2022-2023
Grandview Children’s Centre is governed by a 10-member volunteer Board of Trustees who live within the Durham Region and are in good standing with the Grandview Children’s Centre Corporation.
The Board of Trustees holds an Annual General Meeting each June for the purpose of:
- reporting to the community on progress in the previous year;
- nominating and electing new trustees to the Board; and
- releasing the Grandview Kids Annual Report.
The Board of Trustees oversees four sub-Committees:
- Priorities and Performance Committee
- Finance and Facilities Committee
- Governance Excellence Committee
- Joint Project Committee
Board of Trustees
Jeremy Harness, Chair, Trustee, Priorities and Performance Committee & Joint Project Committee Member
Jeremy Harness, MBA, CPA, CMA
Chair

Jeremy is the Director of Finance and Technology Services/Treasurer with the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville. He previously worked for the Region of Durham for 15 years in progressive roles within both the finance and works departments. With nearly 25 years of financial experience in both the public and private sectors, he brings diversified financial expertise to the Grandview Kids Board of Directors, serving as the Board Chair.
Terry Caputo, Vice Chair, Finance and Facilities Committee & Joint Project Committee Member
Terry Caputo, CPA, CA, C. Dir.
Vice Chair

Terry is the Interim President and Chief Executive Officer at Kensington Health. He is an accomplished business executive with a diverse range of experience, including strategy, accounting, finance, debt issuance, infrastructure, information management, human resources management, government relations and governance. Terry joined the Board to provide support for the journey Grandview staff, clients and caregivers are on, using his expertise in large infrastructure projects to help the organization succeed in the development opportunities ahead, including its capital project. He says, “I am continually inspired by how this organization, with the support of its community, is working to build a new Centre of Excellence.”
Erin Watson, Secretary, Trustee, Chair of the Governance Excellence Committee
Erin Watson, BA, JD
Secretary, Chair of Governance Excellence Committee & Trustee

Erin is a partner with Johnston Montgomery Watson, practicing law in the Durham Region since her call to the Bar in 2012. Erin provides advice in the areas of Estate Planning and Estate Administration, Corporate and Commercial Transactions, and Real Estate. When asked why she joined the Board, Erin said, “Children deserve every opportunity to thrive. I have the privilege to help people in my career when they need it most, and I am grateful to provide my substantive knowledge base to [the] Grandview team and our families. I look forward to finding ways to support clients and caregivers directly, fostering the community Grandview has created.” Erin is inspired by acts of kindness, big or small, noting it’s important to find ways to lift each other up. Erin lives in Whitby with her husband and two, beautiful children.
Leo Plue, Trustee, Treasurer, Chair of Finance and Facilities Committee, Joint Project Committee Member
Leo Plue
Chair of Finance & Facilities Committee, Treasurer & Trustee

Leo is retired, after a meaningful career as a secondary school educational leader, as well as the Executive Director for the Abilities Centre. He says, “In my former roles, I had many opportunities to see the tremendous work done by Grandview Kids staff in changing lives. I was fortunate enough to work closely with Grandview Kids in a formal partnership to offer complimentary services for families and children at the Abilities Centre.” Leo looks forward to supporting the future of Grandview Kids, focusing on a successful CEO transition and continual work underway for its capital building project. Team Grandview inspires him the most, “I am so impressed with Grandview’s frontline staff and how they deal so magnificently and sensitively with families and children. I am inspired each day by their work and have found the education sessions for the board that are given by frontline workers to be highly inspirational.”
Catherine Switzer, Trustee, Chair of Priorities and Performance Committee
Catherine Switzer, BA, B.Ed
Board of Trustees & Chair of Priorities and Performance Committee & Trustee

Catherine is a Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT) with Durham District School Board, where she fell in love with inclusive education early on in her career. Through various roles, including teaching adaptive swimming lessons, lifeguarding and her eventual teaching roles, inclusivity has been a lifelong focus. She believes that the grit and resiliency that children display daily (in her work) is inspiring, “I think one of the most critical things you can do as a human being is to build relationships. If you are fortunate enough to build a trusting relationship with a child than you have won the lottery.” Catherine looks forward to ensuring the organizational focus remains on its exemplary service delivery, noting she’s fortunate to see its “excellence in action” as part of her job. “My goal for this year would be to ensure we are ambassadors for Grandview, and planning for the future in a way that is fiscally responsible and client-centred.” Catherine enjoys spending time with her two children, husband and dogs at their cottage.
Natalie Sims, Trustee, Priorities and Performance Committee Member
Natalie Sims
Trustee

Bio coming soon.
Denise Jones, Trustee, Joint Project Committee
Denise Jones
Trustee

Bio coming soon.
Kalyan Chakravarthy, Trustee, Finance and Facilities Committee Member
Kalyan Chakravarthy (KC), MBA
Trustee

Kalyan is a visionary leader with a focus on innovation, quality and strategic execution. He is currently working as a Chief Information Officer at the Regional Municipality of Durham. KC earned his MBA from Smith School of Business. He has 20 years of experience and has worked all across the world. He has been part of various for-profit and not-for-profit boards. KC is eager to use as role as Trustee to make a difference in the lives of kids and families, “I want to utilize my experience in process improvement and digital transformation to help Grandview Kids in innovating and setting new standards to deliver the services in the post-pandemic environment.” His motivation comes from working towards building a better society and creating an environment for the next generations to succeed.
Leisa Davie, Trustee, Governance Excellence Committee Member
Leisa Davie, BA
Trustee

