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506-755-9295

Hours of operation: 
Monday - Friday 
8:30am - 4:30pm

About Us

The Charlotte County Multicultural Association (CCMA) is a non-profit agency which provides information and services to newcomers, immigrants and refugees setting in motion successful settlement and integration in the community. Located in the Southern region of New Brunswick, we service the following areas: Lepreau, Pennfield, Blacks Harbour, Grand Manan, Deer Island, Saint George, Saint Andrews, Oak Bay and Saint Stephen. We work together with our communities, businesses, government services, employers and other service providers to welcome and take care our newcomers.

Meet The Team

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Svitlana (Lana) Palahuta

Project Assistant

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Svitlana and her family moved to Canada from the Ukraine in the end of 2019. Having worked in Charlotte County for 2 years, she experienced first-hand the benefits of being a member of the CCMA.  When the opportunity arose for her to join the organization and help other newcomers, she knew this was something she passionately wanted to do. Svitlana has a Masters degree in Economic Cybernetics, and comes to the CCMA with over 15 years of experience in administrative roles. In her spare time she is enjoying to deep in adventures with her three children.  

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Madison Hutchinson 

Youth Engagement

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Madison grew up in Charlotte County and has recently moved back to her hometown of Saint George. Her work as the Youth Engagement Coordinator focuses on working with newcomer youth to engage them in pre-existing activities in the community, as well as developing new programming and activities for youth to attend. She will be able to help newcomer youth find and use resources located in the community as well as in their schools. In her spare time, Madison enjoys doing anything outside (hiking, kayaking, skating, and more) as well as settling in with a good book. Madison is excited to be back in Charlotte County and looking forward to meeting everyone.

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Joan Majchrowski

Executive Director

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Joan has worked at CCMA since October 2017, first as the Language Manager for St. George and now as Executive Director. Joan leads the CCMA team with a vision of inclusion for newcomers, driving the organization to expand our services for the benefit of newcomers and the community as a whole. In her role as Executive Director Joan leads operational planning, creation of innovation programming and partnership development to support inclusion and retention in Charlotte County. She is on the Board to Eastern Charlotte Chambers of Commerce and she loves socializing and getting to know other cultures.  In her recreational time, you can find her crafting and fostering cats for the Saint George Animal Shelter.

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Suren Yoga Nathan

Community Engagement

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Suren’s work is focused on helping newcomers find a true level of acceptance and a deep sense of belonging within Charlotte County. Working with partner organizations, newcomers are brought together with local citizens in activities and events that promote harmony and build relationships. Suren also provides newcomers with employment services; businesses with cultural/racial education programs; and helps clients with ad-hoc needs. Prior to CCMA, Suren worked on IRCC and PCH funded projects across Canada, leading seminars on diversity, competing rights, and issues relating to identity and belonging. Work included national campaigns promoting diversity, documentaries on inclusion, and the creation of a forum studying the acceptance of multi-faith in Canada. 

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Julie West

Settlement Practitioner

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Julie has worked in Charlotte County helping newcomers for more than 6 years. She works hard to determine your individual settlement needs and developing goals to help newcomers thrive in this area. She provides monthly information sessions geared to help newcomers and their immediate needs. Julie has lived in Charlotte County for 20 years – originally from Fredericton, lived in British Columbia for 4 years where she met her husband – returning to NB to raise her family. In her spare time, you will find her tending to her goats or foster kittens, but most likely enjoying a cup of coffee in her garden.

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Brenda Allison

Settlement Worker

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Brenda grew up in Charlotte County and lives in Saint George most part of her life. Her work as the Settlement Worker focuses on working with newcomers to engage them in pre-existing activities in the community, as well as helping them to settle here. She will be able to help newcomer find and use resources located in the community. In her spare time, Brenda enjoys doing anything outside (hiking, curling, and more) as well as settling in with a good book. Brenda is excited to help everyone in Charlotte County and looking forward to meeting new people.

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John Studd

Lead Language Instructor

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John completed a Bachelor of Arts in English and soon after left Canada for South Korea, where he began an extensive career as an ESL language teacher. Since then, he has taught in a wide range of countries, including Japan, Thailand, Greece, France, and Belgium but has spent most of his time in his home away from home, Prague, in the Czech Republic. Having grown up in Toronto, and after having lived in so many different countries, John understands well the obstacles that come from being a stranger in a strange land. His focus is on helping his students gain a deeper understanding of Canadian culture, and a true sense of belonging, by instilling confidence in their ability to communicate and connect with those around them.

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Shawna Robinson

Language Instructor

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Shawn is new to Charlotte County but not to the Maritimes. Born in Nova Scotia, Shawn has lived in Manitoba, Scotland, and Ontario. After volunteering in settlement and English tutoring, Shawn obtained her credentials to teach English to newcomers and children. Shawn’s studies include Indigenous ways of teaching and learning in support of the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action on education and citizenship. Most importantly, the learning process, according to Shawn, must be a shared experience that is doable, relevant, and fun.

Shawn will teach group classes that help newcomers prepare for citizenship and LINC, IELTS and CELPIP testing, and academic preparation.

Our Executive Board

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Jullian Riva

President

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Kendall Kadatz

Vice-President

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Irina Puscasu

Secretary

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Briana Cowie

Treasurer

Qi Peng

Director

Matthew Kernighan

Director

Melissa Brown

Director

Jessica Morales

Director

Maria Sanches

Director

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