Board of Directors and Governance
Mennonite Seniors Housing Network Inc. is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.
Board of Directors
Meet the dedicated volunteers that make up our Board of Directors:
Wendy Janzen, Chair
Wendy and her husband Brad met at the University of Manitoba studying their respective fields, and married upon graduation. Neither having family in Manitoba, they struggled to feel Manitoba was home until they became members at Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship. At FGMF, they became part of a community, made many friends that made Winnipeg feel like home with their son Jacob, and daughter Fiona.
Wendy is a Vice President with Colliers Project Leaders where she leads a team of professionals who deliver capital construction projects as the owner’s project manager for private and public sector organizations. Wendy is known professionally for her organizational and leadership skills, and a genuine interest in the people she leads. She is passionate about building meaningful communities with her clients, for their organizations and their communities throughout Manitoba.
In her free time, Wendy loves spending time with her husband, children, and dog at home or travelling abroad, reading, and practicing yoga for physical and mental fitness.
David Hodge, Vice Chair
David is currently the Chief Strategy Officer of Agi3, a technology start-up focused on Artificial Intelligence use in agriculture.
Prior to Agi3, David held the position of Executive Vice-President and Chief Information Officer of Great-West Life, where he was responsible for overall technology strategy, operations, delivery and security for Great-West Life, Canada Life, and London Life.
Prior to his 10 years as a Chief Information Officer, David held a variety of roles as a senior technology executive and technology industry consultant, including creating and operating a global technology shared services organization spanning six countries. He has extensive experience in risk management, financial services and retail industries, and significant experience leading information technology integration and consolidation through many mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. He has worked with several industry vendors in senior technology positions, including almost 5 years as a systems engineer with Apple, and created his own software startup, focused on software for academia.
He is a guest lecturer at the University of Manitoba and has been a guest speaker at more than 100 Provincial, National, and International conferences, and most recently was a keynote speaker at Gartner’s International Symposium event, where he presented on large scale implementations of Robotic Process Automation & Artificial Intelligence.
David has served on several Boards and Advisory Groups including the Information & Technology Association of Canada, Canadian Information Processing Society, Concordia Hospital, Autumn House and is a past Chair of the Board of the United Way of Winnipeg.
David is married to Barbara-Anne Hodge, and together they have four Children and two Grandchildren. David and Barbara-Anne are long time members of First Mennonite Church, where David has served many terms on Council, and has Chaired a number of specific-purpose ad-committees/task forces.
Lucas Redekop, Treasurer
Lucas works in the finance department at Canadian Mennonite University as a Senior Financial Analyst. He received his CPA designation April 2019. Lucas, his wife Alison, and their sons Levi and Emmett attend Home Street Mennonite Church. Lucas previously worked as a manager for two years at the Sargent Avenue MCC thrift Shop in 2009-10.
Eleanor Andres, Secretary
Eleanor Andres has been practicing law for thirty-five years, divided almost equally between public service and private practice. She is currently practicing law as sole practitioner on a part‑time basis. In 2014, she retired from many years of full-time employment with the Manitoba Department of Justice, Civil Legal Services Branch, as General Counsel and leader of the business and IT law team of lawyers. Her primary areas of practice have been in construction, procurement, and business (including non‑profit organization) law. (She claims to have had some part in bringing the Jets back to Winnipeg.) During much of this time she also served as a delegate of the Canadian Government on a working group of the UN Commission on International Trade Law. A smaller part of her practice has involved real estate, trusts, estates, and tax matters. Working part-time allows her to contribute her legal skills to a variety of non‑profit organizations with big dreams and small budgets, not to mention the time and opportunity to explore a whole new knitting world at Ravelry.com.
Hans Werner, Finance
Hans and Diana met in high school at MCI in Gretna and after completing an Engineering degree and getting married, he joined her family’s farm near Winkler. Hans returned to studies after farming for 20 years and then taught Canadian and Mennonite History at the University of Winnipeg. During that time, he was also the Executive Director of the Plett Foundation.
Hans has been a Director and Chair of several Boards, including terms as Chair of the Boards of the Winkler Credit Union and Red River Mutual Insurance. He has served as moderator of Mennonite Church Manitoba, Congregational Chair at Bethel, and most recently the Board of Governors of Canadian Mennonite University where he was Chair of the Finance Committee.
Hans and Diana are retired and are members of Bethel Mennonite Church. He enjoys travelling, sailing on Lake Winnipeg, and occasional writing and teaching assignments.
Linda Enns, Spiritual Care
Linda grew up in southern Manitoba. Her formal education includes degrees in agriculture and theological studies. She has worked as a spiritual care provider in corrections as well as in various healthcare settings. Linda also served with Mennonite Central Committee in Bolivia and the Middle East (Lebanon and Egypt). Linda worked as Tenant Resource Coordinator at Bethel Place during 2001-02. Since then, Bethel Place and those who live and work here have held a special place in her heart. Linda and her husband Gordon Janzen are members of Home Street Mennonite Church. She enjoys quilting, volunteering, cross-cultural friendships, gardening, and spending time with their 3 young adult daughters.
