Board of Directors

Elizabeth is Chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and has a 35-year history of public service as a trustee and school board Chair, Kitchener-Waterloo MPP, Deputy Premier, Minister of Labour, Health & Long-Term Care, Environment and Education. As an MPP, she was a tireless community advocate and brought the Cancer Centre to Grand River Hospital and the Cardiac Centre to St. Mary’s Hospital. She has received many awards such as the Paul Harris Fellowship Award from Rotary, the Social Work Doctors Award for her strong commitment to a just and caring society, the 2013 Kitchener-Waterloo Citizen of the Year Award and in 2014, was the first recipient of the Asthma Society of Canada Innovation in Public Policy Award for her role in beginning Ontario’s coal phase-out. Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, Althouse College of Education and the ICD Rotman Program.

Eileen is Shad Canada’s national lead on program strategy development and execution. Knowing her work makes a difference in the lives of youth, Eileen thrives on helping prepare the next generation of Canadian leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs make a meaningful difference in communities around the world. Prior to joining Shad, Eileen spent over 20 years as a human resources executive in the financial services sector, fostering peoples’ highest possible engagement, potential and performance. Eileen has an HBA in Sociology, an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and completed the Adult Education program at St. Francis Xavier University. In her spare time, Eileen lends her time to not-for-profit organizations, cheers on her son from the baseball stands, and loves to cook and eat, bike and travel with her husband and son.

As a former Chartered Professional Accountant and Senior Manager in Ernst & Young’s (EY’s) accounting and assurance practice, Theresa has over 20 years of public accounting experience—providing accounting, business advisory, and auditing services to growing organizations, including early stage technology companies, manufacturing companies, service-based entities, and not-for-profit organizations. Theresa is Past Chair of the Board of Governors of the Grand River Hospital Foundation and is currently a member of its Finance Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Waterloo and currently lives in Waterloo with her family.

Tim Forestell is Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at DOZR – North America’s trusted source for heavy equipment rentals. Leading the organization’s sales, revenue and customer success strategy, Tim takes pride in designing, orchestrating, and improving customer experiences across a complex range of customer interactions.

With extensive leadership experience, Tim previously served as VP of Operations for one of Ontario’s largest landscaping companies. Tim also holds a BHSc from the University of Western Ontario.

Tim resides in Guelph with his husband and daughter.

Peter is a retired lawyer, having practiced law for over 30 years at a local law firm. Peter was born and raised in Kitchener-Waterloo and completed his undergraduate degree at Wilfrid Laurier University before leaving town for law school. Peter was first introduced to KidsAbility in the 1970s when he was a high school student at Kitchener Collegiate. At that time, he volunteered at the Rotary Centre School where his mother Elaine was a long-time employee. It was through that experience that Peter learned of the importance of the organization’s role in the community and the dramatic impact that it has on the children and families that it serves. Peter resides in Waterloo with his spouse. They have three adult children.

Uzma is a global community builder and an engaged citizen with over fifteen years of passionately working in the not-for-profit sector spearheading rights of marginalized communities. She has undertaken endeavours that have instilled in her the capacity to appreciate diversity and respect integrity, both required to support communities in today’s dynamic globally interconnected environment. Be it in far flung rural hospitals of Pakistan’s shanty towns of Lyari and Orangi serving marginalized women as a gynecologist or collaborating with Chinese and Pakistani communities on domestic violence against women, Uzma has been at the forefront of selflessly serving her grassroot stakeholders. In Canada Uzma has spent countless hours in volunteering towards organizational Boards, causes of mental health, equity, diversity, and social inclusivity supporting our vibrant populations, helping to make Kitchener-Waterloo a great place to live in.

Presently she is working as Coordinator, Women Building Women delivering numerous projects with the Coalition of Muslim Women (CMW) in the Region of Waterloo. Uzma’s latest project is leading the first ever breakthrough grassroot project that is aiming towards marginalized Women Social and Economic Empowerment. Uzma for her work in the community has received several awards, such as The Leading Women/Leading Girls Building Communities Recognition Award that celebrates women and girls whose volunteer work has improved the lives of others in their community, the 5 Year Service award from CMW, and the 10 Year Service Award by CMW. With a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Waterloo she is the first amongst her medical doctor MBBS graduates from Pakistan to step into the exciting field of not-for-profit and public health in Canada. Through her enriching experiences she has gained valuable understanding of global health issues, with a focus on women and mental health initiatives. Uzma is very proud to be a Muslim woman with a modern outlook towards life. One who crossed borders to accept challenges and struggled her way up to assume leadership roles in our energetic community.

