Sue has been part of the WRFN story since the beginning, watching us grow from a small group of volunteer families into a thriving organization that’s now equipped to support thousands of people touched by special needs. As executive director, she oversees all operations and represents our organization on many community collaboratives.

Sue has also been an active advocate for disability-related issues in our community for over 32 years. In that time, she’s volunteered as a committee or board member for several organizations, such as KidsAbility, KW Habilitation, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board Special Education Advisory Committee and KW Counselling Services. Sue currently sits on the Lutherwood Parent/Community Advisory Committee.

A Wilfrid Laurier University graduate, Sue enjoys spending time with her family, including her husband, two adult sons and her daughter-in-law. She is the proud recipient of the 2018 Empowered Kids Ontario (EKO) Tribute Award for Leadership.

Carmen has lived in Kitchener-Waterloo since 2010, and has run Coffee Club since October of 2011. She has a Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois in Rehabilitation. Carmen is passionate about helping everyone build community, especially those with disabilities. Her other passions include food and TV. She loves to meet new people and help in every way she can, so do not hesitate to reach out!

Cristina has always been drawn to work with populations with exceptionalities, and as an adult she discovered that she has exceptionalities of her own. She has since grown into a community self-advocate by co-founding a peer support group, sitting on committees, volunteering as a mentor, and through public speaking engagements.

Cristina is passionate about sharing her lived experience, and she worked with WRFN to create the Ask A Self-Advocate Program in 2017. Through self-exploration, person-centred problem solving, and with a little finesse, she believes everyone can discover what they need to be at their best and successfully advocate for themselves. Cristina works part-time hours at WRFN, and will get back to any messages she receives through the week as soon as possible.

After completing her two degrees with UW’s Faculty of Science, Cristina and her husband decided to stay in Waterloo. Now she has a young family, and they enjoy spending time in their backyard playscape/garden and cooking together.

With over a decade of experience in the non-profit sector and more than 20 years in marketing and communications, Lisa has developed effective communication strategies and initiatives that support both her organization and the families it serves.

As a parent of children with multiple exceptionalities, Lisa has gained invaluable personal insights into the challenges families face while navigating available resources. This firsthand experience fuels her passion and she is proud to stand alongside families championing their needs.

Prior to working as a Family Resource Coach with WRFN, Lisa was actively involved in the organization for several years as a parent mentor, and received essential support for her own children. This experience has inspired her to give back, helping other families in the region access the resources and guidance that were crucial for her own family.

At the heart of Lisa’s work is her commitment to problem-solving. She thrives on collaborating with families, understanding their unique situations, and developing tailored solutions that empower them. She firmly believes that every child and family deserves access to the support they need to foster a sense of belonging within their community and school.

Leah brings 23 years experience working in non-profit organizations in various social service settings, the majority of which have been in the Developmental Services sector. Through her various roles within these organizations, she has had the opportunity to walk alongside many children, youth & adults as they find their sense of belonging in the communities where they live.

Leah finds great joy in supporting individuals and families to find the supports they need to create lives they find meaningful and fulfilling. She understands that each individual and family has unique needs & strengths and uses that as a guide to find community connections that are a good fit.

In her role as Family Resource Coach at WRFN, Leah will be supporting families who have loved ones age 16 and older. She is excited to support and facilitate community connections for you and/or your family!

Oula has worked for several years as an academic support and grants writer for non profit and government organizations in both the US and Canada. She has also organized and implemented educational programs for marginalized communities. She is highly committed to fostering a sense of community and inclusiveness. She is thrilled to join the Waterloo Region Family Network team and play a role in making a meaningful difference. 

Oula completed her undergraduate studies in business management systems at The Open University of England and earned a Master’s degree in Distance Education with a focus Instructional Design from Athabasca University. She was honored with a Graduate Scholarship in recognition of her academic accomplishments.

During her free time, Oula enjoys exploring the great outdoors and going on road trips, especially to the stunning mountains of Jasper/Banff in Alberta.

Born and raised in Kitchener, Waterloo, Keenan has spent the last decade working within the local nonprofit sector.  He has a particular passion and dedication for working for organizations that help individuals and families with exceptionalities and other challenges: Independent Living Waterloo Region, KidsAbility and now WRFN.

Keenan's mission is to serve as a role model inspiration for children who, like him, face disabilities. His goal is to demonstrate that a fulfilling and independent life is possible, even in the face of significant barriers.

Coming from a journalism background, Keenan has an honours degree in Communications from Wilfrid Laurier University. Writing is his life, and he enjoys the human impact behind stories, as words can move, help us understand and shape the world around us. His favourite things to do in his spare time are watching sports (Hockey the most), reading good novels, and making others laugh.

