About our team
Valérie Plouffe
Executive Director
Trained in the psychosociology of communication at the Université du Québec à Montreal, Valérie has worked for more than fifteen years in the community sector. First, she was interested in group facilitation and processes of change, then in social development and intersectoral action at round tables in Montreal’s east end.
A community mobilizer for ten years with a local early childhood consultation group, she was able to develop her knowledge of community organizations and their daily reality. She knows how to build on citizen participation and the collective intelligence of community stakeholders in implementing impactful projects.
She recently completed graduate studies at the Université du Québec à Montreal in management of social and collective enterprises.
Rose Rodrigue
Organization Services Coordinator
She has worked professionally with people for several years. The constant need for new challenges and her curiosity about the current issues in our society led her to continue her studies in project management, while concurrently pursuing a bachelor's degree in sustainable territorial development with a focus in , organizational management.
She is motivated by her knowledge of Quebec City’s territory and by her involvement in the Quebec City region’s community for several years, roles that have helped her acquire skills contributing to the reflections and action plan of the Foundation regarding the social and environmental issues that concern us. She hopes to carry out major action and social mobilization projects to build a future filled with possibilities for everyone. She is driven by the idea of being able to take part in the development of a society through collective mobilization.
Dulmaa Luvsansharav
Program Coordinator for Mongolia
With a master’s degree in science and engineering, Dulmaa began her career in the textile industry. However, when Mongolia experienced significant political changes, including the transition to a free market economy, Dulmaa'’s career took an unexpected turn. She began to get involved in the social development of families and children, which brings her great satisfaction.
Dulmaa worked for Save the Children UK in Mongolia, where she acquired valuable experience in humanitarian aid. Now coordinator of FDG programs in Mongolia, she identifies and supports projects that ensure the well-being and development of children at risk, giving them access to educational activities and opportunities that allow them to reach their full potential. She also promotes partnerships between organizations supported by FDG in order to create an effective network dedicated to the protection of children's rights and the improvement of their living conditions.
Our Board of Directors
Hélène Dufresne
President
Hélène Dufresne worked at setting up and promoting Cirque du Soleil from 1984 to 1998 and has been president of the Dufresne & Gauthier Foundation since its creation in 2001.
Hélène wishes to live in a world built on cultural diversity and sustainable development, shaped by strong and sensitive identities, imbued with respect, trust and mutual aid. With this ambition, she collaborated in various capacities in the large-scale recreational tourism project of the Massif de Charlevoix from 2003 to 2013.
In 2012, she founded, with actors involved in the community, Horizon Charlevoix, an organization that supports and promotes young people playing outdoor sports in her adopted region.
Over time, her involvement has diversified, and she continues to care about supporting communities and cultural, social, and environmental development. This is a commitment to recognize and understand the multiplicity of social and cultural realities, as well as a legacy to bring to the world.
Daniel Gauthier
Vice-president
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Groupe Le Massif Inc. and HDG Inc. as well as Vice-Chairman of the Dufresne & Gauthier Foundation, Daniel Gauthier is also a founding member of Réseau Charlevoix. Daniel Gauthier first made his mark in the cultural world in 1984, co-founding Cirque du Soleil with Guy Laliberté. He was president of the Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group from 1990 to 2001.
At the same time, from 1988 to 2000, he served as vice-president of the computerized ticketing network Réseau Admission as well as of Microflex. He was also vice-president of Scéno-Plus from 1995 to 1999. Mr. Gauthier also collaborated closely in the development of numerous cultural organizations as a director, including ADISQ (from 1995 to 1996) and the Société du 400e de Québec (from 2005 to 2010), and was actively involved as a member of the board of directors of Quebec City Tourism from 2010 to 2015.
Among his many distinctions, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada and an Officer of the Ordre National du Québec. He was also honoured as a Great Montrealer and appointed as the one of the builders of the century by Commerce magazine in 1999.
Since acquiring the Massif de Charlevoix in 2002, Daniel Gauthier has been thinking big for Charlevoix, which he wants to make an internationally recognized four-season tourist destination.
Among the distinctions that have been attributed to him, let us mention that he was designated an Officer of the Order of Canada as well as an Officer of the National Order of Quebec, that he was honored as a Great Montrealer and appointed as the one of the builders of the century by Commerce magazine in 1999.
