Governance and Leadership
Sunbeam Community & Developmental Services is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors.
The Board of twelve is comprised of a diverse group of skilled, talented and experienced community leaders who give generously of their time to attend Committee and monthly Board meetings. The Chief Executive Officer, Directors and Senior Managers are responsible for the day to day operations of the organization and report regularly to the Board of Directors.
Board Officers
Stacey Jayne
President
Stacey is a new member to the Sunbeam Board of Directors in 2022 and is looking forward to new experiences and new perspectives with an amazing organization that does so much for its community. Stacey has worked for 28 years in the non-profit sector with an organization that provides personal care to adults and seniors with physical disabilities. Stacey started out many years ago as an Attendant Services Worker, then moved to Human Resources, then on to Coordinator of all Community and Seniors program and is currently a Program Manager at Guelph Independent Living. These many different roles have given her a wide range of perspectives which she is happy to be able to share with Sunbeam.
Stacey enjoys reading and spending time outside of work with her family and friends and her very furry dog, Axel.
Jessica Bondy
Vice President
Jessica Bondy serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Bondy & Associates, a government affairs and management consulting firm based in Waterloo Region. She is an expert in operations, systems thinking, the not-for-profit sector, and team development.
Jessica previously served as Executive Director at Oak Bridge Academy, Housing Director at House of Friendship, and spent 10 years in student services in higher education at the University of Waterloo. She is a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal and the University of Waterloo Alumni Achievement Award.
Jessica brings her passions in health, education, community systems and leadership to her board work at Sunbeam.
Laura Holtom
Secretary
Laura Holtom joined the Board in September 2021. She is a resident of Guelph and has found her first year on the Board to be extremely rewarding. Now serving as Vice President/Secretary.
Laura retired after 40 years working in Not for Profit Long-term Care Homes. The majority of her service was at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Guelph; and Wellington Terrace Long-term Care Home in Fergus. Ensuring deserving residents and families acquire quality services and care has been a priority. Her clinical role in first half of her career was in Recreation Therapy; and in Administrator roles for last 20 years where she also served on a number of health care boards and committees.
Laura is enjoying her retirement on the golf course, travelling, reading and embracing her creative side through quilting.
Andrew Kelly
Treasurer
Andrew joined the Sunbeam Organization in 2021 as a member of the communications committee and has subsequentially joined the board as a director in 2022. As a life-long resident of Waterloo Region, the opportunity to join such an esteemed local organization focused on work within the community was more than welcomed.
Andrew graduated Queen’s University in 2017 with an Honours Bachelor’s Degree and has worked in various sales and marketing capacities for the past five years. Currently, Andrew is a partner in a wholesale distribution business which is based locally in Cambridge.
In his spare time, Andrew enjoys golf, and spending time at his cottage in the Saugeen Shores area. He currently resides in Kitchener with his long-term partner.
Board Directors at Large
Darcy Balak
Director
Darcy joined the Sunbeam Board of Directors in 2024. As a parent of an individual with a neurological disorder, Darcy strongly advocates for and believes in Sunbeam’s vision of inclusivity. Darcy’s daughter lives with Rett Syndrome, and he previously had spent 11 years as a Board Member, Chair of the Fundraising Committee, and Secretary to the Board for the O.R.S.A. (Ontario Rett Syndrome Association).
From Farm Labourer to Food Inspector, Food Plant Manager to Operations Manager of multi-facility Bio-Gas plants, Darcy has worked in the Agriculture, Food industry and Food recycling/ renewable natural gas for the last 30 years. He brings a great wealth of experience with Compliance & Quality Assurance.
Darcy is a graduate of the University of Manitoba Faculty of Agriculture and, in his spare time, enjoys tending to his vegetable garden. His specialty is tomatoes and hot peppers, which he turns into a world-class salsa and tomato sauce.
Chantal Hunter
Director
Chantal Hunter joined the Sunbeam Board of Directors in 2024. She was looking for an opportunity to give back to the community and was drawn to the values and mission of the Sunbeam community.