Gerald Loeppky, Capital Management
Gerald worked with Agriculture and Agrifood Canada for forty years, as a Research Technician and a Research site manager, conducting and facilitating research on a wide range of field and speciality crops, in Morden and Portage la Prairie. Retiring in 2007 provided the opportunity to serve with Mennonite Disaster Service on numerous occasions, provide leadership to a large Canadian Food Grains Bank grow project, as well travel and as spend time with family. Golf and curling have been favoured recreational activities. Gerald and his wife Grace moved into Winnipeg in 2013 from Portage la Prairie where they have two sons with their families. They are members at Bethel Mennonite church where Gerald is completing a six-year term as chair of the property committee.
Alf Dyck, Capital Management
Alf is a retired Professional Engineer who spent his entire career with Price Industries (formerly E H Price Ltd.) after graduation from the U of M Mechanical Engineering program.
Price is a Winnipeg based, worldwide manufacturer and distributer of Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) components in the commercial and industrial construction market.
Over the last 15 years of his employment with Price, Alf held the position of Vice President of Product Engineering, primarily responsible for new product design, development and testing as well as technical support and training. He has extensive experience in building and leading teams of engineers/technologists/drafters for the development of innovative and profitable HVAC products in accordance with company goals and objectives. Through this process Alf has held several patents for products successfully launched and in production currently.
As a member of the Board of Directors, Alf participated in developing and monitoring the annual goals and objectives of the company mainly to drive growth and achieve profitability.
Alf travelled extensively in North America as well as Europe and Asia, participating in product presentations, seminars, training programs and attending industry conferences. He has interacted with Consulting Engineers, Architects and contractors in design, construction and commissioning of HVAC systems and been involved in a variety of complex and prestigious projects including the new Apple Headquarters building in Cupertino California.
Alf has served on the Boards of Sunset House and Autumn House. He was a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Manitoba for close to 40 years and is a life member of the American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers and the Friends of Engineering (Manitoba) Inc.
Alf and his wife Jean Boyes have two daughters and the recent addition of a grandson. They are both long time members of First Mennonite Church. Alf and Jean enjoy travelling, spending time at the lake, gardening, and skiing.
Herb Peters, WMSCI
Herb grew up in Steinbach. After completing his studies in undergraduate History and Law, he practiced law in Winnipeg for 37 years. He had a general commercial law practice and was privileged to act on behalf of a number of not-for-profit and charitable organizations. Herb retired as a partner at MLT Aikins at the end of 2018. Herb and his wife Donna Peters-Small are members at and attend Fort Garry Mennonite Fellowship. They enjoy travel, time spent with good friends and their active and growing family (which includes five young grandsons).
Cal Friesen
Cal and Bev met in high school at MCI in Gretna and have been married for 48 years. They have 2 adult sons and two grandsons, all residing in Winnipeg. Cal spent 10 years at the University of Manitoba where he obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history and then a law degree at Robson Hall, the Law School.
After articling with the criminal office of Legal Aid and being called to the bar, Cal has practised law with the same firm, McRoberts Law Office, for the last 40 years. Most of his career was focused on family law where he assisted clients who had experienced a relationship breakdown. For the last 5 years Cal has focused his practice on, preparation of Wills and POA, guiding families after the death of a family member to settle an estate, as well as acting for clients on the purchase and sale of homes.
Cal has not retired because he likes what he does.
Cal has attended Charleswood Mennonite Church since the age of 12, where he served as Chair of counsel for two terms and in other capacities. He served as Chair of the Westgate board for several years.
Cal enjoys traveling with destinations as diverse as Iran and Antarctica and Ecuador and Iceland. He supports the transition to electric transportation and has made use of battery electric vehicles since 2019. Cal enjoys spending time with family on a regular basis.
Elsie Rempel
Elsie Rempel brings a wealth of experience in community leadership, education, and faith-based service to her work. She holds a master’s in theology from Canadian Mennonite University and the University of Winnipeg and is the author of Please Pass the Faith: The Spiritual Art of Grandparenting, along with many other published resources.
A dedicated member of the Mennonite community, Elsie has held various leadership roles, including council chair at Charleswood Mennonite Church from 2021 to 2024. She regularly preaches and leads worship, and for the past 15 years, she has served as a Bible study teacher and worship leader at Bethel Place. Her commitment to service extends internationally, with volunteer work in Germany and a semester spent as a teacher mentor in Zambia with MCC.
Elsie’s professional career includes 13 years as a teacher at Winnipeg Mennonite Elementary School and 13 years with Mennonite Church Canada Formation, where she worked on educational and worship resources. She has a strong track record of board involvement, having served on the MCM Education Commission and MC Canada’s Formation Council. Notably, she helped guide the orderly closure and fund dispersal for both Mennonite Women Canada and Mennonite Women Manitoba. Currently, she is the secretary for the Donwood West Residents Association.
Elsie and her husband, Peter, have been married for 54 years and have three children and four grandchildren.