatric Educators, the national group of directors of education for psychiatry at the 17 medical schools. He sits on the Committee on Education for the Canadian Psychiatric Association and on the National Examination Board for Psychiatry. With a passion for education and helping people reach their potential, he recently received an award for mentorship by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons and was selected to be a Distinguished Teacher with the Faculty of Medicine. He is an invited speaker to national, provincial and local conferences. Dr. Lau believes in the importance of faith and family. He is the founding president of The Canadian Federation of Catholic Physicians’ Societies, and is active locally having served on parish councils, and given marriage preparation and adult faith courses. Together with his wife he is currently part of Family Enrichment Ottawa and the International Federation for Family Development, coordinating couples and parenting courses. He and his wife, Amy, have 6 children.

Mr. Renze Nauta is husband to Rebecca and father to Anselm. He has degrees in economics and philosophy. Renze and his family attend Saint Patrick’s Basilica and he has been involved in parish life as a volunteer sacristan, lector, altar server, member of the Pastoral Council, and member of the Knights of Columbus. He served as Director of Policy to two Leaders of the Opposition and held various roles in the Prime Minister’s Office. He is currently Program Director for Work and Economics at Cardus. Renze enjoys music, cooking, DIY projects and bike-riding with his son along the Ottawa River.

Mr. Nik Zylstra is a graduate of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College in Barry’s Bay Ontario and Christendom College in Virginia. He holds a B.A in Liberal Arts. For ten years Nik worked as a strategic advisor to Members of Parliament and Ministers in the Government of Canada, followed by policy advisor to the Honorable Andrew Scheer while Leader of the Official Opposition. He now works as a director for a food processing industry association. Nik and his wife Lindsay have five children, three of whom attend Maryvale Academy. They attend St. Clement Parish in Lower Town.

Members

Nicholas Labelle

Mr. Nicholas Labelle St-Pierre is a professional economist with more than 15 years of experience specializing in forecasting and modeling. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and has passed all three levels of the CFA Program. Nicholas is married and has two children, both of whom attend Maryvale Academy. Outside of work, he highly values time with his family and enjoys exercising, programming, recreational mathematics, and reading biographies and historical works.

Dr. Heather MacDonnell, originally from Markham, ON, attained her Honours Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences and her Medical Degree from Queen’s University. She started residency in Internal Medicine in Ottawa but missed seeing children as her patient population so finished residency in Pediatrics as well as an Academic Pediatrics Fellowship at CHEO. Throughout her residency she became interested in Global Child Health and used electives for rotations in Papua New Guinea, India, USA and Cuba. After fellowship, she volunteered abroad in Cambodia, the Gambia (West Africa) and Costa Rica. She holds a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, LSHTM, University of London, UK. She has been a staff Pediatrician in the Division of Pediatric Medicine at CHEO since 2007, and the first Director of Global Health for the Department of Pediatrics since 2010. She was one of the founding physicians for the unique International Adoption Clinic, open since 2006, and is now the Clinic Director. Heather is married to James Doak, a telecom Engineer. They have been part of the school community since 2011, all three of their children having started at Maryvale in Junior Kindergarten. After many years of involvement as a parent, Heather is very pleased to join the Board of Directors and looks forward to continuing to support the strong Catholic education that Maryvale provides. She spends as much time as possible on the tennis, volleyball and basketball courts, and soccer fields with the kids.

Mr. Howie Fohr has a Business Administration degree from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and a Common Law degree from the University of Ottawa. Howie is happily married to his Beautiful Bride Véronique for over 23 years and is the proud father of 6 children, three of whom are now students at Maryvale. Howie is currently an in-house lawyer at a bank and has previously been a lawyer with BlackBerry and McCarthy Tétrault. He has also worked on Parliament Hill. Howie’s interests include sports and the outdoors, chess, and spending time with family.

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Mrs. Marisa Casagrande brings more than 25 years of experience in research, writing, and cross-sector collaboration. Marisa is driven by a deep belief in human flourishing and the value of community and education. Her work traverses academia, the non-profit sector, and government advisory spaces, where she translates complex ideas into clear, actionable strategies for leaders and communities. Marisa holds a B.A. from the University of Waterloo, where she completed a double major in Political Science and Choral Music. She later earned a graduate degree in Public Policy from McMaster University and completed several years of PhD research at the intersection of Political Philosophy and theology. Most recently, Marisa served as Senior Advisor and External Delegate to the Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ottawa–Cornwall. Prior to this role, she worked as a Senior Analyst in educational policy at Cardus, a public policy think tank dedicated to the renewal of North America’s social architecture. Off the clock, Marisa is anchored by a loving husband and two wonderful young-adult children, complemented by a wide circle of friends and colleagues. She replenishes energy and insight through time spent with loved ones, often by the water with a good book in hand.

Past Board Members

  • Krzysztof Retel
  • Lauren Schmidt
  • Kerry Brine
  • Chris du Quesnay
  • Andy Pocrnic
  • Mary Lauzon
  • Peter Sinn
  • Elysia George
  • James Mikulasik
  • Sophia McConkey
  • Helena Champion
  • Jim Meuse
  • Raymond Dore
  • Betty McGrath
  • Jacquie Farah
  • Marjorie Walker
  • Cyril Dowling
  • John Pacheco
  • Terry Lauzon
  • John O’Brien

Forming Hearts and Minds

At Maryvale Academy, education shapes hearts as well as minds. Rooted in academic excellence, virtue‑based formation, and a joyful Catholic community, we prepare students to go forth as faithful leaders, ready to follow the path God sets before them.

We invite you to discover what makes Maryvale unique—a place where children grow in wisdom, virtue, and love of God.

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