Our Board of Directors is made up of individuals who volunteer their time to help promote home educating and who, with the help of the Home School Legal Defence Association of Canada (HSLDA) protect the freedom to home educate throughout New Brunswick.
Board directors are elected by the HENB members for a term of two years and are able to be re-elected at the end of their current terms for a maximum of 3 consecutive terms.
Since 2001, members of the HENB board of directors have represented home educators in New Brunswick at the Annual National Home School Leadership Conferences which have been sponsored by the Home School Legal Defence Association (HSLDA) and the Canadian Centre for Home Education. At these conferences they have shared ideas and networked with home educator leaders from across Canada and North America.
President: Rod & Dawn Cumberland
Rod married his UNB sweetheart in 1990 and began work as a wildlife biologist for the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources in Fredericton. In 1999, Dawn began homeschooling their oldest son Ben, and has continued to add Nathan, Emily and Katie to the mix. After 22 years as a wildlife biologist, Rod became lead instructor on all things wildlife at the Maritime College of Forest Technology. Dawn has spent her time helping lead the Greater Fredericton Home Educators. In 2012, they graduated Benjamin from Cumberland Home School and Nathan and Emily followed in 2015. Currently, only Katie remains under Dawn’s tutelage. The Cumberlands run a hobby farm on Keswick Ridge and milk Ola, the family cow, daily, along with caring for turkeys, chickens, horses, and other critters. They spend their spare time camping, playing music and are very active at Lumberjack Sports. All are actively involved in their local church serving in various capacities. They are excited to follow God’s leading as they serve in the HENB.
Vice President: Darren & Chantelle Anderson
Darren, his wife Chantelle and their four children live in Saint John NB, and are both passionate second-generation home schoolers. Darren was born in Saint John and was raised in the Christian faith by parents who saw godly education as an integral part of that faith. Upon graduating from home schooling, he studied Aircraft Engine Mechanics at Holland College in Summerside PEI. He currently leads the accident investigation team at the Irving Oil Refinery in Saint John. Chantelle was raised by a Christian family in Kars NB, and she, along with her 7 siblings, worked on the family farm. After graduating from Business Administration – Accounting at NBCC she worked at an accounting firm in Saint John until 2010 when her first child was born. Now, Chantelle diligently dedicates her time to home schooling the children (Rodney, Elisse, Esther and Vivian), assisting in church programs and serving on the Executive of the Fundy Home Educators. Darren and Chantelle are firm believers that the proverb “Train up a child in the way he should go…” needs to be reflected in our education choices, and homeschooling provides an excellent pathway to obeying that command.
Treasurer: Chris & Melanie Eigenheer
Chris was born into a Christian family and lived in Switzerland until he was 17. After immigrating to Canada in 1992 he attended high school to learn English and then went on to the University of Waterloo for Math, Physics and Computer Science. His plan was to become a high school math teacher but God interrupted his studies after two years to move to Saskatoon, SK to attend Bible College. After graduating in 1999 he started working for Correctional Service Canada as a computer programmer and database systems analyst. Chris met Melanie in 2003 and got married only 9 months later. A few years after they got married they moved to NB. In 2007 their first child Nathaniel was born. Their second son Ben’s heartbeat stopped after 20 weeks of pregnancy in 2009. Their daughter Eliana was born in 2012. Their last child, Johana (which they affectionately call their bonus baby) was born in 2014 . Both Chris and Melanie grew up attending public school but were always intrigued by the home schooling world/concept. After Nathaniel was born, Melanie spent time looking into different educational options and after thorough discussions with Chris they felt that home education was the right choice for their family. After attending their first HENB Conference in 2010, they left with a solid conviction that home education would be the only option for their family. Although Melanie does the majority of the work when it comes to the actual teaching, Chris is 100% supportive and very actively connected and involved with their children’s education.
Secretary: Bristen & Anike Bourque
Bristen was born and raised in Scoudouc, NB. He is the 5th generation of a French Acadian Bourque family to live in this small village. Bristen became a Christian as a teenager at the age of 18 in 1992. He married Anike in 1999 and the couple was blessed with two beautiful children a few years later: a daughter (Naomi) in 2006 and a son (Caleb) in 2007. Anike was raised in a Christian family and became a Christian at the age of 11. Both Bristen and Anike were convinced that homeschooling was the only option for their family long before they had children. Anike started homeschooling the children from the beginning and still does today. Anike is involved in a few homeschooling support groups, including the Moncton Christian Home Educators (MCHE) and also enjoys helping families as they undertake the great adventure of home education. On a professional level, Bristen completed a Bachelor degree in Computer Sciences from the Université de Moncton in 1997 and has been working in the IT industry since. From 1997 to 2009, his career was focused on developing software. Early in his career, he took up leadership roles which eventually led to a position as a Software Development Manager in 2009. Outside of work, Bristen enjoys rocketry, playing music, gardening and nature.