Our Team

Abra has been actively engaged in research and policy for nearly 20 years, focused on the intersections of urban planning, housing and homelessness in Canadian cities. She completed her doctorate in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton University in 2012 and later partnered with Cahdco on a post-doctoral research project to identify how best to leverage city planning tools to advance the creation of more affordable housing in Ottawa. Since 2016, Abra has worked in the federal government, first in the federal homelessness program at Employment and Social Development Canada and more recently as an Advisor in Housing Policy and Research at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Abra served on the Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation board from 2017 to 2020 and is very happy to now contribute as a board member of Cahdco since 2022.

Professor Benjamin Gianni’s research interests focus on the areas of housing and urban development.  Of particular interest are 1) the development and redevelopment of public housing constructed in the decades following WWII in Europe and North America, 2)  urbanization, suburbanization and the study of large-scale housing ensembles in contemporary China, 3) the redevelopment of informal settlements, using design as a form of research to explore adaptable, culturally resonant, and market-friendly approaches to redevelopment, and 4) housing affordability as it cuts across a broad range of demographic categories. He is currently finishing a book on pre-WWII suburbanization in Pittsburgh, PA.   Prof. Gianni teaches courses on housing and urban history, as well as leading the housing studio in the 4th year of the BAS program. A former Director of both the School of Architecture and the School of Information Technology at Carleton, he coordinates the School’s Urbanism major.

Catherine Boucher was the Executive Director for Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation (CCOC). Catherine worked at CCOC for over 30 years and has experience in developing and managing social housing under most programs available from federal, provincial and municipal governments. She retired from this position in October 2009. She has been on the Cahdco Board since 2016. She sat on the Board of Directors of CHRA from 2006 to 2012 and received the association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She also volunteers as the President of her local Community Association to make trouble for bad developers and encourage good ones.

George Phiri is originally from Malawi and owns HR Audit and Solutions in Canada and different businesses in Malawi. He has lived in almost every continent. At the moment, he lives in Ottawa with his wife and two sons. George has extensive experience in public relations, cultural exchange programs, media relations and managing information resource centres. Having worked as Human Resource Director particularly in scheduling, assigning, and reviewing the work of employees and volunteers, authorized and coordinated vacation and overtime requests. He is a humanitarian who has received 5 awards from Lions Clubs International because of his work. He has been an active Cahdco Board member since 2022.

James Clark works as an Advisor in the Canadian Office at the World Bank Group in Washington DC. Prior to this he held positions in the Department of Finance Canada and Global Affairs Canada working on issues including housing and homeless, justice and security and international development. James joined the Government of Canada through the Advanced Policy Analyst Program, a rotational leadership development and training program. He holds an Honours Business Administration degree from the University of Western Ontario and a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Toronto. James has been an active Cahdco board member since 2019.

Jesse currently serves as the liaison between the boards of Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation (CCOC) and Cahdco. He has been an active volunteer with CCOC since 2012, volunteering with the Rentals Committee, Development Committee, and policy research working group. Jesse has been an active Cahdco board member since 2021. In his work life, Jesse is a policy researcher with the Conference Board of Canada, a not-for-profit applied policy research organization. His research focuses on the net-zero transition, including sustainable infrastructure and urban development.

Joyce Potter has been involved with housing and homelessness issues for over 40 years, as an executive with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Special Advisor on Social Housing with the Region of Ottawa-Carleton, Director of Housing with the City of Ottawa, and consultant in public policy. As a volunteer, Joyce served as President of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, Vice-Chair of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, and Board member of Cornerstone Housing for Women and Gloucester Non-Profit Housing Corporation. Now retired, in addition to her role on CAHDCO’s Board, she continues her commitment to affordable housing and ending homelessness, serving as Secretary of the Board of the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa and participation on the Anglican Diocese’s Working Group on Housing and Homelessness. She has been an active Cahdco Board member since 2022.

Rob has 15 years of government relations experience at the federal, provincial and municipal levels in Canada. Provincial work brought him to Ottawa in 2011. Rob earned his master’s degree from the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management at Carleton University. He followed that experience by working with some of Canada’s best lobbyists at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities where he worked on housing and public safety. He went on to work at a national public affairs firm where he became Vice President. There he delivered billions of dollars in investments to client sectors, significant provincial and national legislative victories, and major regulatory reforms in sectors as diverse as housing, construction, retail and supply chains, and skills development. Since starting First Lake Solutions in 2021 he has helped clients deliver over $3 billion for their respective sectors and professions. He is proud to be leading a young, energetic and fast-growing team of advocates. Rob is also co-founder of Push Politics (2016) and The Advocacy Coach (2021).

Sarah Button is the Executive Director of the Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation (CCOC) and has been on the Board since 2017. Sarah's 15-year career in housing spans the public, private, and non-profit sectors with a background in urban planning and affordable housing policy. Sarah is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and thinks complex problems are best solved by folks with different perspectives working together to change the system, and she firmly believes that affordable housing should be the easiest thing to build, everywhere and always.

Susan Murphy is President of Land Development with Caivan. Susan has been in land development and homebuilding for 16 years focussing on low rise residential developments in Ottawa. As President of Land Development, she manages a portfolio of Ottawa projects from acquisition through to subdivision plan design, City development approvals, to servicing the subdivision and completing the community. Susan has worked previously in both the public and private sector and has been on the Cahdco board since 2018.