Board of Directors

The Board of Directors are comprised of the Board Executive, the Education Standards Commission Chair, the National Ethics Commission Chair, the Professional Practice Commission Chair, the Regional Presidents and the Executive Director (ex officio).

Ajith Varghese 
​President
Board Executive
[email protected]

About Ajith
​Ajith Varghese is the Manager of the Spiritual and Religious Care Department and Clinical Educator for professional Spiritual Care at the Scarborough Health Network.
He was granted his dual Specialist Certification in Pastoral Care and Pastoral Counselling with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC) in 2010.  In 2012, he was certified as an Associate Supervisor in Clinical Pastoral Education by CASC. Ajith received his Full Teaching Supervisor Certification in 2014. He holds a Masters of Theology (Th.M.) in Pastoral Counselling from Regis College, Toronto School of Theology, The University of Toronto. 
Ajith also holds a Bachelor of Divinity, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, as well as post graduate diplomas in Counselling and Psychotherapy and Psychological Counselling.
He began his professional ministry as a Pastoral Counselor in a substance de-addiction clinical setting in 2001 and has worked as a pastoral counselor and a spiritual care provider in a variety of multifaith/ multicultural clinical settings.  Ajith advocates and promotes 'culturally sensitive spiritual care’ in the culturally diverse context of Scarborough, encouraging his students to join the diverse ministry team already present in the Spiritual and Religious Care department.  
Ajith enjoys cooking and photography.

Florence A. Juma
Secretary
​Board Executive
[email protected]

About Florence
The Rev. Dr. Florence A. Juma is a Certified Spiritual Care Practitioner and Supervisor-Educator in Spiritual Care and Psychospiritual Therapy with CASC/ACSS.  Florence serves at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener as a spiritual care education lead.  She is a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario and ordained with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.  Her research interest includes the integration of spiritual disciplines in psychotherapy to foster emotional and mental wellness with individuals and families; the interplay of spirituality in the aging process and more recently, exploring experiential approaches in therapy to examine the similarities with the Oral Traditions of Afro-Indigenous response to emotional trauma. 
Florence embarked on the pastoral care path in her youth and have since served in various capacities within her faith tradition and beyond, in her home country of Kenya, in South Africa and currently in Canada.  Florence is an Associate Professional Faculty at Martin Luther University College in the department of spiritual care and psychotherapy. 

Dale Nikkel,
​Vice President
​​Board Executive
[email protected]

About Dale
Dale is the Manager of Spiritual Care at St. Joseph's Health Care in London, Ontario. Dale holds a Master of Divinity Degree from Trinity College in Toronto and earned a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Issues from Saint Paul University in Ottawa. Dale is a CASC/ACSS Certified Supervisor-Educator and a Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. Dale is ordained in the Anglican tradition and practices in the Diocese of Huron. Originally from Winnipeg, Dale is a former school-teacher and musician. Music and nature are important aspects of spiritual practice for Dale. Dale enjoys spending time with his family as well as travelling.

Fritz Clarke
​​Treasurer
​Board Executive
[email protected]

About Frtiz
bio to come. 

Julie Bergen
Educational Standards Commission Chair
[email protected]

About Julie
Bio to come

Philip Crowell
Professional Practice Commission Chair
[email protected]

About Philip
​​Rev. Dr. Philip Crowell holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the University of New Brunswick , and an MDiv from Acadia Divinity School, Nova Scotia. His PhD in philosophy at the University of Waterloo. Philip has taught extensively across Canada.  For the past two decades he has been the Spiritual Health Leader for the BC Provincial Services Authority supporting pediatric care, cancer care, and spiritual/mental health care.
He is a clinical assistant professor with the UBC Faculty of Medicine serving as the medical ethics theme leader.   He is a certified clinical psychospiritual educator with the Canadian Association of Spiritual Care (and a past President of that Association.)   He is a Minister of Word and Sacrament of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.  He is a clinical assistant professor with UBC Faculty of Medicine appointed by the Division of Pediatric Oncology. His writing and research ranges from themes of moral and spiritual distress in healthcare, and the role of spiritual care in bereavement care, end-of-life and palliative care.   He is interested in the exploration of resources for spiritual resiliency and agency.  He is a father, partner, a runner, and avid sports fan.

Jeff Chant
​Chief Executive Officer
(Ex Officio)
[email protected]

About Jeff
Jeff brings over 25 years of leadership experience across nonprofit, corporate, and consulting sectors. Known for his thoughtful, person-centered leadership, he skillfully aligns people with purpose, guiding organizations through growth, transformation, and renewed relevance.
Jeff’s background includes founding Arbinger Canada and Bermuda, and serving as Vice President of Organizational Performance and Human Resources at Petrominerales Ltd., a publicly traded energy company. His work consistently bridges business strategy with empathy, building cultures of trust, collaboration, and performance.
With academic training in business, psychology, education, and theology—as well as formative experience in Clinical Psychospiritual Education—Jeff fosters environments where people feel valued and organizations thrive. Whether developing strategy, coaching leaders, or strengthening governance, he leads with compassion, vision, and a commitment to collective success.

Ken Bell
National Ethics Commission Chair
[email protected]
​

About Ken
I have been working in Spiritual Care since 2020, initially in Long Term Care, while doing my CPE, and since 2023, I have been at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver (acute, emergency, paediatrics, hospice and palliative, LTC, and psychiatric). In addition to caring for the patients, I have a particular passion for caring for the staff.

Before working in spiritual care, I served as an Anglican priest in North Vancouver for 15 years and as a youth pastor for 15 years before that. I have an MDiv from Regent College and a BA in Criminology and Psychology from Simon Fraser University. I am also a trained Spiritual Director through Soul Formation.

I am also an occasional host on a podcast, "Rector's Cupboard", which has been producing content since 2019. We speak with guests from around the world about faith, spirituality, and culture through a lens of moving towards hope instead of fear, recognizing the humanity of others instead of being shaped by division.

I have been married since 1998, and have two adult children. I ride to work every day unless it is snowing. And I enjoy gardening, cooking, and puttering.

Beth Burden
President's Council Chair
​[email protected]
​

About Beth
​Bio to come

Cheryl Fraser
​Board member
[email protected]

About Cheryl
Bio to come

Regions and Structure

CASC/ACSS has nine regions across the country, each with its own structure and leadership team.  Members benefit from a network and structure which supports localized nuances. Each Region elects a representative to each Commission.