Ashna is a Chartered Professional Accountant whose career began at Ernst & Young (EY) in the assurance practice. Thereafter, she continued providing her financial expertise at The Co-operators in their Decision Support team where she currently works as a Senior Consultant for Business Partnerships and Projects to empower decision-making through financial insights. Ashna was born and raised in the Kitchener-Waterloo area and completed her undergraduate and master’s degree at the University of Waterloo. She first became acquainted with KidsAbility through school fundraisers growing up. Her belief in the impact that empowering children to reach their full potential can have led her back to KidsAbility where she is eager to contribute in their efforts to provide invaluable support and services to children and their families in the community.

Brittney is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Manager in Ernst & Young’s (EY’s) accounting and assurance practice.  She provides public accounting expertise to various mid-sized companies across North America, including Not for Profit Organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University and currently resides in Kitchener with her husband and two daughters.

Eric is a lawyer with SmithValeriote Law Firm LLP and is a Certified Specialist in Municipal Law by the Law Society of Ontario. He practices exclusively in the area of Municipal & Planning Law, where he acts for both municipalities and private sector clients. Eric regularly assists with planning-and zoning-related matters, including re-zonings, plans of subdivision, site plans, minor variances, and severances, as well as OntarioLand Tribunal appeals. He also regularly handles municipal conflicts of interest, prosecutions, by-law drafting, municipal tax sales, heritage matters, public procurement, and municipal elections. Eric regularly appears before local boards, Municipal Heritage Committees, Committees of Adjustment, the Normal Farm Practices Protection Board, the Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal and the Ontario Land Tribunal. Eric is a long-time volunteer in Waterloo Region, notably as a former President of the Rotary Club of Waterloo and, in 2019, he received the Waterloo Award (the City of Waterloo’s highest civic honour). He resides in Waterloo with his wife and two children.

Adrian is a founding partner in the training and organizational development firm of Great Lakes Learning Inc. For more than 30 years he has had extensive experience working with a variety of clients in leadership training, developing strategic direction, facilitation of management of change, team building and development of teams at all levels. He has been an active member of the Rotary Club of Kitchener since 1986 in a number of administrative and committee roles and a board member for the past 11 years. He has been a part of the District Training Committee for the past 15 years and has just completed his fifth year as the Director of Training for Rotary District 7080. He is currently the Chair of Rotary Leadership Institute, and Chair of the District 7080 Strategic Planning Committee. He is a multiple recipient of a Paul Harris Fellowship, one of Rotary’s highest honors.

Vikki was born and raised in Guelph and is a graduate of the University of Waterloo. She and her husband Jake have four children and five granddaughters. Vikki has had a long and winding journey with KidsAbility, beginning in 2001 as the manager of the newly opened West End Community Centre, which was also the new home for the KidsAbility Guelph site. Working with Denise Watson this partnership grew and strengthened quickly. In 2010, her son and daughter-in-law were blessed with a daughter who was a micro preemie and six months after Ella’s birth, began a new relationship as a “Nonna” to a KidsAbility client. Her Ella is a past Guelph Ambassador. In 2017, Vikki retired from the City of Guelph after four decades of service but shortly thereafter agreed to become the project manager for the new KidsAbility site that would now include Autism services. After a successful completion of the project and grand opening she applied to become a board director. Vikki is currently Vice Chair of the Wellington Catholic DSB and has been a trustee for 25 years. In 2019 she received the Provincial Award of Merit for outstanding service. In 2017 she was awarded the Tony Brenner Mentor Award from the Ontario Recreation Facilities Association. Vikki champions children every chance she gets, believing that “every child is gifted, they just unwrap their packages at different times.”

George is the CEO, Co-Founder, and Principal Investor at Lexington Park, a real estate investment, asset management, and development firm. Lexington Park’s mandate is to build positive economic impact in the communities it serves.

