Karen joined the board in September 2016. She has her Masters of Business Administration (MBA), with a focus on board governance and corporate social responsibility, and is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP). Karen is currently the Health, Safety and Organizational Development Manager for the Electrical Safety Authority where she enthusiastically works towards creating and sustaining a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. Over the last several years she has led the building and execution of the Leadership Development programs, and chairing the Centre of Excellence team tasked with embedding Change Management practices.
As an adoptee, she is passionate about ensuring every child and youth not only finds their “Forever Family”, but that families and adoptees have ongoing support systems. Karen’s supportive husband and two energetic children inspire her to be grateful for every day and live her life’s purpose.
Marino is currently the treasurer of the board. He joined the board because of his appreciation and understanding of the significant role that families play in one’s life, and he see his involvement with this organization as a way to support Ontario families.
Marino is a Senior Associate on the Valuations, Modelling and Disputes team within the Consulting and Deals practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). He is a qualified CPA-CA (Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant) and is currently pursuing the Chartered Business Valuators designation as a registered student with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators (CICBV). Since joining PwC in 2011, his client portfolio has ranged from both private and public clients in the asset management, banking, utilities and automotive industries. Before joining PwC, Marino owned and operated a successful painting franchise, which remains one of his most powerful career experiences.
Through his work and life experiences, Marino has learned many valuable lessons and skills, which have supported his professional career. Marino will bring this skill set to his work on the ACO board of directors.
Amy joined the ACO board in 2014. Amy is a marketing communications professional and holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Victoria, British Columbia. She works as a Global Senior Marketing Manager with KPMG International.
As a proud adoptee, Amy believes that every adoption experience brings its own unique complexities to be explored, examined and celebrated. She is eager to contribute to an organization that takes into account all those touched by adoption, at every stage of their experience. Amy lives with her husband in Toronto.
Lisette is a marketing strategist with 25 years experience working with businesses ranging from small new businesses to global brands such as Kraft, IBM and Ford. She has extensive experience helping organizations develop long term customer relationships, new product launches, customer acquisition, retention and win back strategies. For the past 5 years, she has also been teaching an online marketing course for the Canadian Marketing Association.
Lisette is currently working on the development of an economic development model for how to leverage impact investing in small and rural communities to attract outside investment and help create an entrepreneurial environment that supports risk taking and encourages innovative business growth.
Lisette has been on the board of directors of the Open Arms Children’s Foundation for 10 years and is currently serving as chair. Open Arms works with volunteers, government, and institutions to help abandoned and orphaned Chinese babies and children to improve their prospects through education and health.
She is looking forward to contributing and helping the ACO with their important work in helping children find their forever family.
Sheryl joined the ACO board in 2016. She brings more than 30 years of experience actively leading change for services, individuals and families. As an experienced professional social worker, she has integrative and diverse mixed practice clinical and leadership skills that she has provided to organizations in the public and non-profit sector. In the public and private sector Sheryl has been both a consultant and therapist using her passion and energy toward the critical work of building and sustaining families, ensuring connections are maintained especially during critical times when families are at risk. She is an eloquent and passionate advocate for children and youth in care working on policy development and reform. Her ability to work collaboratively with counterparts and stakeholders has resulted in policy and procedure changes ensuring service excellence. Empowering children and youth in care directly affected by foster care and adoption has led her to continue training in adoption, permanency and support, and to a role on the Adoption Council of Ontario (ACO) Board.
Sheryl currently is in private practice and is actively working with children, adults and families, many of whom are touched by adoption. Her mixed practice expertise is in the following areas: general counselling, child and adult mental health, abuse, trauma, adoption, foster care, permanency planning, substance abuse (food, alcohol and drug) and attachment. Sheryl is passionate about service excellence, social innovation, creative problem solving and the promotion of health and wellness.
Breann joined the ACO board in 2016. Breann practices corporate and securities law in Toronto and currently is the Vice President, Legal & Compliance at BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University. Breann is a proud adoptee who was raised by loving parents and four older siblings, and is eager to work with the ACO to ensure that all adoptees and adoptive families across Ontario have positive experiences like her own.
Susan has been a member of the Ontario Bar since 1980. Her early career focused on quasi-criminal and policing issues. She worked for both the Solicitor General and the Attorney General before being appointed by the Premier as the first female Police Complaints Commissioner for Ontario. In that role, Susan supervised a provincial agency of 60 staff in 8 regional offices and had jurisdiction over all police officers in the province.
Susan has served on local, provincial and international boards of directors and as a member of the Ontario Parole Board. In that capacity, she conducted parole hearings for inmates of provincial correctional institutions.
Susan holds a law degree from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Laws from Cambridge University. She is a published author and the proud mother of 4 adopted children
Nancy holds a Masters of Social Work and a Masters of Arts in Public Policy and Administration. She worked in the field of child welfare in Ontario for over 35 years retiring from the position of Director of Service of the Children's Aid Society of Toronto in 2016. Throughout her career, Nancy has been dedicated to the development and oversight of child welfare services designed to ensure the best interests, protection and well being of children and youth. Nancy is passionate about the need to achieve permanency through adoption for children and youth who become permanent wards of the state and throughout her career has been involved in many initiatives designed to support this goal.
Valerie joined the ACO board in June 2018. She has a Masters of Nursing degree with a focus on Health in the Community. She also holds Masters Certificates in Municipal Management and Solution Focused Coaching. Valerie is an experienced leader at York Region Public Health where she enthusiastically works with her team and community partners to provide evidence-based, quality programs and services to parents and their families. It is important to her that all children have the opportunity to reach their full growth and development potential. Valerie has led various projects and strategies including those focused on best practices for Perinatal Mental Health and Family Violence Prevention. Valerie recently received her Greenbelt in continuous quality improvement and she participates in a steering group that is working towards Excellence Canada Gold Accreditation.
Promoting good mental health for everyone is of particular importance to Valerie. Currently, she leads a Mental Health Strategy in York Region to decrease stigma associated with mental health, and to increase early identification and referral to programs and supports.
As an adoptive parent, Valerie has experienced the gift of a forever family and would like to share her knowledge, skills and experience on the ACO board to better serve children, youth and families.
The ACO has board committees that support planning:
