Trustee Ellen Chambers was elected as a trustee for Lakehead District School Board in October 2014. Trustee Chambers was elected as the chair of the Board in December 2018 and has continued to be re-elected as chair. She is a member of the following committees: Board Development Committee, Equity and Inclusive Education Committee, and is an alternate for the Parent Involvement Committee and the Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee (AEAC).


Trustee Donica LeBlanc was elected as a trustee for Lakehead District School Board in October 2022 and was elected as vice chair of the Board at the Inaugural Meeting in November 2022. She is a member of the following committees: Supervised Alternative Learning Committee, Suspension Appeal Hearing/Expulsion Hearing Committee, OPSBA Awards Selection Committee, Board Development Committee, and an alternate for the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC).

Trustee Patricia Johansen was elected as a trustee for Lakehead District School Board in October 2022. She is a member of the following committees: Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee, OPSBA Awards Selection Committee, Board Development Committee, School Year Calendar Committee, and an alternate for the Special Education Advisory Committee, Suspension Appeal Hearing/Expulsion Hearing Committee, and Equity and Inclusive Education Committee.

Trustee Ron Oikonen was first elected as a trustee for Lakehead District School Board in November 1988 and was the chair of the Board from December 2000 to December 2007. Trustee Oikonen is a member of the Audit Committee, and is an alternate for the Suspension Appeal Hearing/Expulsion Hearing Committee and the Student Transportation Services of Thunder Bay Committee.

Trustee George Saarinen was elected as a trustee for Lakehead District School Board in November 2006. He was vice chair of the Board from December 2014 to November 2017 and from December 2018 to November 2019. Trustee Saarinen is a member of the Suspension Appeal Hearing/Expulsion Hearing Committee and the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC).

Trustee Ryan Sitch was elected as a trustee to the Lakehead District School Board on October 22, 2018. Trustee Sitch is a member of the Lakehead Public Schools International Committee and is the OPSBA delegate. He is also an alternate for the Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee (AEAC).

Trustee Trudy Tuchenhagen was elected as a trustee for Lakehead District School Board in November 1997 to November 2010. Trustee Tuchenhagen was re-elected in November 2014. Trustee Tuchenhagen was elected as vice chair on December 3, 2019 and was re-elected as vice chair until November 2022. She is a member of the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) and Audit Committee, and is an alternate for the Supervised Alternative Learning Committee, the Suspension Appeal Hearing/Expulsion Hearing Committee, and Lakehead Public Schools International Committee.

Trustee Leah Vanderwey was elected as a trustee for Lakehead District School Board in October 2022. She is a member of the following committees: Special Education Advisory Committee, Suspension Appeal Hearing/Expulsion Hearing Committee, OPSBA Awards Selection Committee, and an alternate for the OPSBA delegate.

Trustee Scottie Wemigwans was selected as the new Indigenous Trustee on July 28, 2020. Trustee Wemigwans is a member of the Audit Committee and the Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee (AEAC).

At the April 20, 2021 Standing Committee meeting of the Lakehead District School Board, Mehar Mago was introduced as the 2021-2023 student trustee. Student Trustee Mago is in Grade 11 at Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute. In addition to her academic achievements, Student Trustee Mago brings knowledge of her school community through participation on the Student Advisory Council, basketball team, and badminton team. She also brings with her the knowledge and skills she has gained from her volunteer experiences with the India Canada Association, the Thunder Bay Multicultural Society, and the Keewaytinook Okimakanak First Nations Tribal Council. Student Trustee Mago has assisted the Northern Ontario School of Medicine by working as a Standardized Patient – presenting cases to second, third, and fourth year medical students and providing constructive feedback. Following secondary school, Student Trustee Mago would like to pursue education in the field of health sciences.

At the September 13, 2022 Lakehead District School Board Advisory Committee meeting, the Board officially declared the appointment of Grade 12 student Alexa Sagutcheway to the position of Indigenous student trustee for the current school year. Alexa Sagutcheway attends Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute and is looking forward to delivering the voice of the students at the Board level. Alexa brings knowledge and experience acquired through participation in school activities including being the inclusion and equity representative on Westgate CVI’s Student Advisory Council and the co-founder of Westgate CVI’s Mishwaades (Indigenous Student Council). She has also volunteered with Westgate CVI’s Four Directions program. Alexa says she is honoured to be serving as Lakehead District School Board’s 2022-2023 Indigenous student trustee. In addition to school-based volunteer work, Alexa has volunteered with several organizations including Regional Multicultural Youth Council and Magnus Theatre. Following graduation, Alexa will plan to pursue an education in the field of environmental sciences.