Prior to co-founding Lexington Park, George held progressively senior roles at McKinsey & Company, serving both its Private Equity and Institutional Investor Practice and providing guidance on a wide range of issues related to alternative asset class investing, specifically real estate and private equity.

George has been active in public service for over 25 years. A Loran Scholar from the Class of 1995, George currently serves on the board of the Loran Scholars Foundation. He has also served as Board Treasurer for the Design Exchange, Canada’s Design Museum.

George holds a BA in Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, an MSc. in Real Estate Economics and Finance at the London School of Economics, and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University. He is also a graduate of the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program.
George lives with his wife and four children in Toronto and Waterloo.

Chair of KidsAbility Foundation, Donna is the co-founder of Kuppers & Company Chartered Accountants and JDK Management Services Inc. For the past 15 years she has managed these practices while providing accounting, tax and small business coaching to their clients. Prior to this Donna was the Vice President of Finance for a large local privately held distribution company. Donna has recently embarked on a teaching endeavour as a part-time Professor of Accounting at Conestoga College. Donna is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA) and Certified Coach. She is currently enrolled in the Not-for-Profit Certificate Program through Chartered Professional Accountants Canada. Donna has volunteered for a variety of organizations including Zonta Club of K-W, Kitchener Minor Hockey, and Parent Council at MacGregor Senior Public School. She is Toronto-born, and Business graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University. Donna lives in Kitchener with her husband and has two boys.

Sandra has devoted her professional career to providing senior leadership in health service organizations in Canada and internationally. Her focus has been on supporting an organization’s commitment to providing accessible, smooth and effective community-based health and disability services that make a real difference to people’s lives. Sandra has and continues to serve on a number of boards at the local, provincial, national and international level. She holds a Masters of Health Science from the University of Toronto. Recognized as both a visionary leader and strategic thinker, Sandra has an impressive ability to move programs forward from conception to implementation. She is an accomplished community building and visionary governance leader who thrives on developing strong community leaders.

Chris has over 20 years’ experience at TD Bank where he assists clients in senior debt commercial lending transactions, including secured loans and acquisition financing. Chris’ expertise includes structuring creative lending solutions, as well as working closely with subordinated debt and private equity firms. Chris is actively involved in the Region of Waterloo supporting local business and community organizations. Chris, a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, resides in North Dumfries with his wife and three children.

Rebecca is a Senior Accountant in Ernst & Young’s (EY’s) accounting and assurance practice focusing on private clients. She holds an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier and is currently pursuing her CPA designation. Rebecca is passionate about working with children and was a volunteer with children and youth programs for over 10 years. Now she is excited to use her diverse experience to help make meaningful change at Kids Ability. She currently resides in Kitchener with her two lovely, if crazy, cats. 

Born in Fergus and raised in Arthur, Ted Arnott studied political science and business at Wilfrid Laurier University graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma in Business Administration. Ted served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario uninterrupted from 1990 to 2025 as a Member of Provincial Parliament. Deciding not to seek re-election, he left the Assembly as the longest serving MPP in the House at that time and the longest serving Speaker in Ontario’s history. In politics, he was known for consistently working across party lines to get things done on behalf of his constituents and in the public interest. Since departing the Assembly, Ted has pursued a number of volunteer opportunities in the communities he represented in the House. He also enjoys tennis, skating, reading, and long walks with his wife Lisa, who is a retired French teacher. They live in Fergus where they raised their three sons, each of whom is now grown and making their own contribution to public service.

Timothy Alexander is a Controller at OMNI PRECAST Inc. and previously served as Controller at Southbridge Health Care LP. He has years of experience in a variety of financial and accounting positions. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business studies from the University of Windsor and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA). Timothy has volunteered with Scouts Canada and has had a personal connection with KidsAbility when his sons attended the Cambridge facility for speech therapy. He believes that the help provided by KidsAbility is important in helping families obtain tools to aid their children in their day-to-day lives with an action plan to make their lives easier. Timothy lives in Ayr, Ontario.

