Louise has spent most of her career in Ontario in health care leadership positions. She graduated from the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto. She represents KidsAbility on the Board of the Ontario Association of Children’s Rehabilitation Centres. She also served as the Board Chair of the Community Care Access Centre of Waterloo Region. Louise has been recognized for her contribution to the community in health care.
Terry graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy. She has worked at St. Joseph Hospital in Hamilton and St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto. She has been on the Parent Council at Mary Johnston Public School and the Operating Committee at St. John’s Christian Nursery School. Terry is also a canvasser for the Canadian Cancer Society. Terry joined the KidsAbility Board in February 2006.
Gary Pooley - Treasurer
Gary is a Chartered Accountant and a retired partner of Ernst & Young. He is currently an advisor to and a Board member of a number of private companies. Gary is also a Board member and Treasurer of the YMCA of Cambridge and Kitchener-Waterloo and a Board member and Chief Financial Officer of the Research & Technology Park Accelerator Centre affiliated with the University of Waterloo.
Penny Smiley – Secretary
Penny has worked as a Human Resources Professional for the past 22 years. She has worked for the past ten years for the Region of Waterloo and currently holds the position of Commissioner of Human Resources, which oversees all Human Resources programming for the Region of Waterloo. Prior to joining the Region, Penny worked for public sector organizations in Saskatoon, Kingston and Ottawa. She holds a Masters of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and a Masters of Industrial Relations Degree from Queen’s University. Penny has served on many Boards and committees, both in this community and others where she has lived. Penny lives in Guelph with her family.
Arisa Alexanian
Arisa is a Technical Sales Specialist with Hewlett-Packard Company. She is currently the Chair of WRDSS (Waterloo Regional Down Syndrome Society) and has extensive volunteer experience with the Down Syndrome Society, the YWCA and K-W Counselling and is an active fundraiser for many charitable community groups. She is a strong advocate for awareness, education and inclusion for people with disabilities. Arisa and her husband Steve have a son, Michael, who is a current recipient of the services of KidsAbility.
Bruce Antonello
Bruce was the President and Chief Executive Officer of St. Mary's General Hospital from December 1982 until the spring of 2004. He currently works as an independent Health Care Consultant. He is Chair of the KW Chamber of Commerce Health Care Resources Council and part of a group of citizens who, under the banner Med Ed, is raising money to support the Waterloo Regional Campus of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.
Sarah Chadwick is a graduate of both Queen's & Dalhousie Universities with Undergraduate Honours Degrees in Physical Education and History and a Graduate degree in Business Administration. Sarah has recently completed 25 years of service to Girl Guides of Canada, serving 8 of those years locally in Cambridge in a leadership role. Sarah is currently a Sales Manager with S.C. Johnson & Son Ltd. based in Brantford Ontario, and is also the mother of 2 autistic boys.
Steve is the Head of Marketing for the Canadian Digital Media Network, a national organization linking the digital industry across Canada. Prior to CDMN, he was Director of Marketing at Open Text and has held various senior sales and marketing positions within the tech sector. Steve is an active member of the Public Relations Society of America and is a frequent technology marketing lecturer at both Wilfrid Laurier and Conestoga College. Steve is also active in the community with a number of charities and is a past Board member of the United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo.
With over 20 years of experience in the Broadcast industry, Wendy joined the Rogers Kitchener Radio Group in 2006 and is the current Program Director of 96.7 CHYM FM and KIX 106.7 FM. Prior Board experience includes acting as the Rogers appointed representative for F.A.C.T.O.R. (The Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Recordings) – a private non-profit organization, dedicated to providing assistance toward the growth and development of the Canadian independent recording industry.
Jan spent most of career in Early Childhood Education working at various levels. She received an International award for her work with Co-operative Preschools. She served on a number of Community Boards in the Waterloo Region, including serving as President of the K-W Alzheimer Society and Chairperson at Conestoga College. She is currently volunteering in the Resource Centre at KidsAbility Waterloo.
Bobbi Holte
Bobbi is a Chartered Accountant who spent eight years with Ernst & Young before leaving to take on senior financial roles for three local high-tech companies and a lead role in the development of the Waterloo Research & Technology Park Accelerator Centre as the Centre’s first Director of Client Programs. Bobbi is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Fibernetics Corporation, a Waterloo Region-based technology company. Bobbi is also the proud mom of Sydnie and Samuel, both of whom have received services from KidsAbility. Bobbi is a frequent speaker at events coordinated through KidsAbility Foundation and shares her experience as a parent of a child with special needs. Bobbi is also one of the founders of the Waterloo Region Family Network, a family driven resource centre which offers lifelong support to families as they navigate the world of “disability”.
