OPC Provincial Executive and Provincial Council Contact List

Eryn Smit has spent the last 12 years as an elementary school administrator with the Lambton Kent District School Board, leading K-8 schools in both the Chatham and Sarnia areas. Currently the Principal of Victor Lauriston Public School in Chatham, Eryn has been an active member of the OPC District 10 Executive for most of his administrative career, serving as Chair, Past Chair, Treasurer and Member. He represented his colleagues in Terms and Conditions negotiations with the LKDSB in our last round of bargaining and will serve in this capacity again in the coming months.

As an elected Provincial Councillor for District 10, Eryn served as a member of the International School Leadership Advisory Committee and the Executive Director Recruitment Committee and is looking forward to engaging with the Executive as Member-at-Large for 2023-2024 school year.

Eryn holds a BA in History from the University of Toronto, a Certificate in Education from Medaille College (Buffalo, NY) and a Masters’ Degree in Educational Leadership from Western University.

Patsy started her involvement with the OPC as the co-chair of the Bytown association in Ottawa. She was a Provincial Councillor for five years, a member of the Provincial Executive for 3 years and in July 2022 started her one-year term as Provincial President.

Patsy obtained her B.A. in History and Sociology and her B.Ed. from Lakehead University, her Honours BA from McMaster University and her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Charles Sturt University.

Greg Arkwright has worked in education for 26 years and has been an administrator in the Trillium Lakelands District School Board for 20 years. He is currently working at Fenelon Township Public School in Cameron. Greg has been involved in his local OPC for 13 years, serving in positions of Member-at-Large, Professional Development Coordinator, Vice Chair and Provincial Councillor. He has been on the local Terms & Conditions Negotiation team for the last two rounds of negotiations, and served as the point person for the last Terms & Conditions. He is currently the Terms & Conditions Chair for his local District.

Greg has always sought to help his colleagues by advocating on their behalf. He is now looking forward to joining the OPC Provincial Executive as a Member-at-Large to continue to advocate for principals and vice-principals across the province, and in his local board.

Amy Johnson lives and works on the traditional, unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin people. She has been an administrator with the Renfrew County District School Board for 16 years. She has been a principal in both panels and is currently in the Equity, Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression system role. Amy has been involved with the OPC at the local level in both an executive and T&C capacity. She is a passionate educator and eager to contribute to the OPC in a positive way. Amy is a tireless advocate for principals and vice-principals in her own board and is looking forward to the increased provincial perspective in her role on the OPC Executive as Member-at-Large for 2023-2024. If you can’t find Amy engaged in an enthusiastic, professional debate with colleagues, you might be able to find her on the dance floor.

Meshell Lynch-James has amassed over 20 years of dedicated service in education, demonstrating a deep commitment to student success and school leadership. She has excelled in various roles, beginning her career as an educational assistant, teacher and vice principal before advancing to the position of principal. Currently, she serves as the proud principal of Tommy Douglas Secondary School in the York Region District School Board (YRDSB).

Meshell's leadership extends beyond her school, as she has significantly impacted the YRDSB through her roles as a Provincial Councillor and Local Vice-Chair. Her dedication to education is evident in her tireless efforts to enhance the effectiveness of school leadership, as she leads and supports administrators across her board, and she is now poised to lend her extensive experience to support principals and vice-principals throughout Ontario as a member of the OPC Provincial Executive.

Emily Samuel is passionate about public education and has worked in the sector since 2007. She is grateful to have held a wide range of positions throughout her career as both an elementary and secondary teacher, as well as specialized positions in French, ECPP and Special Education. In 2018, Emily became an administrator and currently works as a system principal with the Near North District School Board. Emily is a lifelong learner who recently completed a Master's degree in Educational Leadership and is always looking for new opportunities to learn and grow.

No matter the position, Emily has always endeavored to create an engaging learning environment that supports each student's unique strengths and goals. She feels most excited about her work when creating individualized pathways for students who may have previously struggled to experience success in the traditional classroom setting.

Nadine Trépanier-Bisson is the Executive Director of the OPC. She is committed to high quality public education for all students, and research-based practical professional learning for school and system leaders.

Nadine has been an educator for over 25 years. She has served as Executive Director for l’Association des directions et directions adjointes des écoles franco-ontariennes (ADFO), developing working relationships with many partner education organizations in Canada and internationally, and had been a system and elementary principal in the French language sector. She served as the OPC’s Director of Professional Learning for three years.

Committed to evidence-based strategies for learning, leadership and conflict management, Nadine values collaboration and relationships. She continues to focus her efforts on building capacity within the OPC and among school leaders to create anti-colonial and anti-oppressive environments.

As Executive Director, Nadine shifts her focus to include management of the OPC’s operations including International School Leadership (ISL), collaboration with our stakeholders on matters of common interest, advocating for high quality public education and working with the affiliated organization, Principal Association Projects (a service partner with the Ministry of Education providing high-quality professional development to Ontario’s principals and vice-principals).

As a bilingual lifelong learner, Nadine holds an Executive Certificate in Alternate Dispute Resolution, is a certified Technology of Participation Facilitator and completed her Doctorate of Education (EdD) in the area of International Education in 2022.