Bailey Bjolin
O’Gara Commission on Faith and Witness (CFW) Program and Research Assistant
Bailey is excited to be joining the CCC as the O’Gara Commission on Faith and Witness (CFW) Program and Research Assistant. She grew up in the United Church of Canada, and is currently an MDiv student at the Vancouver School of Theology; she also studied library sciences and information studies at UBC, where she got her MLIS and MAS. Bailey currently attends a transdenominational community church in Vancouver, on the unceded and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) people. She is interested in ecumenical dialogue and learning how Christians can come together across theological difference.
Dr. Michael Buttrey
Secretary, Faith and Life Sciences
After volunteering for the Faith and Life Sciences Reference Group for many years, Michael now serves the Reference Group and Council as staff. As well as supporting conversations at the Council, Michael is Faith and Science Project Officer for the World Council of Churches, Digital Pastor for St. Clement’s Anglican Church in Toronto, and a sessional lecturer in ethics at various schools.
Born in Alberta, Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Genetics, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Theology from the University of St. Michael’s College. His research focuses on human enhancement, Christian ethics, and disability.
Marina Fanous
Communications Coordinator
Program Coordinator, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Marina started with the Council in 2023, and has since taken on the role of Communications Coordinator, as well as the Program Coordinator for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Having grown up in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Canada, she is now part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Marina holds an Honours BA in French Literature and the Study of Religion, as well as a Master’s of Theological Studies, with specialization in Orthodox and Eastern Christian Studies, both from the University of Toronto.
Claudia Ho
Forum for Intercultural Leadership and Learning Research and Program Assistant
Claudia is a writer, researcher, and program coordinator with a background in learning spaces and intercultural engagement. She has worked with diverse communities through roles at Regent College and Tenth Church, supporting program development, community partnerships, and qualitative research. With a passion for storytelling, she brings a writer’s perspective to her work, helping to capture and communicate key insights. Claudia holds a Master of Arts in Christian Studies and is committed to fostering meaningful connections across cultures through education. Her experience in leadership and administrative coordination equips her to support dynamic and inclusive learning environments.
Roshney Kurian
CJP Research and Program Assistant
Roshney was born and raised on Dish with One Spoon territory on the traditional lands of the Erie, Neutral, Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas in Hamilton, Ontario. Her family is from Kerala, India and is part of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church founded by St. Thomas the Apostle, which is an Eastern reformed faith tradition. Roshney studied at McMaster and Carleton universities, and has an educational background in English, Social Work, and Gender and Social Justice. She is a Registered Social Worker with a passion for social justice, anti-racism, decolonial theory and praxis, and holistic, trauma-informed community healing. Roshney’s favourite pastimes include reading, writing, hiking, dancing, and spending time with loved ones. Her role in the Council is to support the Commission on Justice and Peace.
Deivit Montealegre, MA
Associate Secretary, Intercultural Leadership and Learning – Louisville Postdoctoral Fellow
Deivit is a passionate advocate for intercultural leadership, a path he’s walked personally and professionally. Currently serving as Associate Secretary for Intercultural Leadership at the Council, he brings three years of experience as Teaching, Research, and Program Coordinator from the Forum for Intercultural Leadership and Learning (FILL). Deivit is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto, where his research explores the profound intersections between economics, theology, decolonial thinking, and ethics. This academic pursuit complements his diverse practical background, which includes roles as an Educational Consultant for the World Council of Churches’ Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI) and as the Latin American Program Director for the NGO Globethics. These experiences have solidified Deivit’s conviction that intercultural understanding is a catalyst for transformative change. He envisions interculturality as a bridge, connecting faith with social action to create a more just and equitable world for all.
Pastor Peter Noteboom
General Secretary
Peter Noteboom was appointed to a five-year term as General Secretary in May 2018. The responsibilities of the General Secretary are to lift up the call for gospel unity, to provide direction and leadership through the development of vision and priorities, to implement the strategic and program plans of the Council, to facilitate Canadian and global ecumenical relationships, and to participate and lead in Canadian interfaith initiatives.
