Board of directors

Chief Executive Officer, Stonehenge Therapeutic Community

Kristin Kerr is a registered social worker and an experienced leader with over 15 years working within the mental health and addictions sectors with people of all ages. As the Executive Director at Stonehenge Therapeutic Community, Kristin strives to create communities where people living with substance use are welcomed, supported, and thriving. She embraces the opportunity to drive health system change forward and bring health equity to vulnerable populations across her community. Kristin believes that organizational health drives the quality of care provided to clients and she takes pride in developing strong organizational culture and staff engagement. Outside of her work life, Kristin enjoys spending time with her two daughters and their new puppy, and spending time outside in nature whenever possible.

Executive Director, Addiction Services Central Ontario

Penny Marrett, Executive Director of Addiction Services Central Ontario, has been in the not-for-profit sector for nearly 40 years. Since joining in 2014, the agency has grown by leaps and bounds and is now one of the largest community health service providers of addiction services in Ontario. In 2017, Addiction Services Central Ontario was chosen to be the lead agency for addictions for York Region, North York and South Simcoe.

Penny’s career has spanned 38 years; all of it in the not-for-profit sector. She has held a number of leadership positions in the voluntary sector and is a strong believer in the importance of the role that the not-for-profit sector can play in responding to community needs and public policy development.

Over the years, Penny has also been an active volunteer. Her volunteer experience includes the Canadian Soccer Association, the Windsor Family Health Team, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Trillium Chapter of the Canadian Society of Association Executive and the Distress Centres of the Toronto, among others.

President & CEO, Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre

Mike Beauchesne is the President & CEO of the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre in Ottawa, a 30-bed live-in and aftercare treatment program serving youth, 13-21 years of age. He has been with the DSYTC for more than 23 years and has worked in various clinical and leadership capacities during his tenure, including: Addiction Therapist, Clinical Coordinator and Executive VP – Clinical Services. A strong proponent of evidence-based practices and the personal and professional development of self and others, Mike enjoys working with a local, regional, provincial and national focus to help improve the lives of those who are impacted by mental health, addiction and substance use health issues. In addition to his role with AMHO, Mike advises and participates on various committees, including the Kids Come First Ontario Health Team (OHT) where he is a member of the Steering Committee and past Co-Chair of the Mental Health, Addictions and Substance Use Health working group.

Mike possesses an Honours degree in Psychology from Carleton University, an M.Ed. (Counselling) from the University of Ottawa and an MBA from Carleton’s Sprott School of Business. Mike is also a Certified Canadian Counsellor (CCC) with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.

CEO, Thunder Bay Counselling

Nancy Chamberlain is the CEO of Thunder Bay Counselling since 1991 with oversight for a budget of 4.3M and 29 unique services. Thunder Bay Counselling is a community based, accredited mental health and addiction agency with a broad range of program areas including counselling & psychotherapy; addiction & mental health; victim services, child & youth services; financial empowerment and family & employee assistance programs. Nancy has extensive experience in organizational leadership, governance, policy development and strategic planning. She has held numerous governance leadership roles with community, provincial and national boards for non-profit organizations such as Family Service Ontario, the Canadian Centre for Accreditation, Children’s Centre Thunder Bay. Nancy is co-chair of the Thunder Bay District Mental Health and Addiction Network, Chair of the Thunder Bay and District Violence Against Women Local Service Panning Table and an active participant in community system planning initiatives involving mental health across the life span. Nancy received a Victim Services Award of Distinction in 2013 and the Queen’s Jubilee Award in 2002.

Peer Integration and Systems Lead, Support House’s Centre for Innovation in Peer Support

Alyssa is a passionate and dedicated system leader and advocate, who has used her lived experiences, education and professional experiences to create change in the healthcare and social service sectors. Alyssa has a degree in psychology and 15 years of experience in peer support. She has managed and coordinated peer programs focusing on youth empowerment, mental health, and harm reduction. She has also chaired and co-chaired many local committees and working groups.

Chief Executive Officer of the Wayside House of Hamilton

Regan Anderson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Wayside House of Hamilton for the past 22 years. Wayside House is a 60-bed integrated residential addiction and supportive housing program in Hamilton.