Chantal lives with her partner Joel and is a proud mom of two boys ages 18 and 20. She is a CPA and graduate from McMaster University and has been in several leadership positions within finance and sales operations over the past 20 years. She is hopeful that her experience in finance across a range of industries will bring a positive perspective to the Sunbeam board.
Chantal lives in the beautiful township of St. Jacobs for over 10 years and truly enjoys the culture of this small community. In her spare time, Chantal enjoys traveling through Europe and has a residence in Spain where she hopes to retire to some day.
Tesa Martin
Director
Her personal connection to Sunbeam began through her younger brother, who has autism and a love of swimming. Their weekly visits to Sunbeam’s community pool introduced her to the organization’s work and inspired her lifelong commitment to advocacy and strengthening support for individuals with developmental needs.
Tesa lives in Waterloo with her husband and their two young children. After taking time to focus on her family, she is excited to return to volunteering and contribute both her professional experience and personal insight to advancing Sunbeam’s mission.
Andrew Moffat
Director
Brittany Roka
Director
Brittany is a dynamic, result- driven professional with a strong background in association development, skills training, communications, media arts, and project management. Over the past decade, she has built a reputation for fostering collaborative relationships, improving operational processes, and leading impactful communication strategies across the agricultural and non-profit sectors.
Most recently, Brittany served as an Association Development Advisor for a province-wide non-profit organization supporting 11 regions and 52 local associations. In this role, she played a key part in enhancing member engagement, delivering accessible training programs, and advancing strategic initiatives that supported organizational growth and innovation.
Beyond her professional achievements, Brittany is a dedicated parent of two children with special needs who are beginning their educational journey. Her lived experience fuels a deep commitment to advocacy, inclusion, and ensuring supportive community services for all individuals with developmental needs.
Connie Smith
Director
Connie is a proud wife, mother, daughter, Registered Social Worker, and Registered Early Childhood Educator. As a full-time Professor in the Faculty of Community Studies at Fanshawe College in London, her goal is to instill acceptance and compassion in students from a holistic and anti-oppressive lens. Connie’s passion for inclusion evolved while raising a daughter with complex Autism into her adult years.
Connie’s relationship with Sunbeam Community & Developmental Services can be considered one that has come ‘full circle’. When Connie moved to Waterloo in 2008, she requested the services of the Sunbeam Developmental Resource Centre (then known as DSRC) to assist with locating supports for her daughter as they were new to the Region. The care and compassion Connie received from the staff at DSRC during that initial meeting encouraged Connie to return to university with the goal of achieving a Master of Social Work in order to support other families who have children with special needs. This goal was achieved, and now that her daughter lives in one of Sunbeam’s residential homes, Connie is sharing the skills and experience she has gained with students who will be working in the field of Mental Health in the future.
Becoming a Board Member of Sunbeam Community and Developmental Services is one way that Connie is ‘giving back’. Having experienced some of the same challenges faced by the people and family members whom the organization supports allows Connie to face decision-making and advocacy at the Board level with compassion and understanding.
Outside of work, Connie enjoys spending time with her family, caring for her and her wife’s pets (3 dogs and 2 cats), following the Toronto Blue Jays, and Seattle Kraken, and playing Virtual Reality.
Fernando Vitorino
Director
Executive
Brian Swainson
Chief Executive Officer
Brian has extensive experience as a senior leader across non-profit developmental services and healthcare sectors, as well as in community services, and government. Having studied, lived, worked and volunteered in Waterloo Region for over 30 years, Brian appreciates the importance of non-profit services and supports in the lives of vulnerable individuals and their families in the local community.
After completing his master’s degree at the University of Waterloo, Brian earned his CPA, CGA designation and achieved certification as a healthcare administrator through AdvantAge Ontario. Brian is an alumnus of the Leadership Waterloo Region program and the Public Sector Executive Leadership Institute Program through the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.
Brian has volunteered in the non-profit sector in various capacities, and for several years, he served as a host family home provider.
