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 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.

Rev. Dr. 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. 

Lynn Granke
​Past President
​Board Executive
[email protected]

About Lynn
​Lynn served as the Manager of Spiritual Health Services at Victoria General Hospital, Winnipeg for 11 years retiring in June of 2017. She is a Certified Supervisor-Educator Emeritus and Specialist with the CASC/ACSS. Her professional work has included extensive experience with the aging both at Deer Lodge Centre and VGH, in the interim and long-term care context. Lynn’s work in the acute and critical care context at both her site and regionally developing family support programs and patient initiatives such as family presence during resuscitation. Lynn has engaged with many patients and their families on EOL conversations and initiated learning opportunities for staff.  Focusing on ensuring the dignity of patients, especially as EOL wishes are explored and implemented, is profoundly spiritual work for Lynn.
As an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada Lynn worked on a team preparing the church’s statement on MAID in 2019.
Lynn has served CASC/ACSS as the RAC Manitoba region, Chair of ESC and Certification Chair. Her term as president is 2022-2024.
Lynn holds a Masters of Divinity from Waterloo Lutheran Seminary (WLU). Her first unit of CPE was taken while in seminary under the supervision of Craig Peters and Peter Van Katwyck.
Lynn is a mother of 3 and grandmother of 2 who loves reading Canadian Fiction whether Robert Munsch or Ann Marie MacDonald. Walking in the bush or paddling a canoe are places of sanctuary. ​​

Jeff Vidt
​Treasurer
​Board Executive
[email protected]

About jeff
Jeff Vidt is a Certified Spiritual Care Specialist and Registered Psychotherapist, and has spent his entire professional career promoting and providing spiritual care.  He has worked in a diverse range of health care contexts, including the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, Unity Health Toronto, CHEO, and various hospices and long-term care centres.  He is passionately dedicated to education and helping others learn the ways spirituality impacts health, and has developed expertise in providing staff support in trauma.
He lives in Ottawa with his wife and two sons.

Alida van Dijk
Educational Standards Commission Chair
[email protected]

About Alida
Executive Director, Community Counselling Centre of London, Sept 2019 - present
Associate with Patricia Berendsen & Associates, The Trauma Healing Centre of London, Jan 2019 - present  
London Health Sciences Centre, Spiritual Care Practitioner, part time casual, Jan 2019 - present 
St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Staff Chaplain, part time casual, Dec 2018 - present
St. Joseph's Health Care London, Staff Chaplain, full time, Veterans Care Program at Parkwood Institute, 2016-2018.
I am a Certified Psycho-Spiritual Therapist (2014) and Certified Supervisor-Educator (2017) with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care. 
I have experienced that the best way to see the country is on a bicycle. I rode in a supported bicycle tour across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax during the Summer 2005 and from Seattle, WA to Jersey City, NY during the Summer 2008. Now, I enjoy drinking wine with good friends.

Marvin Shank
Professional Practice Commission Chair
[email protected]

About Marvin
​​Prior to becoming Chair of PPC Marvin was a member of PPC for about twelve years, first as the PPC chair for OSW Region and later as chair for Research. He is a Certified Supervisor-Educator in CPE and has worked for thirty years in the London, Ontario area, mostly in psychiatric hospital contexts. For many years Marvin has given attention to how development of the College for Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) influences CASC/ACSS identity, practice, and education. Recently he is learning and facilitating conversations about how government regulation in other provinces intersects with our professional association.

Marvin has long been part of the Mennonite Church and recently has been enjoying some participation in the United Church. In retirement he explores spirituality, enjoys friendships, and sings in choirs. Marvin and his wife have two adult children. Their son and family of four young children live in Alberta and their daughter and family with two little boys live in Vancouver. Retirement life includes spending time in B.C. and Alberta with these two precious families.

James Coolidge
​Interim Executive Director
(Ex Officio)
[email protected]

Dr. Jeffrey Braff
National Ethics Commission Chair
[email protected]

About Jeff
Dr. Jeffrey Braff is a Buddhist hospital chaplain at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. An ordained monk in the Vajrayana tradition, Jeff earned his Master’s Degree in Pastoral Studies from the University of Toronto, and is a DMin candidate at Regis College. He completed four units of CPE at the University of California Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco, on the Pediatric Oncology Unit.
Jeff is a retired infectious disease epidemiologist who received his Doctorate from the University of California – Berkeley, with a postdoctoral fellowship at the School of Medicine at the University of California—San Francisco. He taught at the School of Public Health at the University of California – Berkeley.
In addition to his work as a chaplain at St. Mike’s, Jeff is the Chair of the CommonSpirit Health Institutional Review Board. CommonSpirit Health is the largest nonprofit health system in the United States. He also chairs the California Rural Indian Health Board IRB.
In a previous lifetime, Jeff was the Kaiser Permanente Federalwide Assurance Institutional Official for research ethics. He has served on the Board of Directors for San Francisco Food Bank, the AIDS Emergency Fund (where he was Board Chair for three years), and Lyon-Martin Women’s Health Services (a community-based organization committed to providing quality, compassionate, innovative primary care and behavioral health services to women, lesbians, and transgender people)

Michael Thibert
President's Council Chair
​
[email protected]

About Michael
​Member of CASC/acss since 2012 - Chair of CASC/ACSS Manitoba REGION 2020-21, Past Chair 2022 - member of Nimawin 2015 - 2023
Spiriutal Care Professional for Winnipeg Regional Health Authority 2011 - 1017 - Deacon within Roman Catholic Church since 2013 - Elder within Indigenous Health - WRHA 2017 - Present
Michael seeks to blend Christianity with Traditional Land teachings and approaches to relationship with world.
Michael is married to a wonderful woman (Holly) since 1986, has 4 adult children and 4 biological grandchildren , 2 in law children, and 2 step grandchildren.
Michael is a quiet, reflective man who would rather listen to both the said and unsaid in a conversation to better understand the wisdom that is being shared as a way to know the path foward, backwards or perhaps the path to stay and learn to be. Michael recently accepted the role as chair of the President's Council to share gifts, presence and leadership in bringing our profession to the forefront of western world thinking when it comes better understanding the Human condition.

Regions

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.