Board Members

Rob Nelson, President

Rob Nelson is a partner with the law firm Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP in Ottawa. He is certified by the Law Society as an expert in civil litigation and is an internationally known expert in Alternate Dispute Resolution (negotiation, mediation and arbitration)..He and his wife, Joanne, have three children. Mr. Nelson was appointed to the Board of The Mission in 1988 and has served in various capacities over the years. He served as President from 1995 to 1997. He is excited to be involved with The Mission during this time of expansion and transition.

Jack B. Murta, Vice President

Honorable Jack Murta is Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians and is on the board of the newly constituted Election Monitoring Institute.

He also leads the Weekly Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast, for Parliamentarians of all different political backgrounds, and plans the yearly National Prayer Breakfast.

Mr. Murta served as a Member of Parliament for 18 years and was in the first Mulroney cabinet. He presently resides in Ottawa with his wife Lyn. They have three grown children. Mr. Murta is an avid marathon runner.

David Spillenaar, Treasurer

David and his family have lived in Ottawa for over 15 years. He is President and owner of Springcress Properties Inc., a real estate development company. David has been involved in various Ottawa organizations and associations and is currently on the Board of the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. David has a Masters degree in Business Administration.

Pat Younger, Secretary

Patricia, is continuing the Younger family tradition of commitment to The Ottawa Mission and the services it provides to the homeless and disenfranchised. She is about one-third of her way towards matching her father-in-law, Dr. Alan Younger's record of more than 30 years of service as a Board member or President.

She and her husband Lloyd have been involved with The Ottawa Mission in a variety of ways over the years. From 1980 to the late 90's they regularly led Sunday chapel services; they also participated in serving breakfast on Tuesdays. Patricia is an accountant with the federal government. She and Lloyd attend Knox Presbyterian Church in Manotick.

Paul McKechnie, Past President

Paul attended Carleton University where he received his Bachelor of Commerce, C.A. He is a partner at McKechnie Moore Chartered Accountants. He is also an active volunteer in the Ottawa community and currently holds the following positions: President of the Board of Directors, The Ottawa Mission; Executive, University of Ottawa Medical School Admissions; Secretary, Brookmorn Foundation; Treasurer, Augustine College. Paul and his family attend St. Paul's Presbyterian Church.

Board Members