Board of directors

Chief Executive Officer, Stonehenge Therapeutic Community

Kristin Kerr, MSW, RSW, is a seasoned leader with 20 years of experience in the mental health and addictions field. As Chief Executive Officer of Stonehenge Therapeutic Community, she is dedicated to building communities where people living with substance use are welcomed, supported, and empowered to thrive. Under her leadership, Stonehenge delivers a continuum of care that includes a 42-bed long-term residential treatment program, supportive housing, addiction medicine and withdrawal services, and integrated support and justice programs.

Kristin is passionate about advancing health system change and improving equity for vulnerable populations. She believes that a strong, engaged organizational culture is the foundation for high-quality client care, and she takes pride in fostering environments where both clients and staff can succeed.

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.

President & CEO, Ottawa Salus

Mark MacAulay is a collaborative leader and builder in Canada’s mental health sector. His agile thinking and prudent fiscal management make him a key community co-creator of scalable supportive housing models and mental health care that centre the needs of people facing the most barriers.

Currently the CEO of Ottawa Salus, Mark is leading first-in-Canada projects, such as the $25M Aging in Place supportive residence for 54 persons with persistent mental illness and substance use disorders, scheduled to open in November 2025. As a community collaborator Mark is leading the development of programs and services for Matthew Perry House and the provision of supportive housing services for the 2 newly established HART Hubs (Somerset West Community Health Centre and Pinecrest Community Health Centre). He sits on the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa Board and the Addiction and Mental Health Ontario Board.

Ottawa Salus’s team supports 1000+ clients and residents in 15 Salus-owned properties, at Veterans’ House Ottawa and in Ottawa Community Housing. Salus offers a range of supportive housing services, including forensic supportive housing, transitional rehabilitation, and shelters to homes for people experiencing serious and persistent mental health and substance use health issues.

Consultant with Collective Good Consulting

Alyssa is a dynamic lived experience advocate, consultant, and educator. She uses personal and professional experiences to enhance services within healthcare and social service sectors. Alyssa has a degree in Psychology and over 15 years of experience in the mental health and addiction sector. She has managed or coordinated a variety of programs, focusing on youth empowerment, peer support, mental wellness, harm reduction, and housing in community, hospital and justice settings. Throughout her career Alyssa has had the pleasure of chairing or co-leading numerous local, provincial, and national initiatives. As Support House’s Peer Integration and System Lead, Alyssa spearheaded the creation of a robust Learning Centre and Resource Hub for organizations in Ontario. This Learning Centre and Resource Hub was related to the integration of peer support and experience -based partnership & engagement within organizations and systems. As an educator, Alyssa is skilled in designing learning resources and trainings, and in facilitating engagement opportunities for organizations. Her work has been recognized and utilized by over 80 organizations throughout the province of Ontario. Alyssa is an engaging public speaker who uses her experiences to raise awareness, combat stigma, share strategies and support the mental health and substance use system.

She currently works with Collective Good Consulting, supporting social service organizations through a variety of projects, capacity building initiatives and training. Alyssa has a proven skillset in fostering strategic quality improvement across diverse health and social systems/services while maintaining a deep commitment to equity, compassion, and the integration of lived experience. Alyssa is dedicated to serving mental health and substance use serving organizations and the overall sector/system in our critical role of enhancing wellness for all.

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.

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.

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.

Executive Director, SOAR Community Services

Kim is a strategic health systems leader with over 20 years of experience in Ontario’s addiction and mental health sector, spanning direct client service, program development, and executive leadership. She currently serves as Executive Director at SOAR Community Services, a multi-sector agency offering a broad continuum of care including outpatient and bed-based addiction treatment, withdrawal management, harm reduction, mental health crisis response, a range of housing programs, employment, and justice services. Her leadership is grounded in evidence -informed practice, with a strong focus on implementation science, quality improvement, and cross-sector collaboration.

Kim holds a master’s degree in integrated studies with a focus on Work, Organization, and Leadership, and is a Registered Social Worker. She has led provincial initiatives through her previous role at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, co-chairs her region’s Ontario Health Team Mental Health and Addictions Steering Committee, and brings governance insight, a systems lens, and a collaborative mindset to her role on the Board of Directors at Addictions and Mental Health Ontario.