Meet Our NLOWE Board

Charlene Brophy is President and CEO of FONEMED. For 20 years Charlene’s dynamic leadership style has resulted in stellar company growth domestically and internationally. Charlene led the development of Fonemed’s Health Management Platform embracing technology as a means of providing scalable, sustainable, and accessible care.

Charlene has been the recipient of seven Business Excellence Awards from The St. John’s Board of Trade, awarded the CBC Innovator of the Year by Atlantic Business Magazine in 2017, recognized in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 as a Top 50 CEO and in 2021 she was inducted into the top CEO Hall of Fame. In 2020, Charlene was also awarded the NLOWE Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.

Under her leadership Fonemed was selected as one of the 10 best US Healthcare Solution Providers by Industry Era in 2017. She has authored and co-authored multiple publications and abstracts and has been a recognized speaker at the American Academy of Telemedicine Conference and other international events.

In addition to her business commitments, Charlene has a profound sense of community. She supports and is an active board member for several non-profit organizations and is a member of two government innovations advisory councils.

Renee Bussey, CPA, CGA has more than twenty-six years of experience in public practice.  She attained her designation in 1999, and her PALB license in 2005.  She is the proud owner of Bussey Porter Hetu, Chartered Professional Accountants, located in St. John’s, NL, a network member firm of Porter Hetu international.   Her firm consists of another CPA, three experienced senior accountants plus several support staff.  Areas of experience include audit, accounting, taxation, management consulting and accounting systems design, office management, business planning and investigations.

Prior to setting up her own firm, she was employed at a senior level with several accounting firms in the St. John’s area.  She has worked on numerous ACOA funded and INTRD funded client engagements in the areas of financial reporting, tax preparation and advisory, and management consulting. Her experience has a strong concentration with Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax credits, as well as business plan preparation, budgeting, and financial forecasting.  She has an extensive background working with many versions of accounting software.

She has served as a Governor on the CGA NL Board as Chair of the Public Practice and Taxation and Profession Rights Committee (2007-2009), and Chair of Audit Committee (2008-2009) of the Certified General Accountants Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and was an expert advisor for the Newfoundland and Labrador Angel Network in 2008-2009. Renee also served as a director on the Board of Directors for NLOWE (2009-2019) and as the treasurer for the Memorial University Campus Food Bank (2003-2023).

She currently resides in Seal Cove with her common law partner Terry.  Between them both they have six children and six grandkids.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family at their cabin in Brigus

Jacqui has more than 25 years’ experience within HR management, project coordination, communications, consultation, training, labour relations, industrial/provincial benefits agreements, community development, stakeholder engagement and socio-economic impacts. Her industry expertise spans the heavy industrial environment, construction, oil and gas, mining and non-profit sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Memorial University, as well as a Masters Certificate in Project Management.
Jacqui received the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Momentum through NLOWE and Top 50 CEO in 2020 and has grown a business that is apt to successfully leverage opportunities for growth.

Cass LaCosta is an associate lawyer at Cox and Palmer, specializing in corporate and commercial law. She provides advice to clients on a wide range of corporate matters, including structuring, mergers, acquisitions, governance, and regulatory issues. Cass is also pursuing a Master of Business Law (LLM) at Osgoode Hall while balancing her full-time practice.

Cass co-chairs the Business Law Section for the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar Association (CBA-NL), supporting initiatives that enhance knowledge-sharing and collaboration among lawyers in the field.

Cass takes great pride in seeing women succeed in both their personal and professional lives, particularly within the legal and business fields. She is dedicated to creating environments where women can thrive and advocating for equal opportunities within the corporate and commercial landscape.

Outside of her professional life, Cass enjoys an active lifestyle and can often be found hiking the East Coast Trail with her three dogs (and her partner often joining in to help manage the pack).

Kim Boyce-Durdle is an avid Entrepreneur, with a career spanning more than 25 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics & Business and a Diploma in Information Technology, both from Memorial University. Kim is currently a licensed broker representative with Crosbie Job Insurance servicing the Bonavista Peninsula and the Clarenville area. She is also owner of Artistry on Church, an upscale arts & crafts retail location in the heart of Bonavista’s historic district, featuring the works of local artisans and craftspeople from around the province. She was RBC’s Female Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019 at the Bonavista-Trinity Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Awards Gala.

Kim has a wealth of experience in business startups, growth & transition and is passionate about rural sustainability & revitalization and in encouraging entrepreneurship, in particular, women entrepreneurs. She volunteers as an executive board member with the Bonavista-Trinity Regional Chamber of Commerce, is the current Chair of the Financial Action Committee, leading recruitment efforts for the presence of a local financial institution for the community, and past advisory board member for the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce. Kim enjoys an active lifestyle hiking the trails and camping throughout the province with her partner and is Mom to two wonderful children. She is honoured to be a member of the NLOWE Board of Directors and welcomes the guidance opportunities that this appointment brings.

Kathy-Lynn Shaw started Kinetic Life Solutions Ltd in Labrador City in May 2017.  She has a BSc. in Kinesiology from Dalhousie University and a Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety.  Kathy-Lynn has been practicing Ergonomics and Kinesiology for over 20 years and is a Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomist and a Certified Kinesiologist with the Newfoundland and Labrador Kinesiology Association and the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance. She is also a Prevention Practitioner.  She has worked in the public and private sectors in both Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia and has been in Labrador City since 2010. 

Current ergonomic and kinesiology work includes contracts with international mining companies, energy companies, international pulp and paper mill, a national facilities and food services company, and other provincial and local companies.      

She is an active member of the Association of Canadian Ergonomists (ACE) where she served as National President in 2022, and past president in 2023.  She also chaired the National ACE conference in 2019 as well as assisted in the coordination of the 2022 ACE National Symposium. She is a member of the Labrador West Chamber of Commerce and has been a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs since 2017.

Kathy-Lynn provides services in office and industrial ergonomics, functional capacity evaluations and other kinesiology programs, as well as providing medical grade compression wear. 

In her spare time, Kathy-Lynn is a member of the Northern Lights Theatre Company and loves spending time with her husband and dog at the cabin enjoying the outdoors!