President & CEOKids Help Phone
I have the privilege of leading Kids Help Phone, Canada’s only national bilingual 24/7 e-mental health service, supporting youth as young as 5 and as old as 28 who reached out to us more than 2.1m times in 2019. I worry about young people in Canada, however they identify themselves, and know that steady state is no longer an option. Kids are changing faster than ever, and technology even faster. We know that if we fall behind or waste time - lives are lost. Canada has the 3rd highest suicide rate in the industrialized world; our Indigenous youth are 6x more likely to die by suicide than non-Indigenous youth. Our young people are in crisis in every province and territory.
I am driven to reduce barriers, find new solutions, partnerships and innovations to save lives. I strive to deliver better experiences and outcomes with cost effective e-mental health solutions. The 2018 partnership between Crisis Text Line and Kids Help Phone changed the landscape of mental health in Canada. This remains a point of pride for our team – through innovation and partnership, we are now reaching more youth and saving more lives than ever in our 30 year history. That makes me smile. But, more must be done.
I am humbled to have been awarded the prestigious Top 10 Women Leaders in Digital Health in Canada (2019) for our gamechanging work. I am a member of the board of several organizations, including the Ontario Premier’s Office on mental health and addiction, the Children’s First Canada Council of Champions and the National Youth Serving Agencies; and formerly, the National Council of Foundation Executives for the Conference Board of Canada, Imagine Canada, and the Toronto Academic Health Science Network Foundation CEO Roundtable (Chair).
I was named one of Canada’s Top 25 Women of Influence for my work advancing the health of women and girls as President & CEO of Women’s College Hospital Foundation. I have worked in academia, founded the Canadian Foundation in Brazil and began my career as an executive in the financial services sector. I am most proud of my two courageous adult children and am in awe of my 10 month old grandson!