Board & Staff
Options is made up of a diverse board and a small but mighty team.
Options is always looking for new board members. Please contact Mary Stack at mary@optionsoutreach.com
Board of Directors
Directors
Chair - Bruce Allison
Vice Chair - Tina Learmonth
Secretary - Heather Chandler
Treasurer - Amrit Sharma
Sherry Dumont
Bionca Bastarache
Kelly Kelter
Abby Miller
Pauline Waggott
Marc Frieden
Cara Coes
Staff Members
Executive Director
Mary brings to the table 20 years of professional and diverse employment experiences, including work both at the New Brunswick Community College and the University of New Brunswick, as well as being the co-founder of The Saint John Multicultural and Newcomer Resource Centre. Over the last several years, she’s been focused on employment counselling, management, communications, culture, and human resources. Mary is a life-long learner; she has a Bachelor of Arts (psych/soc double major) and certificates in Human Resources Management and Teaching English as a 2nd Language from UNB and a diploma in Business Information Technology Specialist from NBCC. Most recently, she achieved the Chartered Professionals of Human Resources designation and, for fun, she continues to try to master a second language….sometimes working on French, sometimes Mandarin and most recently ASL. Mary’s had opportunities to travel extensively, but Saint John has always been her home and she has strong ties and interests in the community.
Mary Stack
Admin Coodinator/ Employment Counsellor
Abbie Shanks
Abbie leads with a passion for helping individuals overcome barriers, with a background in social media management and administration. She stives to create inclusive and supportive environments with a commitment to empowering other and fostering community engagement. Abbie is looking forward to building meaningful relationships, providing personalized support, and helping her clients achieve their employment goals. Ensuring each client feels valued and empowered on their journey toward success.
Abbie Shanks
Employment Counsellor
Lindsay Kane / Carley Schandlen
Carley has a General Bachelors with a focus in Human Behavior and Psychology from Athabasca University. She is passionate about helping others and has worked in many different Social Service related settings supporting and advocating for diverse populations in their day to day lives. Through this experience she has learned the importance of flexibility, active listening, and personalized intervention to help her clients achieve their goals. Carley is working on returning to school for her Masters of Social Work and continuing her career further in the direction of supportive counselling. Carley loves to spend her off time outside, in a quiet sunny corner reading, or learning about a new topic of interest.
Lindsay is currently on Maternity Leave until September 2024 - Carley Schandlen is covering during this time.
Employment Counsellor
Kendra Bonner
Kendra has a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick. Born and raised in Saint John, Kendra’s travels led her to Alberta for several years where she worked as an Employment Counsellor for a non-profit organization, providing one-on-one employment support to individuals with disabilities. Kendra brings with her a wealth of knowledge, tools and experience in helping others recognize their talents and foster their strengths in the workplace. She offers assistance with skill development, post-secondary/training, job search strategies, online applications, and on-going job maintenance support. She is certified in Mental Health First Aid, Applied Suicide Intervention, and Psychological First Aid. Kendra is approachable, optimistic, and enjoys meeting new clients and seeing them discover their potential. She is very passionate about her career and will always go the extra mile to help her clients succeed. Outside of work, Kendra enjoys quality time with family and friends, travelling, and volunteering in the community.
Employment Counsellor
Crystal Shields
Crystal has a diploma in Bookkeeping and Payroll Administration from Eastern College. She has over 20 years experience working in office administration and is very excited to move into her new role as Employment Counsellor. Crystal is a Certified Resume Strategist who can help you achieve your employment goals. She has certifications in basic American Sign Language (level III), Mental Health First Aid and training in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her loved ones and pets, long drives and reading.