MEET OUR CHAIR
J.P. Collins
Dartmouth Non-Profit Housing Society (DH) has been providing affordable housing in HRM since 1982. With our long history in the community, DH enjoys many strong strategic relationships with government, related and other community organizations, and developers and others in the real estate and construction industries.
Our mission is to transform family lives by providing safe and affordable homes.
We offer our residents affordable housing to help them achieve the goal of self-sufficiency.
The Board has established an aggressive vision of growth for the next 5 years through both acquisition opportunities and new build development. The strategic plan includes expansion of our geographic footprint outside Dartmouth where needs exist.
J.P. is a semi-retired wealth advisor and, in the past, has served as President of the Kiwanis Club of Dartmouth and President of the Nova Scotia Kiwanis Music Festival.
Meet Our Staff
Nick Russell CPM® ARM®
CEO
Nick has led our organization since 2014 and has been managing residential properties since 2009. He has his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from St. FX, Certified Property Management (CPM) and Accredited Residential Manager (ARM) designation from the Real Estate Institute of Canada (REIC) and completed several Certificates from the Urban Land Institute (ULI). Nick currently serves on the Nova Scotia Association of Architects Council, REIC Nova Scotia Chapter Board and Dartmouth General Charity Golf Tournament Committee. He enjoys spending his spare time with his wife and young children when not at the hockey rink or golf course.
Carrie Chiasson ARM®
Director – Operations & Programming
Carrie has been part of the team since 2016. Having not worked in the Property Management world prior to Dartmouth Housing, her priority was building relationships with the tenants and the Dartmouth Housing team. Carrie has her Executive Administrative Diploma from Eastern College. More recently, she has received her Accredited Residential Manager (ARM) designation from Real Estate Institute of Canada (REIC) and is working towards the Certified Property Management (CPM) designation as well as several certificates through Urban Land Institute. Carrie is currently a Board Member of Stepping Stone NS. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, walking her fur babies or enjoying time home with her family.
Kirby Powell
Manager – Maintenance
Peggy MacDonald
Manager – Accounting
DYLAN WARD MCIP®, LPP®
Director – Development
Dylan has been the Director of Development with Dartmouth Housing since 2024. Trained as a Professional Planner through Toronto Metropolitan University’s Master of Planning (MPl) program, Dylan brings a keen eye for urban design and public policy as it relates to ecological responsibility, social equity, sustainable mobility, and placemaking. Prior to Dartmouth Housing, Dylan worked as a Development Manager for Flourish/Indwell, a leader in sustainable supportive and affordable housing across Southern Ontario, overseeing projects from due diligence through to building permit. During this time, Dylan also volunteered as the Council Director for Ontario Professional Planning Institute (OPPI) advocating for planning-based tools and resources to improve housing affordability provincially. With public and private sector experience, Dylan views urban issues through a multi-stakeholder, big-picture, interdisciplinary lens. In his spare time Dylan enjoys time in nature, hiking, camping, and gardening.