Governance
Our difference is your strength
Our Board of Directors
INÉÉI-PSH is firmly committed to equality and parity, values that must be reflected in its Board of Directors (BOD). The composition of the Board is designed to represent diversity, achieving parity in terms of representation while respecting the diversity of disability situations.
The Board of Directors is currently made up of nine (9) members, including officers (a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer) and five (5) directors. This number can vary between three (3) and thirteen (13) members, demonstrating the flexibility required to ensure balanced and inclusive representation within the organization.
This diverse structure is designed to ensure that all voices are heard, and that diverse perspectives enrich the decisions made by the Board, in line with the fundamental principles of equity and inclusion championed by the INÉÉi-PSH.
INÉÉI-PSH is managed by a team of multidisciplinary collaborators, members and volunteers, supported by an egalitarian, cross-sectoral Board of Directors drawn from a variety of backgrounds.
Board members actively contribute to changing realities. The INÉÉI-PSH Board of Directors oversees and manages the organization's activities. It authorizes expenditures to promote the objectives of the INEI-PSH, may by resolution hire and remunerate employees, and has the power to solicit, accept or receive donations or bequests of any kind.
The Board of Directors may exercise all the powers of the organization except those expressly reserved by law to the members. Today, INÉÉI-PSH is managed by a team of multidisciplinary collaborators, members and volunteers, supported by an egalitarian, cross-sectoral Board of Directors. It is with great pride and gratitude that we introduce our Board members, who spare no effort to help us achieve our mission.
Hélène Lépine
President
Ms. Lépine is now happily retired from her first career, which ran until 2006 in the education sector as a teacher, educational consultant and finally principal of a high school and vocational training center. She is also happily retired from a second career, which lasted until 2018, as President and CEO of the YWCA of Montreal. Ms. Lépine has also served on various Boards of Directors, including that of the Association montréalaise des établissements scolaires. Her professional experience and knowledge of public and non-profit organization administration, combined with her personal experience as the mother of a daughter (who died in 2011) with various mental health and intellectual disability problems, have prepared her to better understand the issues and challenges faced by people with disabilities.
Sofia Benkirane
Vice President
Sofia Benkirane has traced her professional path in the fields of development and urban planning. With a bachelor's degree in urban planning (2018), and a master's degree in development project management (2023), she focuses her practice on the design of inclusive cities. As a consultant at Société Logique since 2021, Sofia is involved in the design of safe places thought for all based on universal design concepts. Ms. Benkirane has been involved in the feminist community for many years, helping to defend the rights of people at the crossroads of oppression and contributing to improving their experience of the city. With more than five years' experience in the field of design, her creativity, ability to synthesize and represent in public and private environments contribute to her added value as part of a team.
Nazim Malti
Secretary
Nazim Malti is 22 years old and has been visually impaired since the age of 11. In April 2022, he completed a bachelor's degree in philosophy at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Then, in September of the same year, he began a Master's degree in philosophy. For the past year, he has also been developing his online business in the field of essential services.
Muriel Mac-Seing, PhD.
Public health – Administrator
Over the past 15 years, Muriel has been involved in a variety of projects in the fields of community health, sexual and reproductive health, including HIV-AIDS, protection against gender-based violence and disability, in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Before pursuing a doctorate in public health (World Health Option) at the Université de Montréal, she was head of the prevention and health unit at the NGO Humanité et Inclusion. Muriel is a staunch advocate of social justice for marginalized populations, particularly people with disabilities, so that they can exercise their human rights and have equitable access to healthcare services.
Éric Lapointe
Treasurer
An active activist since the early 2000s, Eric got his start at the Institut de Réadaptation en Déficience Physique de Québec (IRDPQ). He then became involved with several boards of directors, including the IRDPQ Users' Committee, the Comité d'Action des Personnes Vivant des Situation de Handicap and Épilepsie Québec. He is also a volunteer with the Association de Défense des Droits Sociaux du Québec Métropolitain, and a new member of our Board of Directors. Through his commitment to the rights of people with disabilities, Eric actively contributes to making society an inclusive, equitable and egalitarian place for all.
Sylvie Trudel Administrator
Sylvie Trudel is a very active person, with 25 years' experience as a community worker. Her well-established experience and strong commitment to activism and volunteerism are among the values she cherishes and promotes. I know myself well enough to know that inclusion and welcoming differences are among the characteristics I look for.
Having worked and been active in the community and popular education sectors (women and seniors), her experience as a communications, promotion and information officer and as a conference planner has been a valuable addition to her skills, enabling her to acquire a wealth of enriching experience.
Paul Lupien
Administrator
Paul Lupien is a fervent defender of the rights of people
with disabilities. He is an active member of various public, parapublic and associative bodies, at both the Canadian and provincial levels. He is currently Chairman of the Board of COPHAN.
Yves-Marie Lefebvre Administrator
He holds several certificates and diplomas, including a DESS in Intervention in Visual Impairment, an MBA in Business Administration and many more. Yves-Marie describes himself as an avid walker: I've walked a lot all my life, even with low vision, and I'm not going to stop. I've had the pleasure of discovering Montreal at walking pace and on long walks. Having achieved a great deal on many fronts, Yves-Marie sees himself as a social entrepreneur ready to take on new challenges, one of which has just presented itself: going back to school for another master's degree in urban planning.