Board of Directors
mark coulter
Board chair
Pastor Mark leads the Barrie Nazarene Church. As he does with his church, he leads with passion and vision, leading by example and nurturing leaders. Mark is also a member of Build Committee.
michael balchin
board vice-chair
Mike values family, loyalty, and authenticity. His clients appreciate his flexibility and attentiveness which has driven his success as a real estate professional for over a decade. Mike is a skilled negotiator and has an in-depth knowledge of the real estate market.
Mike finds the time to fuel his passion for living a balanced, healthy lifestyle by spending quality time with his wife and triplets. When he isn't doing that, he is playing his favourite sports and unleashing his architectural side by taking on renovation and construction projects. If you were to ask Mike who he is most inspired by, he would say innovative people who can see things that others do not and aren't afraid to try new things.
peter krysiak
Board Member
Peter has been a practising lawyer since 2008.
He holds a BA in philosophy, a BSC in Life Sciences, and a Juris Doctor.
He joined the Board of Directors in 2015 because he believed – and still believes – in the importance of affordable housing to the health of families and the community as a whole.
Ashley Polischuik
board member
Ashley Polischuik is a local Commercial Real Estate Sales Representative. She brings experience and insight of both residential and commercial transactions to the Board and understands the often-difficult intricacies associated with development, sales and home ownership can bring to the table.
Her experience as President of the Board of Directors for her residential Condominium Corporation for two terms helps her to serve as a Community Director with both the Barrie Municipal Non-Profit Housing Corporation and as a director on the Habitat for Humanity Huronia board. On a local Real Estate Level, Ashley is involved with the Barrie & District Association of Realtors (BDAR) as a member of the Political Action and Professional Standards Committee, Commercial Network and Finance Committee. Ashley has also been appointed to the Board of Directors for BDAR as well for the 2020-2021 term. Finally, Ashley was selected by Barrie’s City Council for the 2018-2022 Committee of Adjustment, bringing a superior ability to navigate municipal processes both to the community through her volunteer efforts, as well as her professional life.
By mid-2020, Ashley will have upgraded to be a Real Estate Broker and will achieve her CCIM, an internationally recognized Commercial Real Estate and Investment designation.
rosalie dawson
Board Member
Rosalie is a creative and diversely skilled architect, committed to design excellence and building strong relationships with clients and consultants. With over 20 years experience at respected Ontario architecture firms, Rosalie’s distinguished career brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her own firm. Her diverse portfolio includes single and multi-family residential, mixed use and institutional, specifically in the education, healthcare, and long-term care sectors.
Her exemplary ability to manage multi-disciplinary teams and make informed decisions quickly, supports each phase of the project in running smoothly.
irfan toor
Board Member
Irfan Toor (he/him) is the Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Ontario Principals' Council since 2021.
Irfan has been working in education for more than 25 years in communities such as Victoria, Kingston, Toronto and in Simcoe County. As a secondary and intermediate educator and school administrator in public, private and alternative settings, he is committed to fostering educational practices that centre students in the learning experience.
As a system principal, Irfan provided leadership, support and mentorship to school administrators as they progressed on their individual journeys to noticing, unlearning and disrupting systemic practices that reinforced disproportionate outcomes for underserved identities.
As a Member of the OPC, Irfan spent many years on the local executive for Simcoe County as part of the Terms and Conditions team, Secondary Provincial Councillor and as a Member-at-Large for the Provincial Executive in 2020-2021.
Steve hopper
Board Member
Steve Hopper has been involved in construction for over 30 years. Steve has a background in construction and specialized testing on various building materials. Steve is also an active member with Habitat For Humanity Huronia build committee, and land committee.
Staff
robert cikoja
chief executive officer
Robert Cikoja joined the Habitat Huronia team in February of 2016. Robert brought in a wealth of construction knowledge from the perspective of residential building as a General Manager, as a site supervisor, as a contractor and as an estimator over the past 15 years.
Robert is instrumental towards developing a local base of suppliers, trades and volunteers to bring a community culture and awareness while leading the charge that Habitat can impact the affordable housing need.
Robert didn’t start his career in construction but rather was the branch manager of FedEx in Toronto for 6 years. Once the construction bug hit it was full steam ahead starting with being the General Manager and to eventually starting his own renovation company. Aside from construction, Robert’s interests include football, painting, reading and enjoying time with his two young boys.
jennifer hastings
Manager of Volunteer and Resource development
Jennifer has been with Habitat Huronia since 2014 where she started as the Events & Volunteer Coordinator, briefly managed the role as Manager of Family & Resource Development and in April 2022, she has returned to her roots as the Manager of Volunteer and Resource Development.
Jennifer has worked in the non-profit sector for over 18 years in fundraising, community development, donor retention, volunteer management and marketing. Having started as a volunteer in her youth, she knew this would be her passion, to work in non-profit and work with others who just wanted to give back.
When Jennifer is not on the build, or working with volunteers in the ReStore she enjoys spending time with her husband and two boys.
tasha Hodsdon
manager of family services
Tasha grew up surrounded by design, building, and renovating. At the University of Toronto, she furthered her understanding of housing needs and the role of NGOs in community development. She established her passion for charity work early in life, and over the past 17 years, she has been involved in non-profit coordinating of donors, donations, and recipients. Habitat Huronia is a natural fit for her experiences. When she is not at work, she is focused on spending time with her spouse and their two wonderful daughters.
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