Steven graduated in General Business studies from Conestoga College and currently is employed with Nordia Inc. as a Customer Care and Technical Support Agent. He is an ambassador and active volunteer with KidsAbility where he mentors clients, advises on policy issues and makes fundraising presentations. He enjoys meeting and working with people. Both Steven and his wife Tanya are former clients of KidsAbility and reside in Kitchener.
Dr. Jones is a life-long resident of Kitchener-Waterloo. He graduated from the University of Western Ontario’s Faculty of Dentistry in 1975. Dr. Jones is an Associate Lecturer at Western and is Past President of the Rotary Club of Kitchener Grand-River and a former Rotary Area Governor representing the Kitchener-Waterloo Rotary Clubs. He is a recipient of the Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship and the Catholic Family Counselling Centre Community Service Award.
Doug Letson, Chair, KidsAbility Foundation
Doug is a retired academic and is the Past President of St. Jerome’s University. He has been active on a number of university and community boards and committees. In addition to his position at the KidsAbility Foundation, his more recent community activities at the board level include his service as Past Chair of the Board at St. Mary’s General Hospital, Past President and Chair of the Board of the Walter Bean Grand River Community Trails Foundation, member of the Board of the Grand River Conservation Foundation, and Past Chair of the Grants Committee and past member of the Board at the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation. Doug is widely published and he is the recipient of several honours and distinctions.
Marilee Mark is the Vice-President of Marketing, Group Benefits at Manulife Financial in Waterloo. Marilee is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy. She is the chair of The Canadian Council on Integrated Healthcare and is a frequent speaker and advocate on issues relating to private and public healthcare in Canada. Marilee is a member of the Sunnyside Home Foundation Board in Kitchener.
Nancy was the Founder and President of Angel Associates, a health care agency in Waterloo Region. Having retired, Nancy currently is an independent business consultant. Nancy is a frequent speaker sharing her business experiences and her experiences of being a parent of a special needs child who died of cancer at the age of ten. Nancy is a past member of the Waterloo Hospice Board and Waterloo Separate School Board, Special Education Advisory Committee as well as Past President of St. Vincent de Paul Society at her church. She is currently volunteering with Junior Achievement.
Dr. Janet Speight - Director of Medical Services
Dr. Speight has been our lead doctor at KidsAbility since 1988. She and her husband had a family practice in Kitchener from 1983 until early 2009. She provides medical support and consultation to staff and coordinates related issues with the medical community in Waterloo Region. She graduated from Dalhousie University with a degree in Biology and from UBC with a degree in Zoology. She then attended Dalhousie University Medical School and practiced as a family physician in Prince Edward Island after her internship in Halifax. She and her husband later moved to Kingston for further training and after returning to the Maritimes for three years came to Kitchener in 1982. Since 2008, she is an Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) in Pediatrics at McMaster University, Faculty of Health Sciences as part of KidsAbility's new partnership with McMaster.
Ray is a parent of Claire, a former Guelph ambassador for KidsAbility, and is a strong supporter / donor to KidsAbility. As a graduate of Carleton University with a degree in Psychology, Ray has put this to use as a Financial Planner with Investors Group, a community volunteer in Guelph, a Board Member of Victim Services in Wellington, the Treasurer of the Mary Phelan Catholic School Council and the Founder / Chairperson of the Business Connections Exchange, Guelph Chapter. Ray also was a past Rotarian.
Stephen Swatridge - Chief Executive Officer
Stephen is a graduate of the McMaster University School of Social Work and Simon Fraser University School of Business (Executive MBA Program). He is a Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Service Executives and is an active volunteer with several local organizations. Stephen’s professional career has included a stint in the Ontario government and he has held leadership positions in several health and social service organizations in Ontario and British Columbia. He currently leads the implementation of the KidsAbility 2020 Strategic Directions with particular emphasis on the development of strategic partnerships.
Lisa Talbot - Executive Director, KidsAbility Foundation
Lisa has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph and has been with the KidsAbility Foundation since 2000. Lisa is a member of the Waterloo Region Fund Raising Executives and Association of Fundraising Professionals. She is a graduate of Leadership Waterloo Region, a local executive development program. Her leadership has enabled KidsAbility Foundation to develop strong community support and KidsAbility to enhance its profile as an important, innovative and knowledge-sharing organization.
Paul is the managing Partner of Morneau Sobeco’s Kitchener Office. Prior to that, Paul worked for another major actuarial consulting firm in Detroit and Toronto. Paul is a frequent speaker on pension issues. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. Paul also volunteers for the Toronto CFA Society as a Media Speaker on pension issues.