Leisa is the Manager of Volunteer & Community Relations, Oshawa Senior Community Centres 55+. She is a seasoned communications strategist. As a parent of a daughter with exceptional needs, Leisa brings a deep understanding of the challenges families face when accessing services and support. She believes that all children are deserving of the brightest future possible, adding, “I am excited to contribute my skills and expertise to Grandview Kids during such an extraordinary period of development and growth.” In her free time, Leisa enjoys cheering on her daughter and bonus kids in their many adventures, alongside her husband and labradoodle.
Bryan Yetman, Chair, Grandview Kids Foundation Board of Directors, Joint Project Committee Member
Bryan Yetman, CIP, CRM
Trustee, Chair of Grandview Kids Foundation Board of Directors

Bryan Yetman is a respected professional in the insurance industry and a committed community leader. He is the owner and president of First Durham Insurance in Pickering. He became involved with Grandview Kids in 2011, and currently serves as the Chair of the Foundation Board. Bryan was drawn to Grandview Kids because of his desire to make a difference in the community in which he lives. He calls Whitby home, with his wife and three children. As the chair of the Grandview Kids Foundation, Bryan has played an integral role in the recent $20 Million Believe Campaign in support of the New Grandview Kids. He hopes to finish off the campaign in the year ahead. But more than anything, Bryan says he enjoys “any opportunity to engage with the organization’s incredible staff, parents, caregivers and clients. I am most inspired when I get to watch kids grow in their time with Grandview.”
Sub-Committees Membership
James Ibbott, Community Representative, Priorities and Performance Committee
James Ibbot, MBA
Community Representative, Priorities & Performance Committee

James is Manager of Quality Improvement & Patient Safety at Lakeridge Health. James leads a team of quality improvement and patient safety professionals that supports the hospital’s clinical programs and support departments to achieve their improvement objectives. James has a Masters in Business Administration with a specialization in the Management of Technology and Innovation, a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a Six Sigma Black Belt.
Barbara Scott, Community Representative, Priorities and Performance Committee
Barbara Scott, RN
Community Representative, Priorities & Performance Committee

Barbara is a Registered Nurse. When asked what inspired her to join the Board, she said, “I have spent my career supporting women and children from birth to adolescence. I have advocated for equitable access to health care and community services for our diverse communities in Scarborough. Over the past decade, I have witnessed the struggles our families have in navigating a complex system when they require services. I look forward to working with Grandview to in support of their mission where every child and youth living life at their full potential.”
Raquel Shaw-Moxam, Community Representative, Priorities and Performance Committee
Raquel Shaw-Moxam, MSc
Community Representative, Priorities & Performance Committee

Raquel is the Director of Person-Centred Perspective at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. When asked what inspired her to join the Board, she said, “The vision of Grandview Kids. I have a unique mix of experience working with marginalized populations, research, government, academic, and non-profit partners to cultivate and deliver programs that help to build a more inclusive and sustainable system. I am inspired by the innovation and the quality of care that Grandview Kids delivers.”
Jonathan Dixon, Community Representative, Finance and Facilities Committee
Jonathon Dixon, MPA, CPA, CMA
Community Representative, Finance & Facilities Committee

Jonathan is the Director, Business Affairs and Financial Management & Emergency Social Services at the Regional Municipality of Durham. When asked what inspired him to join the Board, he said, “As a father of two young children and a community coaching volunteer, I understand the importance of ‘every child and youth living life at their full potential.” Seeing the expansion underway with the new facility is exciting for our communities. I am thrilled to serve as a Community Representative to make it happen.”
Maria Taylor, Community Representative, Finance and Facilities Committee Member
Maria Taylor
Community Representative, Finance & Facilities Committee

Maria is the Manager, Retail Payments & Unsecured Lending Finance at the Bank of Nova Scotia. When asked what inspired her to join the Board, she said, “Being a community representative for Grandview has allowed me to gain insights into a whole different sector, while letting me give time back to the community. It’s also given me a glimpse into the great work Grandview does within the Region.”
Lindsay Coolidge, Community Representative, Governance Excellence Committee
Lindsay Coolidge, MLS
Community Representative, Governance Excellence Committee

Lindsay is the Director of External Relationships and Partnerships at Ontario Tech University. When asked what inspired her to join the Board, she said, “Grandview Kids is a gem in our community – an extremely well-run organization that supports children and their families in Durham Region. It is an opportunity to see excellence at work, and to build new networks and learn from people within the organization and throughout the community. It is truly a pleasure and an honour to serve as a Community Representative.”
Kelly McDermott, Community Representative, Governance Excellence Committee
Kelly McDermott
Community Representative, Governance Excellence Committee

Kelly is a Senior Solicitor at the Regional Municipality of Durham and the President of the Ontario Bar Association. When asked what inspired her to join the Board, she said, “Grandview was a beacon of light in my son’s care and I wanted to give back to support this amazing organization in any way I could.”
Steve Leslie, Grandview Kids Foundation Board Director, Joint Project Committee
Steve Leslie
Grandview Kids Foundation Board Director, Joint Project Committee
Angela Strazzeri, Senior Project Manager, Colliers Project Leader, Joint Project Committee
Angela Strazzeri
Senior Project Manager, Colliers Project Leader, Joint Project Committee
Ennio Piccinato, Director, Project Delivery Infrastructure Ontario, Joint Project Committee
Ennio Piccinato
Director, Project Delivery Infrastructure Ontario, Joint Project Committee