Our Team
We have talented member professionals who contribute their expertise to help communities, organizations and groups reach their goals. Each of our members are entrepreneurs with a passion for problem solving to strengthen the social, economic, environmental and cultural fabric of communities. Some of our collaborators are First Nations people who speak their language which, allows us to offer workshops and services bilingually/bi-culturally as needed.
Erin Horvath
Executive Director, Board Member
Erin is a social entrepreneur, educator and artist that uses entrepreneurial, arts-based, and collaborative approaches to strengthen communities from the grassroots. She has had the privilege of leading several initiatives and enterprises within the not-for-profit, First Nation, private and community sectors. She has a long standing relationship with Cat Lake First Nation having worked with them on many projects over the past 21 years. She uses her formal training in Psychology (Hon BSc), Community Development and Participatory Action Research (M.A.), Social Entrepreneurship and Education (PhD. in progress), Mediation (Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution), Collaborative Planning (National Charette Institute) and Challenge Course Facilitation (Canadian Ropes Course Company), along with her experience living and working within First Nations communities, to create meaningful, relevant and engaging sessions. Her extensive experience working with youth, families and communities at-risk in clinical, recreational and community settings, brings depth to her work as a social entrepreneur. Her experience in theatre, dance and music make her a fun and dynamic facilitator, and allows New VU to integrate various forms of creative expression into our projects.
Within New Vision Unlimited she provides oversight to all our projects as well as leadership to IMPACT Arts, Building Communities of Trust and our Social Entreprneruship training project.
Graham Thompson
Board Member and Manager of "The HUB"
Graham Thompson was a Co-Executive Director of New Vision Unlimited until April 1, 2012. For 7 years he was one of our lead programmers and workshop facilitators. He is currently providing leadership to our Social Innovation Hub (The HUB), our co-working centre in Huntsville Ontario where his knack for networking and building collaborations has enriched the landscape of business in Muskoka. (www.thehubmuskoka.ca)
In addition to his current work Graham has spent several years as a certified Child and Youth Psychotherapist. has a passion for the outdoors, which explains his certification as a ropes course instructor certified by Adventureworks! and the Canadian Ropes Course Company. He is also a mobile climbing wall facilitator, and an ORCKA instructor. He occasionally provides workshops, including Reaching In Reaching Out (RIRO) which teaches resiliency in children. He has traveled to over 20 countries for personal enjoyment and community development projects, and has been trained as an athletic coach and trainer in various sports. Keeping Graham busy are his two boys who he loves fiercely.
Collaborating Members
Bill Pozzobon
Professional Actor & Comedian, Director of the Boys program for Safeteen
Not only a professional actor and comedian, but also the Director of the Boys program for Safeteen, an educational organization that promotes skills that reduce sexual violence in relationships. We are thrilled he came from Vancouver to play the leading role in our film, Autumn Springs (2017) and that he is willing to contribute his knowledge, engaging personality and expertise when requested to enhance our Building Communities of Trust initiative .
Reuben Shakakeesic
Cat Lake First Nation
Reuben proposed the idea led to our social entrepreneurship training initiative after reflecting on his own needs as a young adult living on-reserve. Soon after graduating from Pelican Falls First Nations High school he served as one of the youngest Band Councillors within his community.
He is married, with three children and has a passion for helping youth. He currently makes Fort Severn First Nation his home. Reuben is on the steering committee of our social entrepreneurship training initiative, Building Prosperity Together.
Eric Bortlis
Metis Educator with a Masters in Educational Leadership, Education Director of Lac Seul First Nation
Eric is currently the Education Director of Lac Seul First Nation where he is looking to support students as they learn to walk in both worlds. He is a co-facilitator and trainer with Building Communities of Trust.
Chris Gilmour
Chris Gilmour has been working in the field of experiential education for the past 17 years. He helped design and teach an innovative program for Georgina Island First Nations School integrating traditional wilderness skills, ecology and the school curriculum. He teaches Ecology at Sir Sanford Fleming
College as well as advanced survival, ecology and wildlife tracking workshops for various schools and private organizations.
Within New Vision Unlimited he consults on educational initiatives and is using his technical skills to help us create online materials for our Building Communities of Trust Initiative.
Anna McKay-Phelan
Board Member
Anna grew up in and around the First Nation of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Big Trout Lake). Speaking only in her mother tongue of Oji-Cree, she spent much of her childhood on her family's trapline living off the land and flowing with nature's cycles for animals, fish and plants. As an adult, she earned a Social Work diploma from Loyalist College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Manitoba, with a major in Native Studies and minor in Psychology, and her teaching certification. Anna has worked for regional First Nations organizations in northwestern Ontario as a mental health counsellor, community development worker, workshop facilitator and still using her language, as a communications specialist and translator. She lives in Sioux Lookout, embraces life as an urban Aboriginal woman and serves the community as a volunteer, currently as chairwoman of the Sunset Women's Aboriginal Circle. She is involved in a leadership capacity within our Social Entrepreneurship Training initiative, Building Prosperity Together.
Jackie Rae
Sandy Lake First Nation
With over 30 years of service within social services and child welfare he is well respected for his ability to support people through difficult situations while addressing the complex set of challenges they face.
He has co-facilitated workshops with New Vision Unlimited in the past and is eager to collaborate once again in Building Communities of Trust.
Sylvia Wesley
Certified teacher and early childhood educator from Cat Lake First Nation
In addition to her passion for youth, she enjoys cross cultural travel. In 2002 she, Erin and Dave spent time in Brazil sharing about community development and learning from Indigenous Brazilians on the Rio Negro. Since then she has had many other experiences that have taken her, and her son, across the globe meeting other people and seeing other ways of life. She has a desire to better conditions for Aboriginal peoples, which she expresses through initiating various community activities, and being involved in collaborative activities such as this project. In addition she was a co-researcher with the University of Toronto on an educational initiative aimed to advance early childhood education through play. Sylvia is currently on the steering committee of our social entrepreneurship training initiative, Building Prosperity Together.