Catherine Van der Linden, a Belgian and Canadian citizen, moved to Canada in 1991 and embraced the challenge of developing new markets in her role as international business development leader. During her 25-plus years of experience she spearheaded successful ventures throughout global markets for multinationals including Kraft General Foods, Unilever and Costco. Passionate about giving back, she has applied her entrepreneurial skills towards different causes, mainly in the fields of children’s health and education. Catherine initiated and chaired many fundraisers, holds several board positions, and has served on the corporate appeal committee for the Montreal Children's Hospital. Catherine has a master’s degree in History of Art and Archeology from Ghent University in Belgium. She is married, has a daughter and three stepdaughters. She loves hiking, history, biographies and history of art and architecture.

Jeanie Markwick was born and raised in Michigan where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Michigan. Her unconventional path started on the trading floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and led to New York, where she acted as an options specialist on the floors of the NYSE and the Amex. Marriage brought her to Canada in 1996 where she held senior institutional equity trading and management positions until retiring in 2009 to seek new pursuits. With the belief that one is never too old to learn something new, she returned to the workforce full time in 2015 to become the V.P. of Operations for a small investment advisory firm in Montreal. Upon retirement in 2022, Jeanie made the move to live full-time in the Townships with her husband, Eric and their furry sons, Zeppelin and T.C. Phelps remains her focus, coupled with a long-term interest in the local community.

Mark Derusha is the third generation to help his family business, Derusha Group, grow into a major North American player within the stone tooling and equipment industry. Starting as a project manager in 2005, Mark has grown with the company to his current role as President. Along with his BA in Business Management, with a specialization in Finance, Mark adds to Phelps the experience he has from sitting on several boards, the numerous lessons learned in business as an owner as well as his network of contacts. As a businessperson, but more importantly, as a father, he understands that a good education lays the foundation for a healthy and strong community by enabling employability at all levels of organizations. Mark believes that Phelps Helps is making an enormous impact in our small community by changing the perception of the youth and young adults towards education.

Jackie Bailey, a resident of Stanstead, came to the Eastern Townships after completing her PhD in Counselling Psychology at the University of Alberta to accept the position as Dean of Student Affairs at Bishop’s University. After six years as a senior university administrator, she chose to return to privatepractice as a psychologist and also holds an academic appointment with the Master of Counselling program at Athabasca University. As a psychologist, Jackie has worked in both private practice and hospital settings, with individuals across the lifespan. As a university professor, she has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, in both in-person and distance education programs. Outside of work, Jackie spends her time with her husband, children, and very large dog, playing sports, in the outdoors, and splitting their time between a cabin in Vermont and family cottage in the Thousand Islands.

Lisa Smith, a graduate of Bishop’s University Department of Education, is a resident of Stanstead East, where she lives with her husband and various pets. After an eighteen-year teaching career at North Country Union High School in Newport, VT, Lisa now heads the Math and Science Department at Stanstead College. Lisa love sports, the outdoors, cooking, crafts and being involved in the community. Many years have been spent coaching youth soccer, hockey, baseball and golf. Lisa has been involved with Phelps Helps since its inception and is extremely proud of the positive effect that the programs have had on the Stanstead youth and community. When not coaching during the winter months, Lisa is a regular tutor at the high school program. She also heads the Dufferin Heights Junior Golf program and is a volunteer on the Board of Directors of Sisken-Coutts http://siskincoutts.org/.

Founder and president of Knock on Wood Design for the past twenty years, this design and trend enthusiast has transformed unique and luxurious interiors throughout North America. For the past several years, she has been at the head of Dennis Wood Holdings, the Wood Family Foundation and the company Usinage Nado. As a mother of four, she has put her skills to work for causes close to her heart, including the Canadian Cancer Society and the Mental Illness Foundation. Alyson holds an EMBA degree (2017) from McGill University and the HEC. She is very involved in the accessibility of education and sits on the Board of Directors of the Red and White Foundation at Stanstead College and the Butters Foundation.

Alyson believes that Phelps offers a unique opportunity for young people to experience the joy of learning, the reason she joined the board in 2018.