Primary focus is the treatment of addiction and concurrent disorders for men and transitional aged male youth. Regan is the program lead for the Hamilton Hepatitis C harm reduction outreach and treatment team with the AIDS and Hepatitis C Secretariat of Ontario.

Regan holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master’s degree in Applied Clinical Psychology. Regan began his clinical career in Stamford, Connecticut working in both residential and outpatient’s settings.

This included treatment of alcohol, drugs and work with methadone. Regan was director of Hamilton Men’s Withdrawal Management Centre with Hamilton Health Sciences for several years prior to joining Wayside House.

Regan is the co-chair of the Adult Mental Health and Addiction Secretariat of the Greater Hamilton Health Network (Ontario Health Team), co-chair of the Hamilton Drug Strategy Treatment Pillar and member of the Addiction and Mental Health Association advisory to the Ontario Centre of Excellence. Regan also chairs the provincial Residential Community of Practice with Addictions and Mental Health Ontario and chairs the Concurrent Disorders Advisory of Mohawk College. Regan is the recipient of the 2017 Individual Champion, Minister’s Medal, recognizing excellence in quality and safety.

Regan is a strong proponent of client choice and flexibility of care while recognizing the value of harm reduction.

President & CEO, Ottawa Salus

Mark is a registered psychotherapist with 20 years of experience in the mental health and social services sector. Mark is known for his ability to envision a bold future and make it a reality through sound strategy development. As an integrative thinker, Mark keeps the client at the center. He is unwavering in his dedication to improving access to mental health and addiction supports in the region and further afield.

Before joining Ottawa Salus in 2021, Mark was the Director of Mental Health and Community Programs at Family Services Ottawa. There, he worked closely with the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, the Canadian Mental Health Association Ottawa, and the Ottawa Health Team – Équipe Santé Ottawa. Mark co-led the development of Counselling Connect, a community mental health and addictions platform on which more than 20 community partners provided free phone and video counselling.

Mark has also served on various regional committees, including the Regional Planning Table for Trans Health, Champlain Virtual Care Committee, Champlain Quality Improvement Committee, Ottawa Family Court Community Liaison and Resource Committee, and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association Clinical Supervision Committee.

Mark holds a business diploma, an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Economics, and a Master’s in Counselling.

CEO, Reconnect Community Health Service

Mohamed Badsha has worked in the community and health sectors in Toronto for over 20 years. He has extensive community engagement, partnership development and service planning experience in Health Services, Child and Youth Services, Social Services and Employment Services.

Mohamed is currently the CEO at Reconnect Community Health Service in Toronto. Reconnect is one of the largest community-based health services provider in the west end of Toronto. They offer extensive Mental Health and Substance Use Services, comprehensive services to seniors including home care delivery and caregiver supports. Reconnect also leads several system level improvement projects.

Mohamed is committed to the planning and delivery of high quality, responsive and innovative system and service level changes to individuals and communities. He believes that evidence-based planning is key to constant quality improvement and to ensure that services are accountable and transparent to all stakeholders across our system. His considerable knowledge of community needs from a data and service perspective has led to innovation and multi-sectoral collaboration as a key component of his work. Mohamed has led several organization integrations including four with Reconnect. Mohamed academic background spans Community Development, Strategic Non-Profit Management at Harvard Business School, and York University Schulich School.

CEO, Community Addictions and Mental Health Ontario Services of Haldimand, Brant, and Norfolk. Prior

Bill is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Community Addictions and Mental Health Ontario Services of Haldimand, Brant, and Norfolk. Prior to this, he was the Director of Mental Health and later the Director of Strategic Initiatives, Standards, and Practices, for nearly twenty years for a child and youth mental health agency. In both roles, Bill also served as the Agency’s Director of Research and Training. Bill has served on numerous boards for community and provincial organizations, including a Community Health Centre, a Children’s Treatment Centre, and the Ontario Association for Counselors, Consultants, Psychotherapists, and Psychometrists. For nearly 20 years, he has been a lecturer/instructor at Brock University in the departments of Psychology and Child and Youth Studies. He has two Masters’ degrees in psychology, along with a doctorate in Public Health Policy.

