Kevin J. Collins
Kevin J. Collins is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Easter Seals Ontario. A seasoned executive with more than 30 years of experience in advancing organizational goals, Kevin brings deep marketing and operational experience to his leadership role, guiding and implementing effective fundraising strategies to ensure the organization’s ability to deliver essential programs and services to support children and youth with physical disabilities across Ontario.
Before becoming President and CEO, Kevin managed Easter Seal Ontario’s corporate and special events, leading the development of the organization’s annual strategy for events and fundraising initiatives. Previously, he held the role of Executive Director at Friends of We Care Foundation Inc. for over 17 years, maximizing the profitability of Friends of We Care’s events and programs through effective strategic planning, development, and implementation.
With a deep commitment for supporting children and youth with physical disabilities, he is actively involved in addressing issues around accessibility and inclusivity as part of the Board of Trustees at Bloorview School Authority, Board of Governors at Georgian College and Chair of the Empowered Kids Ontario Board of Directors.
In 2025, Kevin was inducted into the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons Hall of Fame not only for his outstanding personal and professional accomplishments but also for his dedication to improving the lives of people with disabilities.
Christianne Abou-Saab
Christianne Abou-Saab is a Chartered Professional Accountant and currently serves as Director of Finance at the Law Society of Ontario. She brings deep expertise in financial leadership, with a focus on financial planning and budgeting, financial reporting, internal controls, and process improvement.
Prior to her current role, Christianne worked in healthcare finance, where she developed a strong appreciation for organizations that build meaningful relationships and support communities. Christianne currently serves as Treasurer and Chair of the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee at Empowered Kids Ontario.
She brings extensive governance experience, having previously served on the Board of Children’s Treatment Network, including two years as Chair.
Lisa Coffey
Lisa recently retired from her role as a superintendent of education where she was responsible for 17 schools and the leadership portfolio, which included all leadership programs, new teacher training and mentorship. She has also held responsibility for the safe schools’ portfolio.
Lisa brings deep experience as a teacher, principal and superintendent in Halton, Toronto and Simcoe. Her key focus as an educator was to work with students, staff and families to build equity of opportunity and to implement strategies to eliminate barriers for student success.
Lisa holds an MEd from the University of Toronto and an MBA from York University's Schulich School of Business.
Priyanka De Noronha
Priyanka is a strategic leader with diverse experience across industries, having led portfolios and initiatives across healthcare, telecommunications, and automotive industries in Canada and international markets.
In her current role at Johnson & Johnson MedTech, she leads the Endo Mechanical Platform strategy – advancing portfolio direction, driving change across health systems. Over the years, she has partnered closely with clinicians, hospital systems and national health system stakeholders to advance surgical standards of care in Canada. An innovative thinker, Priyanka leads with empathy and perspective, thoughtfully bridging clinical and community voice through data and storytelling.
Priyanka holds an MBA from University of Toronto & Indian Institute of Management Shillong and a degree in Biotechnology from Bangalore University in India.
Andra Duff-Woskosky
Andra Duff-Woskosky is the Associate Vice President, Continuing Care and Community Integration at Mackenzie Health, providing strategic leadership for the York District Stroke Centre and the post-acute hospital services including Complex Continuing Care, Rehabilitation, and transitional care beds. In this role she also provides oversight for Mackenzie Health’s long-term care portfolio, including the Mackenzie Health Long-Term Care Centre located at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital and the future long-term care home that will soon be built next to Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital.
Prior to joining Mackenzie Health in 2023, Andra demonstrated her expertise in community care, geriatrics, mental health, rehabilitation, and palliative care in clinical leadership roles, including senior clinical program director at Unity Health and as administrative director at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Services.
Andra currently serves as executive lead for the Western York Region Ontario Health, creating a high-quality, safe and seamless health care experience for patients and their families.
Andra holds a Master of Health Sciences from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Physiotherapy from McMaster University, and a Bachelor of Sciences in Life Science from the University of Toronto. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Health Policy at the Institute of Healthcare Policy Management and Administration at the University of Toronto and has held governance positions on various boards, including two terms on the Grandview Kids Board of Directors.
Thomaz Fonseca
A data-driven leader, Thomaz brings experience in strategy, finance, and governance in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors to the EKO Board along with a unique combination of financial acumen, policy-oriented thinking, and a commitment to inclusive systems change.
Thomaz currently serves as Senior Director of Measurement and Analytics for Next Best Action at RBC, where he leads enterprise-wide performance evaluation for strategic initiatives that drive client outcomes and long-term value. In his roles at RBC, he has also supported social impact innovators through Grand Challenges Canada, helping build business cases and secure funding for child health solutions across Africa, Latin America, and Canada.
Beyond his professional roles, Thomaz is dedicated to equity, early intervention, and access to care for underserved communities.
Arjun Gulati
Arjun Gulati is an accomplished and results-driven executive with over a decade of experience advancing business growth and optimizing operational efficiency. With expertise in market analysis, strategic planning, and the implementation of high-impact initiatives, Arjun has delivered value across diverse markets including Canada, the U.S., France, India, China, Malaysia, and Singapore.
In his current role as Finance Director at Zurich Insurance, Arjun leads key market entry, M&A, data and IT projects, fostering innovation to support organizational objectives. He is deeply committed to making a positive difference in the community, having volunteered extensively with organizations in India that support underprivileged children—empowering them with both technology and essential life skills.
Arjun’s global perspective, strategic vision, and strong commitment to social impact make him a valuable contributor to our leadership team.
Noella Klawitter
Noella Klawitter is the Chief Executive Office of Niagara Children’s Centre and the former Director of KidsInclusive at Kingston Health Sciences Centre. Noella brings over 25 years of leadership experience as well as the lived experience of being a mother, and a person with a disability.
