Southern Ontario Library Service

SOLS Board 2008-2009

Lynne Baxter. North Grenville, Trustee Council 8. Lynne is currently Chair of the North Grenville Public Library Board and is in her seventh year as a board trustee. She is also Chair of Trustee Council 8. Lynne is a Registered Senior Technical Advisor for the Registered Plan Directorate of Canada Revenue Agency. She is also currently working on her EXCEL certificate. 

Lorraine Bourdeau. Ministerial.  Lorraine Bourdeau is a retired teacher with 28 years of experience at the secondary level in Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry.  Her majors were geography and library science.  After retirement she was Chair of the Friends of the Crysler library until January 2007.

Ian Brebner. Ministerial. Ian is a cash crop farmer in North Middlesex in partnership with his brother. He is Deputy Mayor on the North Middlesex council as well as serving on the Middlesex County council. He was warden for Middlesex County in 2004 and has been Chair of the Middlesex Library Board for the past four years and also served as Chair in 1999. He also works part time for Agricorp which administers crop insurance for Ontario. He has been a long time member of his local library which is one of the few Carnegie libraries still in its original condition. He enjoys watching and attending Nascar races in his spare time and looks forward to his annual trip to the race in Bristol Tennessee. Books have always been a big part of his life and serving on the SOLS Board is a pleasure.

Jill Cameron. Ministerial.  Jill has worked as an editor, specializing in the environment and the law for 20 years. She is a long-term advocate for public libraries. She has volunteered for local libraries and is a board member of several sports and community organizations. She has a B.A in English, attended the OCAD, and has a keen interest in the architecture of rural Ontario. 

Brenda Carrigan. (SOLS Board Acting Chair) Clarington, Trustee Council 5. Brenda is Vice-Chair of Trustee Council 5. Her career spanned several countries (including Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada) and culminated with 29 years at the Oshawa Public Library from which she is currently retired. 

Bob Coryell. Tay Township, Trustee Council 4. Bob has a BA from York University in Economics.  This was achieved over 8 years at night school during which time he worked fulltime at CIL (eventually 37 years), got married to Jean (working on 43 years) and the proud father of two.  Bob got into the computer field in the early 70’s and this became his full time job while traveling for CIL throughout the world.  Bob’s early retirement was short lived as he was successful as a Municipal Councillor which lasted 6 years.  Once this was over, became a member of the Library Board and Chairman, then on Trustee Council 4, and Chairman and finally as a board member of SOLS. Bob volunteered as a baseball umpire, soccer coach, Beaver leader, throughout the early years and continues to volunteer in retirement for the Red Cross, the local hospital, chairman of fundraising for the local library renovation as well participates in several seniors clubs in their executive committee.

Virginia DiLauro. Caledon, Trustee Council 2.  Virginia is a practice group facilitator in a law firm in Toronto. She is serving her second term as a member of the Town of Caledon Public Library board. Virginia has volunteered in elementary and secondary school libraries, literacy programs, parent teacher associations, school councils, environmental and education advocacy groups and community policing committees in Ontario, Quebec and the U.S. She holds a business administration degree and is currently taking online library technician courses at Mohawk College.

Karen Dubeau. Newmarket, Trustee Council 5.

Bob Ernest. Waterloo, Trustee Council 3. Bob is Vice-Chair of the Waterloo Public Library Board and served for several years as a member of the provincial executive of the Ontario Library Boards Association. He is a retired teacher and education consultant. He was also involved with his teachers’ federation and is now an honorary member of the Waterloo Local of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario. He is active with the Waterloo branch of the Retired Teachers of Ontario serving on the local executive. Bob also serves on the provincial executive for an Ontario political party. He is a part-time produce vendor at the Goderich Farmers’ Market during the summer.

