Team
With a degree in linguistics, Nicole Charette has worked in academia, culture and the community. Concerned with the environment, equality and citizen participation, she has served on a number of decision-making bodies, including the Conférence régionale des élus de l’Estrie, and in the municipal sector as Director General. For the past two terms, she has been a municipal councillor in Piopolis.
As a self-employed worker, she has been a trainer, presenter and facilitator for various projects and activities. Nicole Charette is a visionary and an idealist who has set up many original and unifying projects.
Since 2020, she has been a Project manager, then Executive Director for PEPINES. She has set up citizen participation projects funded by Sherbrooke, collectivité accueillante and was in charge of the Défi parité + EDI project. With Les Élu.e.s en action, Nicole contributes all her experience and passion for women empowerment.
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A certified trainer in Nonviolent Communication, Jacinthe Laforte is also trained in individual support (Conscientia Group course, inspired by Dr. François LeDoze’s Relational Intelligence) as well as the facilitation of restorative circles (training with Duke Duscherer).
She has worked in the publishing field and with several cultural and community organizations (Éditions Écosociété, Réseau québécois pour la simplement volontaire, Le Carrousel, theater company, Chenelière Éducation and Groupe Modulo, le Moulin à Musique).
A dedicated artist, she wrote a novel about the end of fossil fuel and, with her character Chlorophylle38, creates shows with original monologues punctuated by unusual songs. Combining her two passions, Jacinthe also offers Cours de chicane, in which Chlorophylle38 transmits “keys to a
successful conflict”. In 2025, she is happy to offer PEPINES her varied skills in animation and communications for the project Les Élu.e.s en action.
Board of director
Joan Westland has extensive international experience in community development, and a distinguished career as a consultant in the fields of social policy, employment equity, barrier-free design, inclusion and human rights promotion. She has also been a Canadian delegate to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission and has participated in various United Nations expert group meetings.
First elected in 1982, and re-elected in 1988, Joan became the first woman mayor of Bolton Est. She remained in office until 2009. She was re-elected in 2013 by acclamaitionacclamation and remained in office until 2021. She became President of PEPINES in 2022.
In addition to her role as President of P.E.P.I.N.E.S., Joan has provided coaching support to elected officials through the Fédération Québécoise des Municipalités. She was involved in international municipal leadership projects with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and is on the board of the Three Pines Foundation.
A PEPINES Board Director since 2022, Esthelle Larouche has over 35 years’ experience with the Quebec government. During this time, she also held the positions of Steward and President of the Eastern Townships Union Section for the Syndicat de la Fonction Publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ). She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, a major in law and a certificate in journalism from the Universities of Sherbrooke, Montreal and Quebec.
From 2013 to 2018, Esthelle was elected municipal councillor in Ste-Cécile de Whitton and pro-mayor from 2017-2018. She was president of the board of directors of “Ma place en politique” in 2013. That same year, Esthelle co-founded and chaired the Lac Mégantic Accorderie until 2018. Between 2013 and 2018, she sat on various NGO boards, notably Granit Action, CDC du Granit, Relais-Rural and Culture du Cœur.
Since 2018, she has been a director of the East Angus FADOQ and continues to volunteer with Héma-Québec, Service d’aide aux néo-canadiens and other organizations. Since 2013, she has been president of the Eastern Townships and Granit region for the Red Cross (philanthropy sector).
Diplômée de la première cohorte en Techniques de laboratoire du CÉGEP de Sherbrooke en 1970, Francine Caron Markwell a passé plus de 16 ans à travailler au Centre Hospitalier St-Vincent de Paul avant de se réorienter vers la recherche en 1986. C’est à sa retraite en 2009 qu’elle se lance en politique comme conseillère municipale au Canton de Stanstead.
Comme premier mandat, elle s’implique au comité Loisir Culture, travaille à améliorer les équipements de parc, instaure une fête annuelle pour les bénévoles et siège comme Présidente du comité consultatif en urbanisme. Après plusieurs formations offertes par la Fédération québécoise des municipalités, elle dépose sa candidature en novembre 2013 dans une course à plusieurs pour le poste de mairesse. Malgré les doutes et la compétition pour le poste, elle persiste et est élue comme mairesse en 2013 puis réélue pour un deuxième mandat en 2018. Durant ces huit années à titre de mairesse, Francine aura porté de nombreux dossiers, dont celui de l’implantation d’une Régie intermunicipale de protection incendie.
En 2021, la mairesse décide de prendre une seconde retraite et de penser à elle. Malgré tout, elle continue son implication à titre de présidente du comité Loisirs culture.
Holder of a master’s degree in international strategic communication (Université de Sherbrooke) and a bachelor’s degree in public relations (Université du Québec à Montréal), Audrey-Anne has been committed to feminist issues for several years. Very sensitive to issues of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), she has accumulated some experience in the area and wishes to transver the strengths of EDI to the core of PEPINES’ practices.
She currently holds the position of secretary on the board of directors and leads the working committee on communications and marketing which promotes PÉPINES in the social media and public domain.
In addition to her involvement at PÉPINES, she also works in communications for the Observatory on Student Mental Health in Higher Education and for the RBC Centre for University Expertise in Mental Health at the Université de Sherbrooke.
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Has a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Université du Québec à Montréal. Anita Jobin has accumulated more than 30 years of experience as a manager of the health network in Quebec. She has an expertise in the fields of public finance, administrative risk management and contract management.
Committed to her community, in 2006 she became involved in the board of directors of the organization, Ma deuxième maison à moi, which supports families living with a person with an intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder. Initially a director, she then held the position of president from 2010 to 2017. During her mandate, the organization developed and set up a day centre for participants over the age of 21 and obtained recurring funding from the Ministry of Health and Social Services to maintain this service in the community.
Since 2023, she has been a member of the Community Development Committee and the Transportation Committee of the Municipality of Bolton-Est. She is very concerned about the transportation services for people living in the region and particularly the sustainability of adapted transportation services in the region.