Brian acknowledges the dedication and compassion of Sunbeam’s staff and volunteers, and he is extremely grateful for the opportunity to lead the Sunbeam Community in its service to the individuals and families we support.
Laura Thies
Chief Operating Officer
Laura has dedicated her career to serving and supporting persons with developmental disabilities for over 40 years.
In her role as Chief Operating Officer, Laura oversees all program areas across Sunbeam’s operating divisions, providing person-centred services and supports to over 14,000 individuals and their families each year.
She is appreciative of the opportunities and experiences that working for Sunbeam Community and Developmental Services has provided her.
Natalie Perna
Chief Administrative Officer
Natalie is a graduate of McMaster University and Conestoga College and holds her CHRL designation from the HRPA. With over 10 years of broad-based Human Resources experience, her goal is to continuously improve the workplace for staff and for clients. Natalie loves what Sunbeam Community and Developmental Services does for individuals and families and is proud to be part of an organization with such a long standing reputation in the community in which she lives.
Senior Management
Tracy Erb
Director, Developmental Resource Centre
Tracy has worked in the Developmental Services sector for over 24 years and has been with Sunbeam since 2006. She is responsible for a vast array of community-focused, person-centred programs serving individuals and their families, offered by Sunbeam’s Developmental Resource Centre, including Brightside ABA Services.
Tracy has a background in social work, bringing a client-centered approach to her role at Sunbeam. With a passion for helping others and making a positive impact, she thrives in the collaborative and supportive culture at Sunbeam. Tracy values the relationships she’s built with her colleagues and is inspired daily by the people she works with. Beyond her professional life, Tracy enjoys spending time in her garden, and with family and friends.
Nancy Plater
Director, Developmental Services Ontario
Prior to coming to work at Sunbeam Nancy worked as Director of Community Services with Kerry’s Place Autism Services and Director of Residential Services with Niagara Support Services. Her focus at Developmental Services Ontario (DSO) is to ensure a fair and equitable process is maintained for people applying for and receiving adult developmental services. She is passionate about inclusion and participation for all which has led to her work at Sunbeam. She is the proud mom of 2 young boys and enjoys spending lots of time being active outdoors!
Lourdes Toro
Director, Community Living Services
Lourdes is a foreign-trained physician with many years of experience working with people affected by HIV and AIDS in Mexico. As she settled in Canada with her family in 1998, her commitment to social causes brought her to the Developmental Services field; during the last 23 years she has worked passionately to promote social inclusion for people who have been labeled disabled. Her goal is to look for opportunities to build a community that values inclusion and recognizes that everyone has a contribution to make.
Lourdes’ focus in her role as the Director of Community Living Services, is to continue with Sunbeam’s long history of providing high standards of support to the important people who use our services, and to raise awareness so they can be seen as the contributing, valuable and important fellow citizens they are.
Prisca Omerole
Director, Finance
Katie McDevitt
Director, People & Culture
Katie holds the CHRL, CHRP, and PCP designations and is proud to support the dedicated employees and leaders who help individuals and families thrive through Sunbeam’s programs and services. Her leadership style is people-focused and collaborative, balancing empathy with accountability while creating an environment where employees feel supported, engaged, and empowered to succeed.
Outside of work, Katie enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, relaxing at the cottage, and tending to her garden. She values lifelong learning, leads with kindness and authenticity, and believes in giving back to the community.
Executive & Board Support
Katharine O’Brien
Executive Assistant
Katharine joined the Sunbeam team as Executive Assistant in September 2021. She has an extensive customer service background as well as working and volunteering with various not-for profit organizations in Waterloo Region. From a young age, Katharine had a passion for helping in her community.
Katharine holds two diplomas from Conestoga College from the Office Administration-Executive Program and the Dietetic Technician Program.
In her free time, Katharine enjoys spending time with her husband, furbaby, step-son and family. She enjoys travelling, camping, diamond painting and crafting, and baking. She volunteers with the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival Committee, is a member of the Pancake subcommittee, and formerly served as secretary for several years.