Chair of KidsAbility Foundation, Donna is the co-founder of Kuppers & Company Chartered Accountants and JDK Management Services Inc. For the past 15 years she has managed these practices while providing accounting, tax and small business coaching to their clients. Prior to this Donna was the Vice President of Finance for a large local privately held distribution company. Donna has recently embarked on a teaching endeavour as a part-time Professor of Accounting at Conestoga College. Donna is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA) and Certified Coach. She is currently enrolled in the Not-for-Profit Certificate Program through Chartered Professional Accountants Canada. Donna has volunteered for a variety of organizations including Zonta Club of K-W, Kitchener Minor Hockey, and Parent Council at MacGregor Senior Public School. She is Toronto-born, and Business graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University. Donna lives in Kitchener with her husband and has two boys.

Todd is a Commercial Insurance Specialist with Josslin Insurance Brokers of Waterloo Region, joining the brokerage with his CIP Designation in 2008. Todd graduated with a BBA from Northwood University in Midland Michigan in 2000. His years of building relationships within the community, both for business and volunteerism, started when he became a member of The Kitchener-Westmount Rotary Club in 2003. Todd served as President of the Kitchener-Westmount Club in 2013-2014 and then went on to the District level as Assistant District Governor 2015-2018. Todd remains an active Rotarian and has also volunteered on Charity Golf Tournament Committees for Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region and Carizon Family & Community Services. Todd resides in Waterloo with his wife and their two daughters.

Heather is Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Accountant (CA) with over 20 years experience in public accounting, financial reporting and corporate governance. As a Senior Manager at Doane Grant Thornton, she oversees the Independent Business Group, working with individuals and private companies providing accounting, tax, estate planning and business advisory services.

Heather has been involved with numerous organizations over the years, serving as the Treasurer for the Kitchener-Waterloo Sertoma Speed Skating Club, committee member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario’s Examinations Committee and volunteering with local Parent Councils and youth sports teams. Originally from Thunder Bay, Heather has lived in Waterloo for the past 25 years with her husband and their 3 children.

Whether mentoring young professionals, supporting community events or fundraising activities, Heather brings energy and dedication to her work.

Valerie first became involved with KidsAbility as Chair of the School Authority. During her previous association with the school, she was awed by the spirit of the children and impressed with the commitment of school and Centre staff. One of her children benefitted from the work of the amazing team at the Centre. Valerie believes strongly in giving back to her community. To that end, she has held many volunteer roles, from leadership roles with Centre In The Square, KW Synchronized Swimming Club, the Clinical Research Ethics Committee at the University of Waterloo, and the Waterloo Region Law Association, to numerous hands-on roles with community groups. Her legal career of close to 35 years included being a partner with Sims, Clement, Eastman, teaching law full-time at Conestoga College, and practising with a boutique litigation firm in Hamilton and with Kay Law Professional Corporation locally.

Suk is a resident of Waterloo and as a passionate community leader and dedicated board member at KidsAbility, Suk is a champion for children and families who deserve equitable outcomes. That same sense of purpose drives his work with public sector clients—municipalities, universities, school boards, and healthcare institutions—as they navigate uncertainty and complex challenges. With deep experience in risk services and internal audit, Suk helps organizations move beyond compliance to make confident, informed decisions that deliver lasting value. Whether it’s evaluating control frameworks, addressing operational blind spots, or guiding leadership through crisis or transformation, my focus is on ensuring risks are addressed in a way that unlocks reward—not just reduces exposure / costs.

Shankha is a Program Coordinator at Conestoga College, managing the Professional Accounting Program. His responsibilities include program management, teaching, applied research and creating digital learning material. His industry experience in Finance and Accounting spans 16 plus years across various industries including IT, chemical manufacturing and hospitality. His academic background includes an MBA in Finance and Business Strategy from Schulich School of Business at York University (Toronto) and Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designations from CPA Ontario. He believes in applying his skills and experience to benefit a broad section of society. It is this belief that brought him to his current role at KidsAbility Foundation. He lives in Waterloo with his wife and daughter.

Sandy has extensive Human Resources, Operations and Leadership Experience having held a wider range of senior roles at SunLife and Cowan Insurance Group/Princeton Holdings. She has also had experience implementing DEI programs in large and medium size companies. For nine of the over twenty years, she was with SunLife Sandy was VP of Canadian Human Resources. Sandy brings extensive board experience having served on the Board of Directors for KidsAbility Centre, Shaw Festival, KW Symphony, and the Centre in the Square.