Keenan has joined WRFN for the year to cover Rachel Cave's maternity leave.

Karen is the current Chair of the Board for WRFN.  She has spent the last 20 years working in the tech industry and currently spends her days working as Director, Relationship Management at Communitech. 

Karen holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Memorial University of Newfoundland.  In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and maintaining a regular fitness regime of running, cycling and yoga.

Karen also resides on an Advisory Board for the Laurier Centre for Women in Science and has previously volunteered on the board for the Business and Education Partnerships for Waterloo Region. 

John is a 17-year member of the Waterloo Regional Police Service where he has held a variety of frontline, investigative and leadership positions.  He volunteers with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board Special Education Advisory Committee, is a parent mentor with WRFN, and has organized several fundraising initiatives for local charities and organizations, including the WRFN Exceptional Swings Golf Tournament (2019).  He is parent of a child with exceptionalities and is passionate about equity and inclusion to create a respectful and kind community where all can thrive.

Samantha is a Certified Professional Accountant with a passion for being involved within her community and offering support through her professional expertise and education.  In the past she has volunteered with many different foundation and community events, before joining the Board of WRFN as treasurer on a more permanent basis.  Samantha is currently a new parent and loves to spend her days out exploring with her husband, baby boy and their dog!

Elected to the WRFN Board in early 2021, Debbie is a retired Senior Strategic Leader with the YMCA.  Over her 30+ years of work life she focused on programs, services and strategies to support children, youth and families across Waterloo region. Debbie has been actively engaged in Outcomes Measurement and Collective Impact work within the National and International YMCAs and Waterloo region.

She was the initial chair of the WRFN Partnership Group, is a member of the Friends of WRFN and is now serving on the Board’s Governance Committee.

A University of Waterloo graduate, Debbie values continuous learning through reading, courses and experiences.  She is married with two adult children and three dogs.  Debbie enjoys photography, travel and anything that engages her creative side. 

Lina is an educator with a background in Languages and a Specialist Qualification in working with children with special needs. She has been a member of Social Venture Partners Waterloo Region since its inception in 2010 and has been involved in many SVP Committees, most recently as lead partner for Carizon, the 2018 Investee. Lina believes that knowledge and engagement are the keys to making a positive impact and looks forward to supporting WRFN and its families.

Lina enjoys cycling and believes yoga keeps her balanced both physically and spiritually.

Kirk has spent his entire 25-plus-year career in commercial lending including the last 12 years with the Business Development Bank of Canada where he manages a team of local bankers dedicated to supporting Canadian entrepreneurs.  He is also currently serving as the Treasurer of the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin.

Kirk and his family have been living in Waterloo since 2013 and he has been actively involved as a volunteer or coach with several Waterloo minor sports leagues.  He was drawn to the opportunity to serve on the Board as the parent of a child with exceptionalities.

Laura MacGregor began her professional life as an occupational therapist, returning to school to complete a PhD in her early fifties. Her research exploring the experiences of maternal caregivers emerged from her own life caring for her disabled son. Following her doctoral work, Laura served as a lived experience advocate for the pediatric to adult care transitions quality assurance team with the Ministry of Health while also teaching, researching, and publishing in the field of disability and caregiving.

A lapsed academic these days, Laura volunteers for the Grand Valley Trails Association (ON) and serves on the Board of Directors for The Island Walk (PEI), the Canadian Non-Fiction Collective (treasurer), and the Waterloo Region Family Network. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, knitting, and writing.

Merrick runs a KW-based business and holds an MA in Psychology from the University of Waterloo.

He has worked in manufacturing, the service industry, and education, and conducted research in Developmental Psychology, Memory, and Cognition throughout his academic career.

Merrick’s volunteer experience includes involvement in hospital settings, community outreach and engagement, and tutoring, and he currently serves on the Board of Directors at Hospice Waterloo Region.

Taylor has spent the majority of her career in the tech sector, specializing in HR and talent for early stage and high growth companies. She is currently the Head of People for a New York based Venture Capital fund. She has a passion for building exceptional teams and human-first culture. 

Taylor is active in the not-for-profit sector through her involvement as a Partner with Social Venture Partners Waterloo Region, as well as holding several board seats for other charitable organizations. 

She has two young children, and in their free time, she and her family love spending time at their family farm.

Tammy is a Chartered Professional Accountant and has worked in both public accounting and in the manufacturing industry for over 20 years.

Volunteering is important to Tammy, and she enjoys supporting not-for-profit organizations through her professional experience.

Tammy enjoys spending time with her husband and her two grown daughters, and their pets.  She has a passion for cooking and gardening.