Meet Our Incredible Team

These are the people that help make New Leaf a success!

Russel Borden​

Director

Russell Borden has worked in the helping profession for over 15 years. A graduate of NSCC Human Services Program, his career started at a Adult Residential Centre where he worked for 5 years. From there Russell moved on to have numerous roles within Chignecto Central Regional Center for Education as a Educational Assistant, African Nova Scotian Support Worker, Home and School Interventionist and a Child and Youth Care Practitioner. His career in non profit began with The EDGE Program, an africentric employability and life skills program delivered through The John Howard Society of Nova Scotia. From there he moved on to become Team Lead of Berma's Place, a 15 bed supportive/transitional housing initiative for male identifying folk exited the criminal justice system or who are at risk of attachment to the criminal justice system offered by The John Howard Society Of Nova Scotia. ​

Paula Gerrior

Facilitator

Paula Gerrior has worked in the helping profession for 20 years bringing with her knowledge and skills from working with the Canadian Mental Health Association, Suicide and Crisis Project, Pictou County Helpline, and Tearmann Society.

Heather DeVouge

Parenting Service Facilitator

Heather started with New Leaf in 2020 as a volunteer where she has developed a real passion for helping and deepening her knowledge of intimate partner violence. Heather graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University with a Bachelor of Business Administration and has a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria. ​

Andrea Fanjoy

Facilitator

Andrea has spent over 15 years in the helping professions, a passion that began while majoring in psychology at St. Francis Xavier University. She went on to obtain a Bachelor of Education from the University of Maine at Fort Kent and worked as an early childhood educator and an elementary school teacher for many years. Throughout these experiences, it became evident that there was a huge void in the mental health supports available to children and their families, which prompted Andrea to return to school to pursue a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology through Yorkville University. During her internship, she was connected with New Leaf, and jumped at the chance to continue helping people strengthen their relationships as the newest co-facilitator.  ​