Meet our team and volunteers
Meet the people at the heart of social impact in downtown Ottawa. With an unwavering commitment to community-centred impact, our team and volunteers connect members, facilitate cross-sector collaboration, design events, build programs, and support your work.
So, how can we help you?
Our Team
Deirdre Laframboise (she/her)
Executive Director
Meet Deirdre Laframboise, the Executive Director of Impact Hub Ottawa. With more than 25 years of senior leadership experience in the non-profit sector, Deirdre brings a collaborative, systems-thinking approach to her role at the Hub.
Deirdre’s career includes leading several national organizations and co-founding a charity recognized for its innovative youth programs at the intersection of environment and health. She is passionate about turning bold ideas into meaningful impact.
As for what Deirdre loves about the Hub, it’s the creativity, connection, and shared purpose that members bring to the space each day. She’s energized by community and looks forward to meeting members, partners, and collaborators as she helps guide IHO into its next chapter.
Olivia Thomsen (she/her)
Program Officer
With a background in international development and sustainable food systems, Olivia brings a passion for supporting sustainable spaces and creating opportunities for collaboration and community.
What Olivia loves most about collaborative spaces like Impact Hub Ottawa is the energy and spirit that comes from a shared purpose.
Marian De Los Reyes (she/her)
Event and Client Relations
Passionate about community-building and public service, Marian has developed experience in parliamentary communications and event coordination through work in political and community-focused environments.
Marian is driven by opportunities to support meaningful initiatives, foster strong community connections through teamwork and communication, and contribute to initiatives that uplift culture and empower youth. Marian values spaces that bring people together through creativity, collaboration, and community engagement.
Advisors & Board
Sharon Coward
Co-Chair of the Board
Sharon is the Executive Director of EnviroCentre, and has worked for nearly 15 years in the not-for-profit community support, health and environmental sectors, in the Ottawa region, the bulk of that time managing and developing innovative community programs in climate and health.
She has lived and worked in deliberate communities in four countries and three continents. She believes that reshaping how we gather and use energy and resources can transform our culture and society for the better while avoiding a mass extinction event.
Lauren Castelino
Co-Chair of the Board
| Lauren Castelino is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, consultant, and speaker advancing equity and climate justice. She founded the Green Career Centre, a nonprofit empowering underrepresented youth to pursue careers in the green economy.
Through her leadership, Lauren has supported women, newcomers, and BIPOC communities in accessing green job opportunities, professional development, and community wellness. Beyond her organization, she actively contributes to national advocacy through roles such as Advisor to Senator Mary Lou McPhedran with the Canadian Council of Young Feminists, Canada Service Corps Project Leader, and delegate to Nature on the Hill along with other environmental coalitions. As a skilled fund development professional, Lauren has secured over $3.2 million for BIPOC-led and impact-driven organizations, creating hundreds of green jobs and community projects. Lauren has been recognized as a Top 100 Most Powerful Woman, Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leader, and Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award recipient. |
Jesse Cressman-Dickinson
Board Member
Jesse has a background in community management and stakeholder relations. She is a founder and Board Member of JustChange Canada, a not for profit that supports the development of giving circles and sits on the board of their local chapter in Ottawa. She gets excited about new models of philanthropy, experimenting with new forms of public engagement, creating quality public spaces for people of all ages and abilities and working with local organizations to address community challenges.
Tristan Oliff
Board Member
| Tristan Oliff is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Roots of Purpose Storytelling & Strategy, where he helps collaborators clarify their direction, communicate with confidence, and develop strategies that lead to lasting impact.
Drawing on a professional journey that has traversed the non-profit sector, with stopovers on Parliament Hill and in the new media movement, Tristan aspires to use his energy and passion for stories to enable meaningful social change. He is a long time Impact Hub Ottawa member and former staff. |
Janet Riehm
Board Member
Janet is Owner and Principal Consultant of Janet Riehm Consulting, advising charities and non-profit organizations internationally. A CPA and CGA, she has provided strategic and financial services to a variety of clients in communities extending from First Nations in Canada to rural development in communities in Africa
Jenna Robar
Board Member
Jenna Robar (she/her) is a systems-minded changemaker advancing equity and belonging from Parliament Hill to grassroots movements. Originally from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Jenna works within Canada’s parliamentary system to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into institutional culture, while also leading community-based initiatives that foster creativity, connection, and a sense of belonging.
She has shared her voice on national and international stages, from the House of Commons to the United Nations Association of Canada, amplifying perspectives that challenge systems and inspire inclusion. A former member of the Prime Minister’s Youth Council and recipient of York University’s Top 30 Under 30 and Nova Scotia’s Mental Health Advocate of the Year awards, Jenna continues to weave art, advocacy, and policy to shape a more just and compassionate future.
Want to get involved?
At Impact Hub Ottawa, we’re dedicated to strengthening communities through connection, collaboration and shared impact.
Sound interesting? Get in touch — we’d love to hear from you.
Your community is waiting for you. Ready to grow?
Connect with like-minded changemakers at the heart of social impact in downtown Ottawa.
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