Peter serves as the Co-Chair of the Canadian Interfaith Conversation, advocating for religion in a pluralistic society and in Canadian public life. He is also a member of the Interfaith Committee on Canadian Military Chaplaincy and the Interfaith Committee on Chaplaincy in the Correctional Service of Canada.
Peter has been with the Council since 1999 beginning as Associate Secretary, Justice and Peace. In that role he has served as staff support for the Commission on Justice and Peace, the Human Rights Committee, the Ecumenical Healthcare Network, the Canadian Ecumenical Anti-Racism Network, the Biotechnology Reference Group and the Working Group on Human Trafficking / Sexual Exploitation in Canada. In 2011 he became the Deputy General Secretary with additional responsibilities in finance, administration, and organizational restructuring and in 2017 became the Acting General Secretary.
Active in his home church, the Christian Reformed Church in North America, he was ordained as a Commissioned Pastor in November 2019.
Peter earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and business administration from Dordt CollegeUniversity, Sioux Center, Iowa in 1980; his Master of Arts degree in European Studies from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium in 1989; did graduate studies in Christian Political Theory at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto from 1996-99; completed a post-graduate diploma in Dialogue and Negotiation from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver; British Columbia, in 2007 and in 2021 is currently enrolled in received the Diploma in Interfaith Dialogue from the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto. Interfaith Diploma program.
For more details see his LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/peternoteboom
Rev. Karen Puddicombe
Associate Secretary, Commission on Justice and Peace
Rev. Karen Puddicombe began her work as Associate Secretary on Justice and Peace February 2024 along with staff support for Sexual Exploitation Working group. Prior to joining the CCC Karen was a pastor and Executive Director of Community & Family Services with The Salvation Army in over 6 locations across Canada for a total of 27 years. Karen comes with specialized skills with leadership, church planting, revitalization, pastoral care, teaching and preaching, faith-based facilitation, and justice advocate on both a national and international level. Her rich faith is lived out incarnationally within community, and she seeks ways to lift-up, empower, and learn from the whosoever with grace and love. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
Jolan Ready
Operations Manager
Jolan is a dedicated team member with extensive experience in office administration, governance support, and finance oversight. She fosters strong relationships with Council staff, member church representatives, affiliates, and observers, serving as the first point of contact for enquiries and correspondence. With meticulous attention to detail, Jolan efficiently coordinates Governing Board meetings, manages event planning, and supports human resources responsibilities from recruitment to onboarding, and provides support to fellow staff members throughout as needed. Collaborating closely with the General Secretary and the Project Ploughshares Director of Operations, she ensures smooth operations, accurate financial records and reporting, and effective donor relations. Faithful to the Council’s mission, Jolan contributes to creating and maintaining a healthy, inclusive work environment that values honesty, transparency, collaboration, and respect. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, building a healthy lifestyle, and travelling.
Dr. Maria Simakova
Associate General Secretary
Maria has been with the Council since 2014. Currently, she coordinates and supports the work of the Commission on Faith and Witness and its Working Group, the Canadian Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Writing and Animation Team; the Christian Interfaith Reference Group; and the Corrections and Restorative Justice Working Group of the Commission on Justice and Peace. As the Associate General Secretary, Maria also coordinates the Council’s Program Team and supports the work of the General Secretary. She also serves on the Boards of The North American Academy of Ecumenists and The Canadian Centre for Ecumenism.
Maria’s academic research focuses on truth and truth-telling in the postmodern world, postmodern theological methodologies, and theological truth-telling in ecumenical and interfaith contexts. She holds an Honours BA in Russian from Bryn Mawr College (USA), an MA in Theology from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (USA), and a PhD in Systematic Theology from the University of St. Michael’s College (Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto). Her PhD thesis, ‘Nihilist’ Parrhēsia as Theological Method: Truth-Telling in the ‘Later’ Foucault and the Practice of Theology, explored ‘parrhēsia’ as a critical and constructive modality of postmodern theological truth-telling. Maria is passionate about ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and about the principles and praxis of restorative justice. In her spare time, she loves to curl up on the couch with a cup of hot tea and a book.
For the staff listing of Project Ploughshares, please visit https://www.ploughshares.ca/pages/about.