Patty Gateman is a dedicated and accomplished CPA, CGA and professor at Conestoga College. Patty has many years of experience in a number of diverse roles while working at Shoppers Drug Mart, Ministry of Finance and Sun Life Financial, she has inspired countless students through her engaging lectures and mentorship and is known for her insightful teaching, and commitment to academic excellence.  Patty obtained her MBA from Athabasca University while working full time in 2012. Patty has two grown daughters and resides in Cambridge with her husband Doug and cat Sophia.  She is excited to give back to her community by working with Kids Ability Foundation.

Alex is the owner of Kinsella Marketing Inc, a writing and content marketing agency based in Kitchener. Before starting his agency, Alex worked in product management, public relations, and marketing roles at BlackBerry, Thalmic Labs, and Communitech. He is also the brains behind the TL;WR newsletter – Waterloo Region’s weekly events newsletter. Alex lives in Kitchener with his wife and three daughters – two of whom benefited from KidsAbility’s fantastic team. It was those interactions that inspired Alex to get more involved with KidsAbility’s mission.

Ryan is a Portfolio Manager with the MacNaughton Lynch group of RBC Dominion Securities in Waterloo. He works with individuals, small businesses, and foundations across Canada to ensure they achieve their financial goals. Born and raised in Waterloo Region, Ryan holds a BA in Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designations. Ryan comes from a large family, 5 brothers, and has seen first-hand the positive impact KidsAbility can have on children and their families.

Jeff’s experience includes 24 years at Manulife Bank, Manulife Securities, Investment Planning Counsel and Ontario Hydro. His leadership roles were responsible for investment manager due diligence, distributor relations, product development, marketing and operations. Jeff is also a member of the Region of Waterloo Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC), contributing to the development of active transportation policies and a more accessible Waterloo Region community. Jeff holds an MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University with a focus on general management and marketing. He enjoys cycling, walking and playing pickleball. Jeff lives in Waterloo with his wife and has two daughters.

Jacqueline is a lawyer that has been practicing law for over 30 years in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.  Jacqueline’s law practice focuses on collaborative family law and assisting clients with wills and estate planning. Jacqueline’s law practice is situated in a century home located in the Frederick Street neighbourhood of Kitchener. Jacqueline has been involved in a variety of charitable organizations.  Specifically, the Kitchener Grand River Rotary club where she was a member for over 10 years and a Board Member of the club for a number of years. She proudly served as President for the Kitchener Grand River Rotary Club for the 2014-2015 term and is a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship. She really enjoys walking her two dogs, travelling and is an avid gardener and cottager.  Jacqueline lives in Waterloo with her husband and has two daughters and a son.

Eric is a resident of Kitchener and is a Senior Wealth Advisor at BMO Nesbitt Burns. For almost 30 years, he has been assisting families in Southwestern Ontario to invest with confidence, plan proactively to achieve their goals and dreams, make sense of what they have accumulated, and experience life without financial stress. He is known for his investment knowledge, exceptional service touchpoints, integrity, conviction, and compassion. A highly community-minded individual, Eric has volunteered his time and expertise extensively with several local charities for many years. In addition to KidsAbility, he serves as a Board and Finance Committee Member with the House of Friendship. Eric was formerly an Investment Committee Chair and Board Member at the Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation, a Treasurer and Board Member with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Waterloo Region, an Audit, Risk and Finance Committee Member at Trinity Village in Kitchener, and a Board Member at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Kitchener. His focus has always been on investing and financial governance. Through his experience on our Investment Committee, Eric’s understanding of what KidsAbility does has grown and feels his experience and knowledge can make a difference in the work that KidsAbility does.

Tim Forestell is Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at DOZR – North America’s trusted source for heavy equipment rentals. Leading the organization’s sales, revenue and customer success strategy, Tim takes pride in designing, orchestrating, and improving customer experiences across a complex range of customer interactions. With extensive leadership experience, Tim previously served as VP of Operations for one of Ontario’s largest landscaping companies. Tim also holds a BHSc from the University of Western Ontario. Tim resides in Guelph with his husband and daughter.