CHEO Board of Directors

Louis Doyle is retired from the federal government, with more than 30 years of experience in marketing, policy and program development related to regional economic development, infrastructure and official languages. He has served on multiple school councils, the School Board Parent Involvement Committee and the boards of directors for a local treatment centre for addictions and concurrent disorders and the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre. Since his retirement, Louis has been actively involved with CHEO’s board of directors and several of its committees.

Vice President, Integrated
Mental Health and Addictions Care

CHEO and Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa

Joanne is an accomplished and innovative healthcare leader with more than 20 years of experience in delivering transformative change to enhance client and family experience. She was responsible for the delivery of community services and mental health programs on the West Coast, before joining the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group 10 years ago. 

Chief Executive Officer, Hands TheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca

Andrea Roberts is a collaborative, results-based leader with more than 30 years of experience in public health. This includes two decades of senior-level management and participation in several local, regional and provincial initiatives. Andrea holds a BSc in nursing and a master's degree in personal, social and health education. She brings a demonstrated passion for system change, valuable skills in systems leadership and governance, and extensive knowledge related to mental health promotion, social determinants of health, early years and complex special needs.

Youth Representative

Aly is from Whitby, now studying psychology at the University of Ottawa. She brings valuable insights into strengths and shortcomings from her own experiences navigating the mental health system in Ontario. Being both a person in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and neurodivergent, Aly is particularly passionate about enhancing the mental health system to better serve all people. They hope to contribute to shaping policies and programs that address the real needs of young people. Outside of this work, Aly enjoys curling up with a good book or going on a long walk. 

Executive Director,
Children First in Essex County

Lori holds a BSW from University of Windsor and an MSW from Eastern Michigan University. She is also an alumna of St. Clair College, sign language communicator and interpreter training programs.

Lori has held a variety of positions in children’s mental health, developmental services and child welfare in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent Communities. She has also been employed with the provincial government and conducted compliance and licensing reviews for both adult and children’s service agencies within southwestern Ontario. Lori currently enjoys the learning and networking opportunities as an accreditation reviewer with the Canadian Centre for Accreditation.

Lori has extensive governance experience having been on the St. Clair College board of governors for six years including serving as vice-chair in her final year. In 2020 Lori was one of six St. Clair College Alumni of Distinction award recipients.

Lori spends her free time cheering on her two boys either on the soccer field or at the swimming pool. The entire family is active with Epilepsy Southwestern Ontario – Windsor Region to raise awareness about epilepsy.

Chief Executive Officer, 
ROCK Reach Out Centre for Kids

Kirsten Dougherty is a change leader with over 25 years of experience in the child and youth mental health sector. She’s the CEO for ROCK, Reach Out Center for Kids — lead agency for the Region of Halton — and co-chair of both the Lead Agency Consortium and One Stop Talk, the provincial walk-in service. Kirsten specializes in organizational behaviour and negotiations. She’s completed seven successful mergers or acquisitions and led multiple executive teams through re-branding, strategic planning and concept execution for innovation acceleration.

Youth Representative

Sabriya is in the Honours Life Science program at McMaster University and has experience in the child and youth mental health sector ranging from advocacy to research to program facilitation. All of this has shaped her perspective on the need for accessible, evidence-based, youth-centered and trauma-informed approaches to care, as well as spaces where young people feel heard and supported. She values being one of many voices helping influence policy and sharing knowledge. Sabriya also has a deep love for painting and enjoys experimenting with different techniques in her free time.

Executive Director,
Crossroads Childen’s Mental Health 

Michael has been working in child and adolescent services since 1988 in a variety of settings, including child welfare, youth justice, education and child and youth mental health. He has been with Crossroads Children’s Mental Health Centre (CCMHC) since 1996, and has been the executive director since January 2015. Michael has completed his Black Belt in Lean and continues his Lean journey at CCMHC.

Family Representative

Chief Executive Officer,
The Well Community Collective

Shannon McGavin is a system change leader dedicated to increasing wellness in rural communities across Canada. She has worked to enhance outcomes for children, young people and families in education for over 25 years. Throughout her own mental health challenges and supporting those she cares for, Shannon shamelessly advocates for mental health and substance use transformation on several local and provincial advisory boards, community health organizations, local integrated youth service organizations and in her own organization, The Well Community Collective.

RoxAnne is a Parenting Mental Health Support Worker in Rainy River District. As a parent and certified caregiving support facilitator, she is passionate about bringing the community of caregivers together to support them, hear them and create safe spaces. RoxAnne has been a National Skating Coach for over 44 years, working with skaters of all ages and abilities to share her love of figure skating.