The Third Age Network is administered by an Executive Committee and a Board of Directors. The makeup of the Executive Committee , as of September 2023 is as follows:

Officers:

Chair: Cathy Spark
Cathy Spark was honoured to take on the role of Chair of TAN in 2019. A former member of the Board of the Academy for Lifelong Learning Toronto, she is a firm champion of the benefits of well-run and engaging lifelong learning, and has benefitted greatly from her years as workshop facilitator, committee chair, and active volunteer. Cathy enjoys working with TAN and its member groups as they grow and change to reflect the needs of their stakeholders and the changing landscape of later life learning.

Past Chair:   Nancy Christie
An association manager in the disability field, Nancy Christie retired in 2001. Her involvement with TAN was initially with Living and Learning in Retirement at Glendon. She has been involved with TAN since its inception.

Vice Chair:  Gaby Arato
After a long career as a financial professional with various organizations, Gaby Arato retired and became one of the founding board members of Lifelong Learning Niagara.  He was subsequently elected as it’s first president.  He currently volunteers with several organizations and was a past member of the Age Friendly Niagara Leadership Council, advocating for the implementation of various needs of older adults living in the Niagara region.

Secretary:  Sandy Thurston
Trained as a social worker and policy analyst, Sandy recently retired from a career as an administrator in children’s services. She lives in Barrie with her husband Ian, and finally has time to enjoy learning and working with Third Age Barrie.

Treasurer: Christine Pearce
Christine is a retired accountant who has been a member of Third Age Learning groups for ten years. She recently completed a six-year term on the board of Directors of LLIR at Glendon College, where she served as Treasurer and President. In retirement, she continues to volunteer with a number of different organizations with a focus on seniors and literacy.

Directors-at-Large on the Executive Committee:

Brian Gaston
Brian Gaston embraced lifelong learning upon retiring from a 40-year career in transportation engineering. A past president of the Academy for Lifelong Learning Toronto, co-leader of its Tech Team, and active participant in many of its committees, he has also previously served on the TAN Board as the Academy’s rep. Brian is looking forward to supporting TAN’s increasingly important role in fostering lifelong learning in Ontario.

Louise Pope
Louise Pope is the co-founder  of Third Age Barrie Lifelong Learning and is chair of its Executive Committee. A social worker by training, Louise worked in management  in community health and social services in the Region of York and County of Simcoe. 

Board of Directors