EKO announces three new appointments to the Board of Directors
November 10, 2026
Empowered Kids Ontario-Enfants Avenir Ontario (EKO) today announced the appointment of Michelle Sanders, Karen Ward, and Priyanka de Noronha to the EKO Board of Directors on November 10, 2026.
"EKO has long benefited from a Board that brings together diverse experiences and perspectives relevant to our strategy and activities," says Kevin J. Collins, Chair of the EKO Board of Directors. "Today's appointments reflect our commitment to maintaining a Board with the expertise and experience needed to support the association’s long-term growth and value creation."
"Karen, Priyanka, and Michelle each bring highly complementary experience that will further strengthen the Board," Collins adds. "Karen's deep knowledge of the developmental healthcare and our approach to advocacy for smart investments, programs and policies will be very valuable. Priyanka adds a proven record of advancing innovation that improves health outcomes. And Michelle Sanders brings a deep understanding of the challenges families face in accessing services, the impact of fragmented systems, and the importance of coordinated family-centred approaches to care. We are delighted to welcome them to the Board."
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.
Priyanka de Noronha 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.
Michelle Sanders 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. As a parent navigating Ontario’s developmental health system, she is committed to ensuring living experience informs organizational decision-making, policy development, and service design.
Three directors leave the EKO Board this year. "On behalf of the Board, I'd like to thank Carole Moore, Susan Vanagas-Cote, and Nagham Azzam for their contributions and commitment to EKO and our members during their years of service as directors,” adds Collins. “We are grateful for the role they have both played in the association’s growth and success."