Sandy French. Halton Hills, Trustee Council 2.  Knowing the importance of the local library as a centre for early literacy, Sandy volunteers as a director of the Halton Hills Public Library Board. He is also a member of the branch re-development committee for Georgetown. From there, Sandy has extended his participation in the library world as a SOLS director. As a community television producer, Sandy covers politics and local events in Halton Region.

George Hodgkinson. Laurentian Valley Twp, Trustee Council 7. George is a Trustee on the Pembroke Public Library Board and Chair of Trustee Council #7. He is serving his second term as a Municipal Councillor in Laurentian Valley. George retired in 1993 after thirty six years with the Canadian Forces Medical Service. He retired with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer (CWO). He is the recipient of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, the Special Service Medal, Queen’s Jubilee Medal, Canadian Forces Decoration, 2^nd clasp as well as having received two Ontario Volunteer Service recognition Awards. He has been actively involved with the local VON as well as having served as an advisory councillor for TV Ontario.

Jackie Houde. Cornwall, Trustee Council 8.  Jackie is the Chair of the Cornwall Public Library Board.  She is a retired teacher who taught for 34 years at the elementary level.  She is also on the District 25 Board of the Retired Teachers of Ontario and, related to that, she is part of the provincial communications committee.

Dave Jones. Middlesex County, Trustee Council 1. Dave was appointed to the Middlesex County Library Board in January 2007.   He was a member of the board as a County of Middlesex councilor from 1995-1996.   He also served a three term as municipal councillor in the Township of North Dorchester and the Municipality of Thames Centre. He retired after 40 year career in dentistry but is still actively involved in community organizations and provincial dental committees.   Along with wife Mary Ann he runs a horse and tree farm operation.  His interest in library systems goes well beyond the core services traditionally offered.   The changes that have occurred in the last ten years have been very exciting and he looks forward to our new challenges.

Donna Kenwell.  Ministerial. Donna retired in June 2007 after having been a teacher-librarian for more than 33 years. She holds a Master of Library Science from U.W.O.  Donna is spending her retirement gardening, reading mysteries and renovating a century-old farmhouse.  She is also a member of the Springwater Public Library board and Chairperson of the Gryphon Theatre Foundation.

Karen McGrath. Ministerial. Karen is currently the Manager of Library Services at Niagara College. With an undergraduate degree in French language and literature from Wilfrid Laurier University and an MLS from Toronto, it seemed natural to head to Ottawa to begin her library career. For the next 20 years, she worked in federal government libraries finishing up at the National Library of Canada in the Office of the National Librarian as Roch Carrier's Executive Advisor. In 2003, she made the leap to Ontario public libraries, first to Lincoln and then to Niagara-on-the-Lake in 2005. She is currently past-President of the Ontario Public Library Association.

Claudette Richardson. Kingston-Frontenac, Trustee Council 6. Claudette is in her third term as a Library Trustee with the Kingston-Frontenac Public Library Board, currently serving as Chair. A certified Human Resources professional, she combines contract work with her volunteer work as an Ontario Block Parents Board member, and in her parish community. Married, with three adult children, two of whom are university students.   

Jean Rixen. Deseronto, Trustee Council 6.  Jean has been on the Deseronto Library Board for over 15 years. She is also on the Board of Directors of Trenval--the local Community Futures Development Corporation in the Quinte area and is on the Deseronto Revitalization Committee.  She has been a member of the Quinte Quilters Guild for many years. Jean has just recently taken early retirement from my position as Director of Planning & Development for the County of Hastings and therefore plans to spend more time at her home in Cuba. She was born in Toronto but moved to the Quinte area after university when she was first employed by the County.

Larry Stewart. Brant County, Trustee Council 1.

Patricia Symon. Bruce County, Trustee Council 3. Patricia is the Chair of the Bruce County Library Board and has served for many years as a board member.  She has been involved with the library community most of her life.  She enjoys spending time with family, loving her six beautiful granddaughters, reading, sewing, gardening and volunteering seems to make the time, pass very quickly.