Executive Director, Somerset West Community Health Centre

Suzanne Obiorah is a dedicated advocate for health equity with extensive senior leadership experience in the health, social services and municipal government sectors. She co-founded the Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition, where she led the development of a regional mental health strategy to empower Black residents in accessing culturally responsive care. Suzanne’s commitment to expanding access to primary care is evident in her success in securing funding for nurse practitioners and healthcare providers focused on serving communities that experience marginalization.

She served as the Director of Gender and Race Equity, Inclusion, Indigenous Relations, and Social Development for the City of Ottawa, overseeing the allocation of $30 million dollars funding to the social services sector and leading the development of the city’s first Anti-Racism Strategy. Suzanne’s unwavering dedication to upstream interventions, secured funding for community programming and infrastructure in priority neighborhoods, particularly benefiting racialized youth. She has actively influenced regional and provincial health system reform discussions and played a pivotal role in shaping responses to mental health crises through her participation in influential tables and forums in Ottawa.

Suzanne has Bachelors Degree in Applied Sciences from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Masters in Business Administration with a focus on Health Management from St. Mary’s University.  She brings not only her expertise but also her unwavering commitment to driving systemic and structural change.

CEO, CAPSA

Anthony Esposti, CEO, of CAPSA leads an accomplished and energetic team of professionals in their work to dismantle and transform stigma and discrimination for people addressing their Substance Use Health.  Prior to joining CAPSA, Anthony’s career in the private sector spanned 25 years in corporate lending for Canadian financial institutions.  In addition, he has served on several Boards of Directors across multiple sectors and is current co-chair of the Canadian Alliance for Mental Illness and Mental Health. Anthony has delivered keynote addresses at local, national and international fora, bringing CAPSA’s principle of Substance Use Health to employers, practitioners and policy makers.

Director of Addiction and Recovery Services at Montfort Renaissance

With over 20 years’ experience in the field of social, community and health services, Marie-Andrée has had the opportunity to contribute to the development of services and programs, essential to the well-being of communities across Eastern Ontario and Ontario, such as 211 Ontario, Maison Billy Buffet residential stabilization service for men and Maison Michelle de Courville Nicol.

Marie-Andrée has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Social Intervention as well as a graduate degree in Change Management, she has demonstrated proven leadership experience which has been founded in program and service management, change management and organizational culture, governance and organizational strategy, as well as performance and quality standards in the healthcare field.

Since 2017, Marie-Andrée has served as Director of Addiction and Recovery Services at Montfort Renaissance. She oversees multiple services specializing in withdrawal management and residential stabilization, most of which, operate in 24/7 environments and support multiple partners in the community, such as hospitals, emergency services as well as other addiction and mental health services.

Executive Director, Street Haven

Siu Mee Cheng possesses over 28 years of leadership experience in the health and social services sectors and governments at the local, provincial and national levels in Canada, and has worked on critical health and social policy, care and social justice issues including working across the care continuum, food insecurity, housing, equity, diversity and inclusion, public health and poverty reduction. She has provided leadership for organizations that have operated at the point of intersection of key health and social issues that have impacted vulnerable populations including women, racialized individualized, 2SLGBQTIA+ communities, refugees and newcomers, older adults, low income individuals, individuals with mental health and addictions and the homeless, to name a few. With knowledge and expertise gained from her work experience and her doctoral research on integrated health and social care for vulnerable populations, Siu Mee is dedicated to improving conditions for society’s most vulnerable through leadership, advocacy, research and volunteerism. She is the executive director of Street Haven an award-winning multi-service women’s agency. Siu Mee possesses a PhD (from Toronto Metropolitan University in policy studies), with additional training in public health and a community health and is a Certified Health Executive Member with the Canadian College of Health Leaders. She has offered up thought leadership on critical health and social care issues through publications and presentations at national and international conferences. Siu Mee is also a sessional instructor for the Faculty of Arts, Ted Rogers School of Management and the Chang School of Continuing Education at Toronto Metropolitan University. Siu Mee was named the 2023 Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Community Impact by WXN and has been recognized for her community contributions.