She is a Master's graduate from the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa and an undergraduate degree in Psychology. Noella is an accomplished Para Track and Field athlete yielding three IBSA Pan American Gold medals and four Canadian records.
As a public speaker Noella has spoken to the loss of her eyesight and the power of embracing resiliency and courage to overcome adversity. She is passionate about empowering others, children’s development, pediatric wellness and child and family centered care. Noella lives the leadership philosophy “…Sometimes the greatest things in life are not what we ourselves accomplish; but what we help other to do.”
Noella serves on the EKO Board of Directors as Co-Chair of the EKO Leadership Council.
Dr. Rageen Rajendram
Dr. Rageen Rajendram is a Developmental Pediatrician at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s Child Development Program, specializing in the assessment and diagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental concerns. He is also the co-medical lead of an innovative multidisciplinary clinic focused on addressing restrictive eating concerns in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
As Chief Medical Officer and Co-founder of NeuroAI, Dr. Rajendram is pioneering the use of AI to enhance developmental pediatric care, particularly in refining ASD diagnostic processes. His efforts in integrating AI with clinical workflows aim to improve diagnostic accuracy and streamline assessments, ultimately benefiting both clinicians and families. He is also a strong advocate for Clinical Informatics education and has played a key role in incorporating informatics into resident training at The Hospital for Sick Children.
Dr. Rajendram serves on the steering committee for Our Kids Health and was instrumental in founding TamilKidsHealth, one of its chapters, to provide culturally relevant pediatric health information to the Tamil community and address healthcare disparities. Outside of his clinical and technical work, Dr. Rajendram is an avid hip-hop artist, using his music as a platform to bridge social inequalities and make a broader societal impact. His contributions to pediatric care, AI-driven innovation, and community outreach are documented in various publications accessible via PubMed.
Michelle Sanders
Michelle Sanders brings living experience of the challenges families face in accessing services, the impact of fragmented systems, and the importance of coordinated family-centred approaches to care. Through her advocacy she has worked to ensure living experience informs organizational decision-making, policy development, and service design.
Michelle chairs the City of St. Catharines Accessibility Advisory Committee, working collaboratively with municipal leaders and community stakeholders to advance inclusion through policy, planning, and public infrastructure initiatives. She also chairs the Niagara Children’s Centre Family Advisory Network, ensuring family perspectives inform services, programs and practice. As an Advisor with the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence’s Caregiver Advisory Network, Michelle contributes to policy recommendations focused on improving equitable access to health and social supports, including the co-development of a National Caregiving Strategy recognizing that parents of kids with disabilities and developmental needs are parents and caregivers.
Michelle is a Master of Social Work student, completing a practicum at Niagara Children’s Centre.
Charmaine Sheahan
Charmaine Sheahan has been involved in assessing, diagnosing and the clinical care of kids with disabilities and developmental needs for more than 25 years. She considers advocating and empowering families to help their child along their individual journey as a part of her vocation.
In addition to overseeing clinical and education programs, Charmaine has been involved in the grassroots start-up, the Adverse Childhood Experiences Coalition Guelph and Wellington and she also serves as chair of Compass Community Services in Guelph and Wellington. Charmaine is passionately committed to the advancement of children and youth who are underrepresented and marginalized.
Charmaine is currently, Director of Primary Health & Specialty Clinics at Guelph Community Health Centre and a professor at Conestoga College’s School of Workforce Development.
Christine Williams
Christine Williams is a distinguished and forward-thinking Chartered Director whose exceptional career trajectory reflects decades of impactful leadership and strategic insight at Scotiabank where she served as vice president.
Her many contributions leave a legacy of empowerment and progress in the non-profit sector including at The Scarborough Hospital Foundation, The College Compensation and Appointments Council, and the Project for the Advancement of Childhood Education. She served as Chair of both Centennial College's Board of Governors, Advisory Group Chair of the Scarborough Chamber of Commerce and held the presidency of Tropicana Community Services.
Christine has been honored as one of Canada's top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women. Her accomplishments have also been recognized with the Heritage Award from Transformation Institute & Silvertrust Media, the Margot Franseen Leadership Award, the Tropicana Community Builder Award, and the Woman of Honour Award from The Black Business and Professional Association. Christine serves as Chair of the Black Opportunity Fund Capital Board. She is also a Special Faculty Member at The Directors College; an executive education program offered through the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University.
An esteemed member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and a Governance Solutions Director Community member, Christine embodies leadership, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to advancing communities.
Karen Ward
Karen Ward is a clinical operations leader with a 40+ year career advancing early childhood development, disability services, and interdisciplinary healthcare programs. Karen recently retired from her position as Clinical Operations Manager at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital where she led operations across the Communication & Writing Aids and Early Learning & Development, Integrated Education & Therapy and Brain Computer Interface portfolios, guiding multidisciplinary teams and aligning services with organizational priorities, to improve access and enhance integrated care.
She currently serves on the Board of the Health and Supportive Care Providers Oversight Authority, an independent regulatory body accountable to the Ontario government under the Health and Supportive Care Providers Oversight Authority Act, 2021.
Jennifer Churchill
As President & CEO of Empowered Kids Ontario-Enfants Avenir Ontario, Jennifer Churchill leads the association through a significant period of growth and change, as the province continues to innovate in its approaches to the delivery of community- based health care in child development and rehabilitation. She is respected as a collaborative partner by colleagues in a sector for which Ontario is known across Canada and around the world as a leader in both child disability research and care. During her tenure at EKO the association has modernized its governance, expanded its membership, and developed relationships that ensure EKO’s voice represents a broad range of stakeholders.
Jennifer joined EKO after more than 25 years in the health and government sectors. She has a degree in Social Work, a Master’s Certificate in Municipal Management and Executive Leadership Certification.