Our Team

Board of Directors

David Hulchanski

President

Professor David Hulchanski chairs the board of CHFT Development Society Inc. an oﬃce he has held since its incorporation in 2022. David is a well-known housing expert with deep roots in the co-op housing movement that date back to the 1970s. He received lifetime member status of CHFT in 2004. See David’s CHFT profile for more information.

Denese Gascho

Vice-President

Denese Gascho, is currently the Assistant Executive Director of the Swansea Town Hall and holds a Master's in Journalism from the University of Westminster in the UK. As a former CHFT director, she is known for her advocacy for co-op housing. Denese lives in a downtown housing co-op.

Lauren Blumas

Secretary

Lauren Blumas has a long legacy working with non-profit and co-op housing. She is currently ChiefOperating officer of Circle Community Land Trust, and previously held several positions at Victoria Park Community Homes. Prior, Lauren practised law at Iler Campbell LLP, where she provided advice on non-profit developments for Options for Homes and Toronto Artscape Inc.

Cathy Crowe

Treasury

Cathy Crowe is along-time and well-known housing advocate in Toronto who has lived in Toronto'sSt. Lawrence neighbourhood co-op for decades. She joined the board in January2024 to bring her advocacy and governance experience to the board. Cathy was named a lifetime member of CHFT in 1999.

Thom Armstrong

Board Member

Thom Armstrong is the Chief Executive Officer of the Co-operative Housing Federation of BC, COHO Management Services Society, and the Community Land Trust Foundation of BC, all headquartered in Vancouver. He has held leadership positions in Saskatchewan, Ontario, and British Columbia during more than 35 years of service in the co-operative housing movement. Thom also chairs the board of Encasa Financial Inc., a registered Investment Fund Manager for the capital reserves of Canada's community housing sector.

Heather Tremain

Executive Director

Heather Tremain, ICD.D, is the first Executive Director of theCo-operative Housing Federation of Toronto’s Development Society. Previously, she was CEO of non-profit developer Options for Homes. She currently sits on the board of Nch'Kay Development Corporation, the economic development arm of the Squamish Nation on Canada's west coast, and previously co-founded and was the initial Chair of Circle Community LandTrust, which has preserved over 600units of family housing in the City of Toronto.

She has a master’s degree in Architecture from theUniversity of British Columbia and an undergraduate degree in Political Science from McMaster University. From 2008-09, Heather was a Loeb Fellow at HarvardUniversity’s Graduate School of Design, and a Visiting Fellow at LincolnInstitute of Land Policy.

Kellie James

Financial Director

Kellie James an accounting professional with two decades of experience in senior management roles in non-profit organizations.

Her most recent position was as Director of Finance at Options for Homes, where she oversaw financial operations, accounting systems, governance, strategic planning, and administration.

Before that, she held positions at two large Canadian charities: the Stephen Lewis Foundation and the Ontario Chapter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Kellie has completed the PACE Level of the Certified General Accountant designation, has completed a number of courses at Laurentian University in relationship to organization management, and has an accounting diploma from George Brown College.

Meet our team