About AlgomaTrad

Dedicated to building community through music, dance, art and heritage craft traditions

AlgomaTrad is a charitable organization dedicated to building community through the celebration, sharing, and learning of traditional music, dance, arts, and heritage craft. Since 2004, AlgomaTrad has produced over 300 programs and events, including community dances, concerts, workshops, festivals, and its annual Family Camp, while hosting over 200 nationally and internationally renowned performers, artists, and mentors. We are currently developing the year-round, environmentally-sustainable AlgomaTrad Centre on St. Joseph Island.

Behind the scenes or out front, we can’t do it without our fabulous Board!

Chair/President: Barb Willoughby

Barb Willoughby

Barb Willoughby and her family have been deeply involved with AlgomaTrad since 2008. As a parent of campers, a camper herself, a volunteer, a board member, and now Chair of the Board, she has an intimate understanding of AlgomaTrad’s strengths, possibilities, and impact. She co-chairs the annual AlgomaTrad Camp auction and the bi-annual Trivia Night, keeps the annual AlgomaTrad Camp office ship-shape, secured a grant for the planting of 1,350 native seedlings and saplings for the site, and steps up wherever needed. A self-described stubborn hard-worker, Barb lives with her husband in Desbarats. She is a veteran teacher of science and chemistry at Central Algoma Secondary School where she has honed her skills at finding the best in people, managing boisterous groups, and introducing youth to the wonders of science. Having coached high school sports for 20 years, she knows the importance of teamwork. She loves every minute that she spends outdoors, especially gardening and biking, and brings great energy to the Board.​

Michael O’Gorman

Treasurer: Michael O’Gorman

Michael O’Gorman is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Certified Financial Planner and the sole practitioner in his own accounting and financial planning firm in Milton, Ontario since 1990. Previous employment experience in Canada Revenue and the private sector brings unique and informative perspectives to the AlgomaTrad Board. Michael has broad volunteer experience including serving on the Milton Downtown Business Improvement Board; as a Board Officer with the Milton Chamber of Commerce and the local chapter of the Knights of Columbus; as Treasurer for several non-profits (Family Place, Milton Branch of the Canadian Red Cross); as Small-Business Coordinator for the local annual United Way campaign; and serving on the Ontario Parent Council advisory body to the Ontario Minister of Education. He’s also been an instructor of accounting and business at Sheridan College Of Applied Arts and Technology.

Michael’s experience in accounting and as a Board member on several non-profits brings a vast wealth of experience and knowledge to the AlgomaTrad Board.

Secretary: Suzanne Hansen

Building and supporting the growth and good work of community has guided much of Suzanne’s efforts in both her paid and unpaid work throughout her adult life. Her personal curiosity and interest in supporting others to explore and develop their own knowledge and skills has led her into facilitation and coaching across a wide range of interests including cross country skiing, sexual education programs, leadership development with peers, and philosophy clubs with youth. She believes that community can be the source of the best real change in the world and that strong communities are built through careful, open-hearted listening, courageous speaking and commitments to learning, radical welcome and equity in relationship.

Suzanne first experienced the magic that is AlgomaTrad at Family Camp after a daughter first attended and insisted, upon her return home, that the whole family had to attend in future. And that was it; they were hooked more than 10 years ago. Currently, Suzanne is exploring various modes of art making and has embarked on an Ojibwe language learning journey. She enjoys a variety of fibre arts and pokes along with developing her piano, fiddle and mandolin skills. Suzanne likes to be out of doors in all seasons, with friends and family, enjoying the beauty of North Western Ontario and Lake Superior. She can also be counted on to provide a cauldron of soup when asked and makes excellent pie!

Steve Schneider

Director: Steve Schneider

Steve Schneider is a long-time supporter of AlgomaTrad, father of an AlgomaTrad camper from its inception, and an AlgomaTrad teacher and performer.

A multi-instrumentalist, Steve has played on Broadway, holds a masters degree in Music Therapy, and worked as a music therapist with hospice patients and their families.

Steve has served as President of the board of directors of Tibetan Home of Hope, a non-profit serving Tibetan orphans, and was a board member of the American Association for Music Therapy.

Steve and his wife, Mary, live in Michigan, spend summers in Canada, and own the land on St. Joseph Island where all things AlgomaTrad happen. Steve and Mary are the proud recipients of the Best Adult Pizza award at a very early AlgomaTrad gathering.  ​

Amy Wheeler Reich

Director: Amy Wheeler Reich

Amy has been involved with AlgomaTrad since 2008 as a camper, a parent of campers, a volunteer and now a board member. The AlgomaTrad Camp, with its multigenerational learning philosophy, has become an important part of her summer every year, and the AlgomaTrad family has become an important part of her life.

Amy brings to the AlgomaTrad Board 15 years of experience running events, facilitating fundraising, and sitting on governance committees, through her time working on several boards, including the Sault Area Hospital Foundation and the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club.

Amy looks forward to helping bring the AlgomaTrad vision to people in the Algoma region and beyond.

Samantha Giguere

Director: Samantha Giguere

Samantha Giguere is a member of the Thessalon First Nation and spent many years as a camper at AlgomaTrad which fostered her passion for music and the arts. She is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto where she studied Indigenous Studies and Archaeology. Samantha brings experience in Indigenous community engagement through work with the Loran Scholars Foundation and the City of Toronto, as well as a personal connection to the Indigenous communities in the Algoma region. She hopes to use her skills to further connect AlgomaTrad to Indigenous communities as well as help to further incorporate an Indigenous lens to their work moving forward.

Eli Howard

Director: Eli Howard

Eli Howard is a twenty-five year old Irish traditional musician from Toronto. Eli’s relationship with AlgomaTrad began when he first attended the summer music camp at age eight. Since then Eli has become deeply embedded in the AlgomaTrad community, attending, teaching, and performing at many subsequent events. Eli’s nearly lifelong experience with AlgomaTrad makes him an asset to the board, as he has a deep understanding of the organization’s vision and the people who attend AlgomaTrad events.