Our team
We’re a multidisciplinary team focused on student mental health. Our team includes mental health professionals, system leaders, subject matter experts, and implementation scientists. The majority of our team supports School Mental Health Ontario part time. We also have committees to provide advice and feedback to help improve the effectiveness of our work. We are guided by a CODE (Council of Ontario Directors of Education) Advisory Team, ensuring our provincial school mental health strategy is aligned with priorities and practices in Ontario school districts.
Resource Development, Learning and Training Services
Gail Lalonde
Resource Development Learning and Training Services – Area Lead
glalonde@smho-smso.ca
Shelly Upson
Resource Development, Learning & Training Support Consultant
Mentally Healthy Learning Environments
Denise Andre
Mentally Healthy Learning Environments Consultant
Joan Kantola
Mentally Healthy Learning Environments Consultant
Judith Desjardins
Mentally Healthy Learning Environments Consultant – Team Lead
Louise Moreau
Leadership Learning and Support Consultant
Monique Chartrand
Mentally Healthy Learning Environments Consultant (FR)
Mental Health Promotion and Literacy
Chad Downes
Mental Health Promotion Consultant
Chris Pagliari
Mental Health Promotion Consultant
Deb Crawford
Mental Health Promotion and Special Education Consultant
Deb Shackell
Mental Health Promotion and Literacy Consultant Team Lead
Patricia Codner
Parent/Caregiver Engagement Consultant
Simone Rose Oliver
French Language Support Consultant
Tony Calarco
Mental Health Promotion Consultant
Student and Parent/Caregiver Engagement and Literacy
Alina Medeiros
Student Engagement Consultant
Elo Igor
Student Engagement Consultant
Fireda Ahmed
Student and Parent/Caregiver Engagement Consultant
Joyce Erogun
Student and Parent/Caregiver Engagement Consultant – Team Lead
Michael Giffen
Student Engagement and Special Education Consultant
Patricia Codner
Parent/Caregiver Engagement Consultant
Susan Sweet
Student Mental Health Literacy Consultant
Early Identification and Support
Edith St. Arnaud
Early Identification and Support Consultant (FR)
Huda Hussain
Newcomer Student Mental Health Consultant
Lindsay Bunn
Early Identification and Support Consultant – Team Lead
Theresa Wilson
Early Identification and Support Consultant
Prevention and Early Intervention
Ashley Hendy
Prevention and Early Intervention Consultant – Northern Focus
Barbara Ward
Prevention and Early Intervention Consultant – Learning and Training Focus
Connor LaFortune
Indigenous Student Mental Health Consultant
Elizabeth Paquette
Prevention and Early Intervention Consultant – Early Years Focus (FR)
Gwendolyn Fearing-Afflick
Prevention and Early Intervention Consultant – Substance Use and Addictions Prevention Focus
Lisa Doerksen
Prevention and Early Intervention Consultant – Team Lead
Maureen Mackay
Prevention and Early Intervention Consultant – Suicide Prevention Focus
Tanja Steinbach
Prevention and Early Intervention Consultant – Indigenous Mental Health Focus
Tracey Grose
Prevention and Early Intervention Consultant – Culturally Responsive Learning and Training Focus
Research, Evaluation and Monitoring
Kevin Runions
Research, Evaluation and Monitoring – Area Lead
krunions@smho-smso.ca
Tracy Weaver
Research, Evaluation and Monitoring Support Consultant
Implementation and Impact Measurement and Monitoring
Elana Gray
Evaluation and Monitoring Consultant
McMaster / Offord Centre
Innovation, Evaluation, and Scale Up
Alexandra Fortier
Innovation, Scale-Up, and Mobilization Consultant (FR)
ISU Lab and partners
Research Mobilization
Alexandra Fortier
Innovation, Scale-Up, and Mobilization Consultant (FR)
Gwendolyn Fearing-Afflick
Prevention and Early Intervention Consultant
Equity, Partnerships, and Program Leadership
Kathy Short
Executive Director
kshort@smho-smso.ca
Theresa Kennedy
Associate Director
tkennedy@smho-smso.ca
Kim Chapman
Executive Assistant
Michele Lambie
Executive Assistant
Equity and Identity-Affirming SMH
Saleem Haniff
Equity and Identity-Affirming Mental Health Consultant – Team Lead
Toni Lauzon
Equity and Identity-Affirming Mental Health Consultant
System Collaboration and Partnership
Andréanne Fleck Saito
Leadership Learning and Support Consultant – Team Lead (FR)
Gail Lalonde
Resource Development, Learning and Training Services Consultant – Area Lead
Lisa Doerksen
System Collaboration and Partnership Consultant – Team Lead
Reference and Advisory Groups
CODE / Superintendents
Denise Andre, Louise Moreau
Federations
Gail Lalonde Principal
Associations
Judith Desjardins
ThriveSMH / Pros’pairs – Elo Igor, Alina Medeiros Fireda Ahmed
Parent/Caregiver
Patricia Codner, Fireda Ahmed
Mental Health Leadership
Andréanne Fleck Saito, Lisa Doerksen
Strategic Communications
Brian Woodland
Strategic Communications Consultant
Operations and Human Resources
Racquel Peters
Human Resources and Operations Lead
Kim Chapman
Executive Assistant
Leadership and Implementation Support
Jacquie Brown
Leadership and Implementation Support – Area Lead
jbrown@smho-smso.ca
Kim Chapman
Executive Assistant
Board/Regional Implementation Coaching
Central
Jacquie Brown
Michael Giffen
Louise Moreau
Toni Lauzon
East
Elizabeth Paquette
Theresa Kennedy
Tracey Grose
Theresa Wilson
London
Andréanne Fleck Saito
Gwendolyn Fearing-Afflick
Lindsay Bunn
Michael Giffen
Northwest
Ashley Hendy
Edith St. Arnaud
Joan Kantola
North
Barbara Ward
Edith St. Arnaud
Susan Sweet
Toronto
Andréanne Fleck Saito
Jacquie Brown
Michael Giffen
Specialty Coaching*
*in collaboration with IS coaches
Early years mental health
Elizabeth Paquette
Eating disorder prevention
Ashley Hendy
Equity and mental health
Saleem Haniff
Indigenous mental health
Tanja Steinbach
Research and evaluation
Elana Gray
Student engagement
Joyce Erogun
Substance use prevention
Gwendolyn Fearing-Afflick
Suicide prevention
Maureen Mackay
MH Leadership Team Learning and Support
Andréanne Fleck Saito
Leadership Learning and Support Team Lead
Louise Moreau
Leadership Learning and Support Team Lead
Alexandra Fortier
Dani Rathwell
Deb Crawford
Elo Igor
Gail Lalonde
Jacquie Brown
Joan Kantola
Lisa Doerksen
Saleem Haniff
Tanja Steinbach
Theresa Wilson
Communication and Technical Support
Dani Rathwell
Communication and Technical Support – Area Lead
drathwell@smho-smso.ca
Shelly Upson
Communication and Technical Support Consultant
SMH-ON Content Strategy
Alison LaMantia
Digital Content Strategy Consultant
General and Stakeholder Communications
Saumya Sharma
Communications Consultant
Technical Supports
Chris Pagliari
Learning Management (IT) Consultant
Tony Calarco
Learning Management (IT) Consultant
Translation Services
Christine Massoda
Translation Consultant
Lucie Lauzon
Translation Consultant
Marsha Gillis
Translation Consultant
Mélissa Gagnon
Translation Consultant