Team

One of the best parts of Jolene’s day is having dinner at home with her husband and two sons and their dog, Luna. This simple pleasure grounds her and fuels her at the same time—and she is keenly aware that not everyone in Canada has the same opportunity to share a meal in a place they call home.

Jolene believes that the growing housing crisis in Canada needs significant action on a national scale now. She also believes in the power and potential of the social profit sector. In 2021, she, with support from the Bespoke and Ramp Communications teams, founded Partners for Affordable Housing with a seed investment from the Government of Alberta. The charity seeks to ensure affordable housing for everyone in Canada.

Partners for Affordable Housing is a social profit organization that will accelerate and amplify the Canadian housing sector’s actions through the availability of centralized, maximized resources, resulting in a massive positive impact on the affordable housing crisis.

Jolene is uniquely qualified to lead this ambitious effort, integrating her experiences as an entrepreneur, board member, corporate community partnership builder, and prolific fundraiser. Energetic and innovative, she coaches social profit organizations on engagement, strategy, revenue generation, governance and ambassadorship. She helps clients weave these essential qualities into the DNA of their organizations to ensure their long-term sustainability. She has led capital campaigns ranging from $25 million to over $1.4 billion. She is a team builder, an idea generator, a champion of women leaders, and a guest speaker on transformation in the social profit sector.

Shelley Mayer, CM is a passionate and visionary leader, committed to the intersection of purpose and profit. Shelley believes that collaboration is at the heart of all success and is well-known as an industry connector and matchmaker.

With deep business experience and extensive knowledge of the social profit space, Shelley has advised hundreds of organizations in their quest for transformational change. A trusted industry expert, coach and advisor, Shelley has a reputation for challenging the status quo and solving problems creatively.

Shelley holds a business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Chartered Marketer designation with the Canadian Marketing Association, and is a GRI Certified Sustainability Professional and a member of Social Value Canada.

With more than 20 years of combined client and agency experience, Shelley is a trusted strategic advisor to organizations committed to sustainability and leading social change. Since founding Ramp Communications in 2011, Shelley has partnered with over 100 social impact organizations and purpose-driven companies, helping them showcase their impacts across all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Shelley’s expertise includes branding, storytelling, impact reports, awareness campaigns and a range of other communication tools to help organizations engage with communities, share their great work, attract funders and inspire change.

Amy Bolt is a community housing professional with a demonstrated track record in program design and delivery. She is deeply committed to the belief that access to affordable housing is not only a fundamental human right, but also a vital foundation for individual and collective well-being.

Over the past decade, Amy has dedicated her career to supporting the non-profit and cooperative housing sectors in expanding their impact. She has designed and led numerous capacity-building initiatives focused on organizational development, research and innovation, partnership building, and knowledge-sharing. As Program Manager at the Community Housing Transformation Centre, Amy worked with housing providers to enhance their capacity to plan, develop, and deliver affordable housing. More recently, at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), she managed the end to end delivery of the National Housing Strategy Research and Planning Fund, a capacity-building program aimed at advancing evidence-based solutions to Canada’s housing challenges.

Amy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and Management and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from McGill University. This unique combination enables her to integrate systems thinking and technical analysis with a nuanced understanding of urban policy and governance.

Her work centers on empowering housing organizations to drive transformative change and maximize their impact - through clearer strategies, deeper collaboration, and improved access to knowledge and resources.

Brooke brings a diverse background in digital marketing to her role as Marketing Specialist with Partners for Affordable Housing. She specializes in digital marketing strategy, social media management, content creation, community management, photography, videography, and project management, combining creativity and strategy to deliver measurable impact.

Her career spans working in industries ranging from consumer packaged goods and beauty to engineering, post-secondary programming, and agency marketing. This breadth of experience has equipped her with a unique perspective and an adaptable approach to marketing. At Partners for Affordable Housing, Brooke is motivated by the opportunity to help raise awareness and amplify the voices of individuals and families in need of safe, stable, and affordable housing.