Since acquiring the Massif de Charlevoix in 2002, Daniel Gauthier has been thinking big for Charlevoix, which he wants to make a truly internationally recognized four-season tourist destination.
Claude Choquette
Secretary Treasurer
Member and Fellow of the Order of Chartered Professional Accountants of Quebec, a rigorous and disciplined financial professional, Mr. Choquette has built a solid reputation as a strategist with strong organizational ability and enjoys great credibility in the business world. Passionate and dynamic, he is involved in different sectors and humanitarian causes.
Claude Choquette is President of HDG and President and CEO of Groupe Le Massif. He was named a fellow of the Quebec Order of Chartered Accountants, received the 2005 Prix Hermès Prize and, in 2012, received the Governor General's Medal for his involvement in various philanthropic organizations. The Fondation de l’Hôpital Général de Québec and the Fondation Imaginer un monde meilleur are two organizations he founded. Co-chairman of the 2013 Centraide fundraising campaign, he is now co-chairman of the fundraising campaign for the Fondation CHU de Québec. He is also a director of several companies and organizations.
André Couture
Administrator
For more than 40 years, André has held various management positions, transforming a company with a single rendering plant into a global enterprise, while ensuring a smooth transition from the second to the third generation of shareholders. As Chairman of the Board of Directors, he is now committed to promoting the strategic alignment of management, the Board of Directors, Sanimax shareholders and the fourth generation. André has held several positions with the National Renderers Association and the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation.
He serves on the board of trustees of St. Lawrence University , Canton, New York, from which he holds a bachelor's degree in economics.
Aurélie Gauthier
Administrator
A member of the Barreau du Québec since 2016, Aurélie is a lawyer in the commercial litigation team at Langlois Avocats. She previously worked for a public organization in the area of consumer protection, financial products and services. Her ability to listen and her analytical mind make her a professional resolutely oriented towards practical and effective solutions.
Curious by nature and very open, she likes to meet people and take on new challenges, which prompted her to go to Senegal in 2013 and become involved in a local organization working to promote human rights. She is also involved in her local sports community, guiding mountain bike outings with a Quebec NGO whose mission is to promote the development of women through cycling. Driven by values such as mutual aid, sharing and respect, she enthusiastically joined FDG's Board of Directors in 2019.
Francis Morin
Administrator
With undergraduate training in organization management (leisure, culture and tourism), a certificate in administration and training in public management from ENAP ‘s Centre de leadership et de développement des compétences (Centre for leadership and skills development), Francis Morin has over twenty years of experience in organizational management and business development.
In 1999, he went from communications/marketing director for the Fédération du baseball amateur du Québec Inc. to general manager from 2003 to 2007. In 2007, he became director of operations for the Fondation de la Musée de la civilization, worked as secretary -assistant to the board of directors and undertook the first strategic planning of the Foundation. In 2011, Francis assumed the management of the Museum’s revenue and sponsorship development and became secretary of the Fondation’s Board of Directors. After serving as director of the individual giving sector at Centraide Quebec and Chaudières-Appalaches, in May 2019 he became Vice-President responsible for operations (administration, human resources, and communication) for Fondation CHU de Québec.
As part of his professional activities, Francis has served on the committees, of the Chambre de commerce de Québec and Sports Québec, among others. He currently works as an administrator with Sport Aide, Complexe de baseball Victoria and is President of the Fédération du baseball amateur du Québec – Quebec City region.
Dominique Villemaire
Administrator
A specialist in communication, project management and contemporary Quebec visual art, Dominique has worked for more than fifteen years in the public sector. An expert in project management, her projects and her achievements are characterized by effectiveness, efficiency, and relevance.
Trilingual, she holds a bachelor's degree in communication from the Université de Montréal and a master's degree in international public administration from ENAP, Quebec’s National School of Public Administration. She led an intervention at the Quebec Delegation in Mexico City on the integration of a project management approach and organized the Canadian presidency of the 2018 G7 Summit. She carried out an exceptional mandate during the COVID-19 health crisis in 2020, helping the Communications and Corporate Affairs Directorate of the Quebec office of Service Canada.
Contributing to training the next generation by sharing her experience in communication, public relations and philanthropic management programs at the Université de Montréal, she is also actively involved in various community organizations in Montreal. In March 2021, with great enthusiasm she joined the YMCAs of Québec team to put her expertise to the benefit of the communities.