Board of Directors

Dave Jewitt is a retired General Manager of Gateway Casinos Clinton. Dave is a lifelong resident of Huron County and is a graduate of Western University with a BA in political science.

He served on municipal council for the town of Clinton for six years and Central Huron and Huron County council for 12 years.

He is a past Chair of the Huron County Health Unit and Vice Chair of Huron Perth Public Health as well as past Chair of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority. 

Alison Lobb was involved in economic development in Huron County before Community Futures Huron came into existence. It was through that involvement that she came to be the founding director of Huron Business Development Corporation, now known as Community Futures Huron.

Alison takes community involvement seriously.  As well as being a founding director of Community Futures Huron, she sat on the Marketing and Policy & Procedures Committees at the Blyth Festival and held the position of treasurer at the Festival for 10 years.

Alison was actively involved in both the Centennial Celebrations for Goderich Township in 1967 and was on the executive committee for the Sesquicentennial celebrations in 1985.  She has edited and written books on Goderich Township history, and served as co-chair of the 175th Celebrations of Goderich Township.

Alison currently sits on the Hindmarsh Environmental Trust Fund, the Huron Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society, and the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority.  Alison has served 30 years as a Municipal Councillor.

Alison was born and raised in Toronto and married into rural life in Central Huron. She has five great kids and 6 fantastic grandchildren.

Laura Overholt was born and raised in Huron County on a farm just east of Exeter in what was then Usborne Township. She graduated from University of Waterloo and soon after started her married life with her husband Marty in Exeter where they still live today.

Laura’s work experience has been rich with the 17 years with federal government during which time the Huron Business Development Corporation was formed. Later, Laura worked with various other levels of government and agencies to manage projects related to the human resources field. During one such project, Laura had the pleasure of working with the Huron Business Development Corporation on the HealthKick project from 2005 until 2015 as the project manager. This project offered multiple prongs of activities that focused on youth engagement in healthcare career exploration and related work experiences, local training initiatives for registered practical nurses (RPN) and personal support workers (PSW) as well as other types of training. Working with the healthcare community to meet the increasing need for healthcare workers was a very fulfilling and engaging experience.

Now retired, Laura brings a keen interest in the success of Community Futures Huron and its value to the communities it serves.

Maureen Agar and her husband Merv raised four fantastic children on their dairy/cash crop farm in McKillop Township until retirement.

Maureen was born in Stratford and learned all about farming ‘cold turkey’ when she and her husband married.  A few mishaps during the initial years of transforming the city girl to a country girl kept many of the ‘seasoned’ farmers entertained.

After taking the Canadian Securities Course, Maureen helped form the ‘Pick Up Investors’ Club’ in the late 80’s, and for over 20 years a group of farmers met to discuss crop pricing, management practices, and financial issues important to agriculture.

As a passionate community volunteer Maureen Agar has been President of Seaforth Minor Hockey, Chair of School Parent Councils, and Director/Secretary of Huron East/Seaforth Community Development Trust.

Maureen now is the Secretary of the Seaforth BIA, and a Director of Community Futures Huron.  Maureen loves the community she adopted and recognizes that to have a vibrant community it is very important to be involved.

Anne Bondy has spent the past decade as a Certified Financial Planner for Integrated Wealth Management in Goderich. She holds a bachelor of arts (BA) from Western University.

Colin Carmichael is a seasoned leader in business advocacy and community development, currently serving as Executive Director of the Huron Chamber of Commerce. In this role, he works to connect community leaders, champion the interests of local businesses, and deliver on the Chamber’s mission to grow the economy, support member success, and strengthen the towns and villages across eight Huron County municipalities.

Colin’s career spans more than two decades across marketing, communications, education, and entrepreneurship. After earning an honours degree in Political Science from Wilfrid Laurier University, he held key roles at major institutions including Ford Motor Company and McMaster University, where he honed his strategic communication skills. From 2016 to 2020, he also taught business courses at Fanshawe College and served as a Trustee for the Avon Maitland District School Board from 2018 to 2022.

Since relocating to Huron County in 2015, Colin has been deeply engaged in the region’s business and civic life. Together with his wife and four children, he operated Point Farms Market—a seasonal camp store north of Goderich—gaining firsthand experience as a small business owner and community connector. He now lives in Goderich, where he continues to foster partnerships and advocate for economic vitality throughout the county.

Appointed to lead the Chamber in 2024, Colin has focused on expanding member opportunities, launching new initiatives like the Huron Economic Response Task Force, and reinforcing the Chamber’s role as a neutral, independent voice for local business. His commitment to collaboration and community progress is at the heart of everything he does.

