Jennifer White – Health Sciences Award 2026
Alumni of Distinction Awards > 2026 > Jennifer White
Executive Director
Family and Children’s Services of Renfrew County
Nursing, 2010
For Jennifer White, understanding the systems that support people and families began long before she became a nurse or an executive leader. Her own family’s experience showed her how access to opportunity could change lives.
Her family moved frequently during her childhood as they sought to find their footing. Her mother, then a single mother of three, returned to school to become a registered nurse. Watching that decision change their lives gave White an early understanding of how education can shape a family’s future across generations. It also shaped the perspective she brings to leadership: seeing systems through the lives of the people who rely on them.
Years later, as a young mother herself, White had the opportunity to pursue nursing close to home through Algonquin College, Pembroke Campus. In 2010, she completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing through the College’s collaborative program with the University of Ottawa.
“Being able to earn a university degree in my own community made an enormous difference,” White said. “My support system was in Renfrew County. Without that opportunity locally, I would not be where I am today. It is especially meaningful to see Algonquin College now offer its own independent Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, building on its proven excellence in nursing education and giving another generation of students access to that education here in Renfrew County.”
White’s work in health and social services began with supporting people through Special Services at Home and working as a personal support worker. Nursing followed, then management, director responsibilities, and executive leadership. Each role offered another way to contribute and revealed more about the systems surrounding care.
“I kept taking on responsibilities because I could see something I wanted to help improve,” White said. “In direct care, I could make a difference for the person in front of me. In leadership, I could also work on the processes and decisions affecting many people’s care.”
Her experience across acute care, community care, and long-term care reinforced what White had seen firsthand growing up: how housing, income, relationships, and access to services shape health and well-being.
As White’s leadership responsibilities expanded, further education in municipal administration and public sector executive leadership helped her connect that practical experience with a broader understanding of systems across sectors and ministries. She came to recognize how policies, resources, and services can complement or impede one another, sometimes in unintended ways, and where better alignment can help ensure that people receive the right support from the right provider at the right time.
White reflects that she has enjoyed every role and valued the teams she has had the privilege of working with. A particular passion was leading changes in behavioural care for people living with dementia, acquired brain injuries, dual diagnoses, and mental health conditions, with a focus on understanding underlying needs and adapting care to meet them.
That work took place during a broader provincial effort to strengthen behavioural supports and reduce avoidable hospital use through improved care in long-term care and community settings. Alongside dedicated teams on secure units, she helped translate evolving care requirements into changes in practice. Together, they strengthened assessment, identified underlying needs, and adapted care to meet people where they were, with respect for their abilities, personal histories, and circumstances.
“All behaviour has meaning,” White said. “Our focus was on understanding the person behind the behaviour, identifying root causes, and adapting our approach to meet the need being expressed. That meant considering physical, intellectual, and emotional needs, alongside medical conditions, medication effects, and environmental factors. By working together with a consistent approach, we saw meaningful differences in people’s care and quality of life. The behaviour should never become what defines the person.”
That passion and experience continue to inform White’s vision for how services can be organized to bring assessment, individualized support, and expertise across programs together around children, youth, and adults with complex care needs and their families.
Since 2023, White has had the honour of serving as Executive Director of Family & Children’s Services of Renfrew County (FCSRC). Her work now within Ontario’s Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services’ service sector has broadened her perspective across child welfare, children’s and adult developmental services, and community programs, alongside their connections with health, education, and justice.
She sees opportunities to improve support by addressing the complexity of the systems themselves.
“Needing several services does not in itself make a person or family complex,” White said. “Often, the complexity lies in the systems themselves: separate mandates, funding silos, eligibility requirements, and processes that are difficult to navigate even for professionals. We need to make those systems work better together.”
FCSRC’s multi-service structure provides a practical opportunity to do that: connecting expertise, coordinating services, and strengthening continuity through transitions across life stages. “It is a privilege to work alongside teams with this range of knowledge, expertise, and creativity,” White said.
“People and families don’t experience services one program, sector, or ministry at a time. They experience one life. Our multi-service model gives us an opportunity to wrap programs around people rather than expecting people to fit into programs. I am so proud of our teams, the incredibly important work they do, and the difference they make every single day with the people and communities we serve”.
That appreciation for different perspectives and expertise extends to Algonquin College’s role in preparing the professionals that communities depend on. White has served on the College’s Health Sciences Advisory Committee, supported student placements, and hired many graduates. Through those relationships, she has seen the quality of its education reflected in practice and contributed to the College that helped make her own career possible.
“It takes a community,” White said, reflecting on the people who helped her pursue those opportunities. An important mentor was Jamie Bramburger, who was a student advisor when they first crossed paths and later served as Manager of Community and Student Affairs and Interim Dean of Algonquin College, Pembroke Campus. His example continues to influence her leadership.
“Jamie believed in people in a way that helped them believe in themselves,” White said. “He helped me see possibilities and take steps toward them. He also had a remarkable ability to bring people together around what would benefit our community. I hope to carry that example into my own leadership. Helping others grow and building partnerships that have a lasting, meaningful, positive impact on the lives of the people we serve.”
About receiving an Alumni of Distinction Award, White said, “I am humbled and honoured by this recognition. Algonquin College made my nursing education possible and prepared me for a career my younger self could not have imagined. As my journey continues, I hope to keep representing the College and our community well. Thank you, Algonquin College, for the education, encouragement, and opportunities that continue to make a difference in my life. I can’t wait to see what the next generation of change leaders will accomplish!”