Board of Directors
According to EPIC Policy and Procedure Directives, the Board shall be made up of collaborative, dedicated, and open-minded individuals with a commitment to achieving the broadest community benefit and who effectively represent the needs of marginalized learners from a unique perspective. The EPIC Board operates on the principle of consensus.
The Board Members serve as volunteers for automatically renewable terms.
Janet Robinson
Chair; Director of Planning
Janet has served as a Workplace Facilitator with Women for Economic Equality, at the Nova Scotia Community College in Sydney, Nova Scotia, assisting women to find jobs in trades and technology. She was formerly a long-time Counsellor at the Ann Terry Project and has served on the Board of New Dawn Enterprises. She has a wealth of community-based career and volunteer experience, including valued assistance with Celtic Colours International Festival. She was welcomed onto the EPIC board in the summer of 2005.
Barb Donovan
Vice Chair; Director of Programs
Barb served EPIC as Director of the Youth Peer Program from its inception in 1997, to 2009 and Co-Director from 2009-2011. After retiring from this position, she became the founding facilitator of Breakthrough. While no longer officially holding a position with this group, she continues to be involved with the participants, some of whom she welcomed into Youth Peer in the early days. She is a long-time volunteer with Island Community Justice. She was welcomed onto the Board in the fall of 2016.
Squanto Oakley
Vice Chair; Director of Values & Ethics
Squanto brings years of experience as an active community organizer, including several partnerships with EPIC. He is dedicated to youth empowerment, elder care, and cultural preservation in Eskasoni First Nation. His initiatives focus on bridging generational gaps and strengthening community ties. Squanto is Camp Organizer for the Nepisulti'kul (Healing our Community) initiative for the Eskasoni School Board coordinating cultural camps to teach traditional Mi'kmaw customs and values. He also delivers Options to Anger workshops to youth throughout Cape Breton. He joined the Board in the fall of 2026.
Barry Waldman
Treasurer; Director of Finance
Barry is the visionary and founder of EPIC and also serves as Executive Director of its programs. He holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Educational Administration Degree. In 2012, he retired from his position as Educational Consultant to the Eskasoni First Nations School Board. In 2008 he was chosen as the recipient of the Harvey Webber Memorial Award for Volunteerism. In 2013, he received the Tom Miller Human Rights Award. He was made a member of the Executive in the spring of 2007.
Nancy Waldman
Secretary; Director of Communication
Nancy is a writer and retired RN with a Master of Psychiatric / Mental Health Nursing Degree. She has served on the board of the Cape Breton Mental Health Association and is one of the founders of Third Person Press which nurtures, publishes and promotes local writers of speculative fiction. She has volunteered with EPIC since 2000, and takes responsibility – the good, the bad and the frequently outdated – for the EPIC website. She became a member of the Board in the spring of 2007.








