Barbara joined the ACO board in 2014. As an adoptive parent, Barbara is very passionate about adoption, and recognizes the need and importance of better communication between all the groups working to provide forever families.
Barbara holds a Master’s degree in international business, and has 17 years of experience in real estate, with a focus on investor relations/communications.
In the past, Barbara has volunteered at CultureLink, an organization that helps newcomers to Canada to settle, and with HIS Home For Children, a Haitian orphanage that her family has adopted from
Grace has been on the Board of Directors for 4 years. She is a past treasurer, chair of the governance committee and currently the vice- chairperson.
Grace graduated from University of Waterloo with a Honours Bachelor Mathematics and a Master of Accounting. Grace is currently working at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Senior Associate in Audit and Assurance Group. She has always been involved in her community and has volunteered for many organizations.
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.
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.
Stephanie joined the ACO board in 2015 but has been a volunteer for more than 5 years as a member of the Fund Development team.
Dr. Sherri Baine is a pediatrician working in North York. Sherri moved to Hamilton to attend McMaster University where she completed an Honours Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and a Doctor of Medicine degree. She returned to Toronto to complete residency training in Pediatrics and fellowship training in Developmental Pediatrics at The University of Toronto. Sherri is grateful for the support of family, friends and mentors received along this journey. Sherri joined the ACO in 2016 and is looking forward to contributing to building and strengthening families in Ontario.
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.
Formerly the project manager for Jockey Being Family’s™ Community Champions Network project at North American Council on Adoptable Children, Kim now directs Advocates for Families First, an alliance of NACAC, Generations United, and National Foster Parent Association. In this role, Kim oversees advocacy efforts on a federal and state policy agenda, capacity building for caregiver support/advocacy organizations throughout the United States, and manages communications and messaging efforts to elevate the visibility and positive image of kin, foster, and adoptive families and the children and youth they care for. Kim provides training and technical assistance, reviews and disseminates best practice models, provides consultation, serves on a number of national task forces, and manages the day-to-day activities of the project.
Since 2006 Kim has been working in Ontario, through a variety of venues, connecting with parents, professionals, and community members. She has provided training on assessment and preparation, parent leadership development, mentoring programs, adolescent permanency, openness in adoption, trauma and loss, adoption competency, youth advocacy and engagement, building coalitions, and more.
In her 25 years of child welfare work, Kim has provided training and consultation on child welfare, foster care, adoption, parenting, positive youth development, advocacy and leadership, trauma and recovery, and youth permanency issues both nationally and internationally.
She and her husband, Buddy have six children, four of whom were adopted from the public foster care system.
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.
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.
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
Sandra joined the ACO Board in 2016. She has worked at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for the past 16 years and is the Director, Internal Sourcing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Western University and Bachelor of Education from OISE.
During her childhood, Sandra’s parents provided kinship care to members of their extended families. These relationships provided a unique perspective on the significant role that families play in one’s development.
Sandra lives in Pickering with her husband George and two children.
