Alterna - Acclaimed Directors

Marianne Johnson
Acclaimed Director

Marianne Johnson is proud to have been an active member of Alterna Savings since 1986, and a member of its Board since 2016. She is currently Vice-Chair of the Board and its Governance and Risk, Finance and Audit Committees.

She also serves as Board Director for Alterna Bank and is currently Vice-Chair of its Conduct Review Committee.
Marianne is retired from a 20-year career at the Bank of Canada, where she covered economic and financial sector issues and regulation, as well as economic forecasting and modelling. Over the years, Marianne also took the opportunity to work and lead in the areas of mentoring and change management. Marianne regularly represented the Bank of Canada on international committees tasked with various global economic and financial sector analysis projects, including ones at the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and was assigned to work in Washington with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) research department during the critical early months of the 2008 financial crisis. She has several related publications.

More recently, Marianne has focused on private endeavors, building even further the thriving plumbing and heating business that she has run with her husband for over 30 years. She also built a small consultancy of her own. As a result, Marianne has a deep understanding of the challenges of running a small business.

Marianne holds a Master of Arts (Economics) from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Arts from Queens University.

Contribution Statement - Marianne Johnson

The 2025 election will mark my ninth year as a Director of Alterna Savings and seventh as Director of Alterna Bank. For the past two years, I have been honoured to have been elected by the Board to serve as Vice-Chair of the Board and key committees. Alterna is thriving and I am proud to have been an active part of the leadership team through this latest period. These roles prepared me well to continue to contribute experienced governance leadership to Alterna through the next period as well.

As a macro-economist, I bring to the Board a broad sector-wide perspective and expertise in economic and financial sector issues and policy, in regulation of financial institutions, and stress-testing. I have considerable expertise to contribute in assessing risk in the economy and in the financial sector and related markets and institutions, as a result of my experience at the Bank of Canada. This expertise was strengthened by research and practical work directly undertaken with national and international regulators.

In addition, my consulting work has given me the opportunity to research technological strategies around customer experience and its measurement, giving me new insights to inform my work for Alterna.

Most importantly, I have actively used Alterna Savings' services as a client since 1986 and I bring in first-hand knowledge of how vital Alterna is to members' financial success. As a small business owner, I also have a business perspective to bring to the table.

Putting this all together, I am well prepared and would work hard to make a strong personal contribution toward supporting the momentum in this dynamic organization. My goal will continue to be to champion the membership and to advance Alterna Savings as a whole.

Marilyn Conway Jones
Acclaimed Director

Marilyn Conway Jones practises law in Caledon, in the GTA, and has served as a director of Alterna Savings since 2016. She is also a director of Options for Homes and member of the Executive Committee of Home Ownership Alternatives, (licensed by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario), which non-profit corporations together create attainable housing in various Ontario communities. Marilyn was a member of the founding Board of Directors of the children’s charity, the Caledon Parent Child Centre (now Brightstart), and provided it with pro bono legal services for many years. She also provided pro bono services for the Caledon chapter of Abbeyfield, a charitable organization providing innovative housing for seniors who wish to continue living in their own communities.

In 2022 Marilyn received the Caledon Community Recognition Award for outstanding contribution to her community.

Marilyn completed the Accredited Canadian Credit Union Director designation programme from Dalhousie University and CUIC in 2018. She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) and completed the ICD-Rotman Governance Essentials programme and the M.B.A. Essentials course from Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto). She also has a Certificate in Emotional Intelligence Leadership from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Marilyn grew up in Toronto and has a B.A. from the University of Toronto and LL.B from Osgoode Hall Law School. After university, she joined the Certified Management Accountants of Canada programme and worked in the retail accounting field before attending law school, subsequently working as a tax lawyer for a member firm of BDO Canada.

Later Marilyn started her own law practice in Caledon, where her clients, like many of those served by Alterna, include individuals, small and medium sized businesses, farmers and families, including those whose members have special needs.

Contribution Statement - Marilyn Conway Jones

If re-elected to the Alterna’s Board of Directors, I believe that my experience as a lawyer, my nine years on the Board, including serving variously on all three Committees, as well as my completion of the Dalhousie-CUIC’s Accredited Canadian Credit Union Director programme and the ICD-Rotman Governance Essentials course, will help me continue to contribute to the good governance of Alterna.

The experience I have received since 2016 as Alterna’s nominee to Home Ownership Alternatives (“HOA”), for which I have served as Vice Chair, also assists in my role of a director of Alterna. HOA is a regulated non-profit financial Corporation and with Options for Homes, of which I am also a director, creates attainable housing that has introduced dramatic positive change and diversity to many neighborhoods. I also have experience with Caledon’s Abbeyfield, a non-profit providing innovative housing to seniors. I support Alterna’s leadership in providing service to the non-profit housing sector.

I operate my own law practice in Caledon and have participated in various local business and community organizations, including being a member of the founding board of a local children’s charity. Although Caledon is in the GTA, it is both an urban and rural community, and I bring a perspective of both to the Board. I endorse Alterna’s continued support of community groups and the provision of services to individuals, and small and medium size businesses and farms.

My legal practice includes corporate work and succession planning for individuals and businesses. I support Alterna’s work to improve financial literacy.

I believe in the value of co-operative banking to the community. If I am re-elected, I believe that my experience as a director and my perspectives as a business owner, legal advisor and volunteer would be an asset to the Board of our credit union.

Lawrence D’Souza
Acclaimed Director

Lawrence is a Finance and Audit professional with over 35 years experience in the public and private sectors.

He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP). Besides, he holds a few other professional designations and certifications in Risk Management (CRMA), and Banking Risk & Regulations (ICBRR).

Since 2021, he is the Vice-Chair of the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation, owned by the City of Toronto. He is also the Chair of its Audit, Finance & Risk Committee.

The City of Toronto and the Toronto District School Boards have re-appointed Lawrence to their respective Compliance Audit Committees for a second term of four years.

Lawrence has worked with Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC), Financial Services Commission of Ontario (provincial regulator), OSFI (federal financial services regulator), Ontario Ministries of Finance and Health, besides private sector corporate houses internationally.

Lawrence is deeply committed to Alterna Savings as a cooperative financial banking enterprise striving to provide best-of-class member experience in the delivery of financial products and services to the community. He is very much aligned with Alterna’s big vision, values and expectations of its Board members.

Lawrence is confident Alterna members would find his background, experience, education, skills, and competencies great assets to the Board in its task of providing governance, leadership and strategic direction to Alterna to fulfill its mission of and commitment to delivering good, caring and transparent financial services as a supportive partner and advisor, and helping members set and reach their goals, while putting its profits towards member services and helping the local communities.

Contribution Statement - Lawrence D’Souza

As a member of Alterna for nearly ten years, I have witnessed the vital role our credit union plays in strengthening the financial well being of our members and the community. With decades of experience in Finance, Audit and Risk Management, I am excited for the opportunity to contribute my skills and experience as a Director, helping guide Alterna towards continued growth and success.

With over 35-years career in the private and public sectors, I bring a wealth of skills in leadership, corporate governance, financial management, risk management and strategic planning. My board experience and employment with CMHC and financial services regulators such as FSCO and OSFI, have equipped me with the knowledge and expertise to make informed decision that will benefit Alterna.

I am currently the Vice-Chair of the Board and Chair of the Finance, Audit & Risk Committee of the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation. I have also been volunteering with the City of Toronto, Toronto District School Board, SHIP and Peel Seniors Link. This experience has honed my corporate governance oversight and leadership skills valuable to the Board.

My vision for Alterna is to continue its legacy of financial empowerment by focusing on innovation, member support, financial sustainability, growth and success.

I am deeply committed to the mission and values of Alterna. My personal values of integrity and ethical conduct align closely with values of Alterna, and I am dedicated to upholding them in my role as a Board Director.

I am confident my background and my passion for community focused financial services will help me make meaningful contribution to the Board.

I am committed to working collaboratively with fellow board members and the management team to ensure Alterna remains a thriving and trusted resource for our members.