Lisa Harper has worked extensively in the not-for-profit sector and brings a wealth of experience to the Community Futures Huron Board of Directors.

For 12 years Lisa worked for Community Futures Huron (formerly HBDC) in administrative and information management role. As the Blyth Festival Box Office Manager and Volunteer Coordinator for 8 years, Lisa was able to continue her customer centric approach to her work and client/volunteer stewardship.

Lisa currently works for the United Way Perth Huron as a Resource Development for the Northern Huron area. She lives in Blyth with her husband Keith and their dog Strider. She is very excited to be joining the board!

Judy Keightley moved to Huron County with her husband in 2006 to build their dream home in Bayfield and has since then become heavily involved in the Community which she now considers home.

Judy spent 30 years teaching in Lambton County before retiring and along the way used her passion for art and drama to write and produce numerous plays, write a series of murder mystery novels, and still find time to sit on various committees to share her life experiences and leadership skills.

As a passionate community volunteer Judy co-chaired the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce, was acting president of the Bayfield Historical Society, is a past Warden of Trinity Anglican Church and was appointed to the Grant Review Team for the Ontario Trillium Foundation for Bruce, Huron, Perth. Judy also sat as a community member on the Huron County Immigration Partnership during its early years.

When Judy is not helping out with her family and eight grandchildren, she and her husband Philip can be found tending their vines at their latest venture, Huron Estates vineyard located just south of Bayfield, where they are planning to build a boutique winery later this year.

Brian Kellow has spent his career working in community development, government relations, public affairs, issues management and advocacy.  This work has focused on Ontario municipalities, First Nations, universities, along with the agencies and elected officials in the Provincial and Federal governments.

Brian has had the good fortune of working with diverse communities across Ontario including the Muslim community, Sikh, Catholic Diocese of Toronto, along with indigenous communities including the 49 First Nation communities of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

As a Volunteer Brian has served on the Foundation Board of the Regent Park School of Music serving children in Regent Park and the Jane and Finch neighborhoods of Toronto, led the rebuild and revitalization of the Fieldstone Co-operative Housing Corporation and is currently the Chair of the Zurich Beanfest Organizing Committee.

Brian’s family relocated from Toronto to Huron County in 2020, returning to a region where his family has deep roots.

Leah Noel is the Deputy Mayor of the Town of Goderich.  She is a retired lawyer.

Noel is a passionate community volunteer.  In addition to her role with Community Futures Huron, she also sits on the executive of the Rotary Club of Goderich.  She was a long-term member of the Goderich Recreation Board of Management and chaired the committee for the revitalization of Bannister Park. She is a past Director of the YMCA of Southwestern Ontario, and was Community Engagement Chair of AMGH’s ‘All in for Your Health’ Campaign.  She has also volunteered with minor sports including Goderich Minor Hockey and Soccer, Stratford Revolution Basketball, Huron County FC, and Huron Hurricanes Aquatic Club.  She is a past president of the South West Region Women’s Law Association

Priority issues for Noel include community engagement; environmental sustainability, responsible residential growth and economic development, and ensuring Goderich has a transparent and accountable Council.

Rick Sickinger began work in Huron County in 2007 as the Coordinator for Huron Arts & Heritage Network. In 2012, he became the first Cultural Development Officer for the County of Huron, a position he held until 2020 when he was redeployed during COVID to his current position as Economic Development Officer overseeing tourism and local food.

During his time at Huron County, he has planned and managed projects and community festivals and events that were supported by Ontario Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport, Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation and FedDev. He has served on the Board of Directors for Blyth Centre for the Arts, Foundation for Education, Huron Ars & Heritage Network, and Regional Tourism Organization 4 (RTO4).

Before coming to Huron County, he worked in the non-profit arts sector including positions at the Stratford Festival and the Gallery Stratford. Rick currently resides in Exeter with his partner and their two labrador retrievers.

Anita van Hittersum and her family immigrated from the Netherlands in January 1999 where Anita used to work as a registered nurse. Together with her family she now owns and operates a dairy farm in North Huron. Through a variety of volunteer work, courses, and other opportunities Anita has gained a broad knowledge and interest in the rural community.

Anita was elected councilor for North Huron in 2018 and is the council representative at the North Huron Economic Development Committee.  Anita is a member of the Wingham and Area Health Professional Recruitment Committee and the Belgrave Playground Committee.  She is a board member for the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, the Huron OPP services board, and the Listowel Wingham and Area Family Health Team board.

Anita looks forward to continuing to support the well-being, economic growth and prosperity of farmers and rural residents in Huron County.