Meet the Board of Directors

Leta Martin (co-Chair)

Leta Martin is currently an employee with the Vancouver Island Health Authority where she works as a Coordinator in Quality and Patient Safety.  In this role she is responsible for working with a wide range of stakeholders to help resolve patient safety concerns as they arise.  This work includes conversing and consulting with those involved in safety events as well as gathering and analyzing historical data to create forward thinking quality improvement plans.  In addition to her work at the Health Authority, Leta also has 8 years of banking experience working at Coast Capital Savings and has worked for the Department of National Defence doing policy and procurement work at Base Logistics.  Her formal education includes a Bachelor of Commerce and an MA in Dispute Resolution.  Leta’s volunteer history includes coordinating volunteer teams of 15 -20 people annually at Operation Track Shoes for the past 9 years, holding an Executive Member position on the University of Victoria Commerce Student Society, and coordinating and planning multiple formal banquets and networking events for upwards of 200 attendees for the students of the Gustavson School of Business. Leta’s husband is in the Navy, and this first-hand knowledge of the military family lifestyle is a great asset on the Board of Directors for Esquimalt MFRC. 

Kayla Whitesel (Vice Chair)

Kayla is the Director of Sales for Delta-X Research, a company based in Victoria that brings decision-support tools to utilities around the world to elevate transformer maintenance programs and increase the reliability of electrical grids. She is also a Signals Officer in the Canadian Army Reserves with 39 Signals Regiment in Victoria. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo and is currently completing her MBA with a specialization in Critical Infrastructure Protection and Cyber Security at Norwich University. Kayla grew up with Southwestern Ontario and relocated to Victoria in 2018. Her partner spent 10 years in the Navy before transferring to the Air Force in 2022, and she spent 5 years volunteering with the MFRC's Family Network before joining the board in 2022. She is passionate about facilitating programs and events that benefit the military community and using technology to improve the way teams work.

Christine Richard (Secretary)

Christine Richard currently works at Royal Roads University, having held various roles there over the last 12 years. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on leadership, organization development, and human resources, with the expectation to be completed in October 2024. Christine has spent many years volunteering with various organizations; including 89 Pacific Cadets as a director, and the Boy Scouts as a scout leader, quartermaster, and secretary. Christine has volunteered with the Military Family Resource Centre as a Family Network volunteer, assisting families before, during, and after deployments and volunteering for several community events such as Family Formation Fun Day, 50/50 sales at baseball and hockey games, and much more. Christine also volunteers in the catering department of Branch 91 Legion, assisting with food and beverage events outside of the military. Christine's husband is in the Navy and has firsthand knowledge of the current military family lifestyle; as such, she is honoured to contribute to the membership of the Esquimalt MFRC Board of Directors.

Glen Thomas (Treasurer)

Glen is a retired Naval Logistics Officer with over 37 years of service in the RCN.  While serving in his final posting as CO of the Pacific Fleet Headquarters, he served on the Board of Directors of the Esquimalt MFRC as Fleet Rep and Treasurer, and continued to do so after retirement.  He is honoured to once again have the opportunity to work with this vital organization in support of Military Families.   Glen and Patti (Keenan), (a retired elementary school teacher), each have two sons the same ages, 33 and 31, and thoroughly enjoy the retired life of travel (local and abroad), badminton, bicycling, playing bridge, and RV camping.  Glen is looking forward to once again making a contribution to such a worthwhile cause, and working with extremely talented and dedicated board members and staff. 

Members at large:

Daniel Clark

Daniel Clark, originally from the prairies, joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 2008 as a Naval Communicator. He has had the pleasure of serving onboard multiple ships, including HMCS Vancouver, HMCS Ottawa, HMCS Regina, HMCS Calgary, and most recently, HMCS Whitehorse.

Daniel first served on the board from 2018 to 2021, leaving when he moved to Vancouver to join the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group. Having recently moved back to the island, he is eager to continue working with the Esquimalt MFRC, promoting diverse and resilient military families. When not in uniform, you can find him indulging in unhealthy doses of social media, reluctantly exercising, and, more wholesomely, spending quality time with his husband and cat.

Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson is the co-founder and CEO of The Joumaa-Johnson Group (JJG), a dynamic holding company with subsidiaries in FinTech, Information Technology, and Financial Services. Established alongside his business partner Francois Joumaa, JJG is dual headquartered in Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. In his role as Co-CEO, Dwayne is dedicated to developing and launching innovative technology solutions for the FinTech and Real Estate industries.
 Before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, Dwayne served with distinction in the Canadian Armed Forces for 12 years as a boatswain (Bos’n). His military career includes participation in Operation Artemis with HMCS Regina as part of the Naval Boarding Party and service as a crew member on board HMCS Protecteur during the notable fire of 2014. Unfortunately, due to an underlying health condition, he was medically released from the forces in 2022.
 
 Dwayne remains committed to giving back to his community, and aims to be involved with the MFRC & leverage his expertise in technology and project management to support military families and community initiatives.t

Francois Joumaa, CD 

Francois has served in the Canadian Armed Forces for the past 15yrs, he spent much of his time working across the entire world, from the Arctic to Afghanistan and almost everywhere in between. After this challenging career, Francois decided to make a move within the Canadian Armed Forces to the navy as a Marine Systems Engineer, Helicopter Firefighter, Navy Diver, Instructor at the Royal Canadian Navy Damage Control School (Damage Control Expert), Helicopter-Crash Firefighter and Attack Team Leader.

Francois retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2023, after a dedicated career & continues to have deep ties within the military community.  Including  serving as a Director on the PPCLI association board.

Francois has been assisting families, Individuals and small businesses to achieve their financial goals, over the last 5 years.

He has recently made the switch from working for a large financial corporation, to starting a financial firm, with a fellow veteran, good friend and business partner Dwayne Johnson. He is the Co-Founder of Joumaa-Johnson Group.  Francois maintains his titles of CEO & COO of JJG & subsidiaries which focus on everything from financial services, program development and financial technology with a goal of providing education and awareness.

Francois looks forward to giving back to the military community by providing expert advice and work for the MFRC community. 

Sophia Song

Sophia has been a volunteer with Esquimalt MFRC in many capacities and is honoured for the opportunity to serve on its Board of Director. She is a military/veteran spouse for 15 years and is a local realtor specializing in military relocations. As such, she has unique insight into the benefits and challenges a military family may experience daily. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University, she began her career in Toronto O.N. in 2011, where she specialized in leasing contracts for REITS and property management companies. As a paralegal and court clerk, Sophia is committed to upholding the law. After a posting in CFB Petawawa, Sophia relocated to CFB Esquimalt. Having moved across Canada three times, she has extensive networks across Canada. She is happy to call Victoria her forever home and enjoys the slower pace that this city offers versus the hustle bustle of the city. You can find her in the Westshore with her two daughters and her husband. In her spare time, she can be found sailing, hiking, camping and swimming in the local lakes.  

Emily Zhong

Emily is a military spouse and mother of two energetic young daughters. She acquired a Diploma in Business Administration at the University of Victoria and graduated from Royal Roads University with a Bachelor of Arts in Justice Studies. Emily is currently working as a Civilian Employee at DND. Previously, she has assisted over five hundred refugees and immigrants in their career transition through her 8 years at the Victoria Immigrant & Refugee Centre Society. Emily has been part of the military community since her oldest daughter started at the MFRC daycare when she was one and a half years old. While pregnant with their second daughter and with her military husband on course in Winnipeg and Gagetown for most of a year, the MFRC provided much needed support. Emily and her family love the island lifestyle. She enjoys being active in her community by volunteering at a variety of organizations and events. She has supported the Esquimalt MFRC in various volunteering opportunities. She believes that resilience and maintaining a positive attitude can help a military family through even the toughest time. The military community is important to Emily, and by joining the MFRC Board, it will allow her to bring her non-profit organization management and operational skills, as well as her community connection.