Vice-Chairpersons

Melanie Petrunia became interim vice-chairperson of the Social Security Tribunal’s (SST) Appeal Division on April 1, 2025.

Ms. Petrunia was first appointed to the SST’s General Division, Employment Insurance Section in 2018. Two years later, she was appointed to the Appeal Division.

Ms. Petrunia has been a part-time member of the SST since 2018 and maintains a litigation and alternative dispute resolution practice in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She previously worked at the Atlantic regional office of the federal Department of Justice in tax litigation and at a large law firm in Atlantic Canada.

Ms. Petrunia is an active volunteer in her community and teaches tax litigation at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. She’s a past president of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and remains involved with numerous committees there and at the Canadian Bar Association.

Ms. Petrunia holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from McGill University and a law degree from Dalhousie University.

Thomas Vulpe was appointed vice-chairperson of the Social Security Tribunal’s– Income Security Section as of June 22, 2019. He was reappointed on June 10, 2024.

Thomas has over 30 years of experience realizing transformations in the private, public and non-governmental sectors through vision, innovation, and sound management. Prior to joining the Social Security Tribunal, he spent 10 years in various key leadership roles related to the adjudication of refugee claims in Canada, as well as the transformation of Canada’s refugee determination system at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

Thomas is bilingual and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario and a Certificate in Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University.

Leanne Bourassa became interim vice-chairperson of the Social Security Tribunal’s General Division – Employment Insurance Section on March 25, 2024.

Ms. Bourassa was first appointed as a member of the General Division – Employment Insurance Section in 2017. In February 2023, she became a coordinating member. Previously, Ms. Bourassa worked as an in-house legal advisor in the brokerage sector and then in compliance in the banking industry.

She was raised in Calgary and studied in Nova Scotia, Angers (France) and Montreal. Ms. Bourassa has been a competitive artistic swimmer and has been involved in several community organizations.

Ms. Bourassa is bilingual and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in French Language Arts and Literature from St. Francis Xavier University. She also has Common and Civil Law degrees from McGill University.