About us

AODA

Chair

Paul Byron

Paul is semi-retired after a 34-year career with one of Canada’s largest cooperative insurers. Part of his responsibilities included leading teams that built value-added affinity insurance programs for some of Canada’s largest cooperative, voluntary nonprofit and federative organizations.

In addition to his insurance industry designations, Paul’s Masters of Management (St. Mary’s) has a specialty in coops and credit unions.
Paul is convinced that well governed and mission focused voluntary nonprofit and cooperatively owned organizations are a cornerstone of healthy, stable, caring communities. He is actively using much of his time to help organizations provide their essential services to members and the broader community.

Paul is an active volunteer including giving time as a national board director of one of Canada’s largest youth serving organizations. He also has a reputation of being easy to convince to “roll up his sleeves” to contribute to any endeavour that makes his community safer and healthier.

Paul and his wife Lise have two grown sons. They enjoy spending time at their cottage in northern Ontario, wood working and wintering in the south.

Co-Vice Chair

Bernadette de Souza

With over 30 years as a senior executive in the Ontario Public Service, the not-for-profit sector and the United Nations (UN), Bernadette’s career has focused on leading and implementing large-scale transformation initiatives that improve client outcomes.

Bernadette’s passion lies in bringing out the resourcefulness of people, helping them achieve their highest potential in life and career. She is an active life and leadership coach. When she’s not coaching, she is a management consultant on strategy, change management, business development and process improvement, focusing on start-ups and small-scale businesses.

She and her family live in the GTA. They are avid travellers, and when they’re not doing that, they spend their time making good music together with their family band and doing a lot of gourmet cooking.

Co-Vice Chair

Subagini Sivapatham

Subagini Sivapatham has spent over 15 years in non-profit organizations management, leading and developing strategic aims through brand building, integrated marketing, client experience and business development. Her past adventures included, promoting stories of entrepreneurial innovations and success, connecting Canadian achievements and sparking ideas with leading edge change makers across the country. Currently, she is Chief Impact Officer at Pathways to Education Canada. In addition to being the co-founder of PR, eh?, a Canadian Public Relations Company that represents the underrepresented in the music and entertainment industry. Her passion for community engagement and growth is further reflected in her previous volunteer board posts, including Access Entrepreneurship Connections, Women’s Economic Council and Moorelands Kids.

Treasurer

Eric Adelson

Eric has over 20 years experience as a corporate and securities lawyer, including over 10 years as the General Counsel for large mutual fund companies. His practice and experience includes change management, risk management, corporate governance, and human resources management, in addition to the typical duties of a corporate counsel.

He has frequently commented on legislative and regulatory proposals relating to investment management and enjoys strong relationships with regulators. He is a member of the board of TanenbaumCHAT, a high school in Toronto.

Governance Officer

Pat Dunwoody

Pat is a client and relationship focused executive with an in-depth background in all aspects of the investment fund industry. She brings a strategic perspective and demonstrates a clear grasp of the drivers behind client satisfaction and the impact on the bottom line.

She has spent over 35 years in the Financial Services industry and is currently consulting within this industry as well as the NFP industry and is on three independent Review Committees.

Pat is also actively involved in the charitable, not-for-profit world, with seats at the Board of Prosper Canada and Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario. She lives in East Garafraxa, Ontario with her husband and dog Otis.

Secretary

Trisha Sharma

Trisha Sharma currently works in the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Since joining the Ontario Public Service in 2018, Trisha has spearheaded the delivery of strategic talent management initiatives at the ministry and enterprise levels. Trisha holds a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma and was most recently recognized as the 2023 Emerging New Professional by the Institute of Public Administration Canada, Toronto Region Chapter. Her professional interests include innovations in HR and the future of work, anti-racism and social justice, and continuous improvement in all its forms.

Director

Allan Scott

Allan has over three decades of public service experience, retiring after his third Director role. He began his professional career as a police officer before going into the Ontario Public Service as a provincial prosecutor in the Ministry of the Attorney General. After working at several ministries in policy, operations and regulatory roles in Toronto and Kingston, he retired from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in 2023.

As Superintendent of Private Career Colleges, Allan served on the province’s Training Completion Assurance Fund board, managing a $25 million fund to ensure vocational students could receive training completions should a registered school cease operations. He also serves on his Cathedral’s board, overseeing an $800 thousand budget and long-term capital planning.

Director

Ed Buller

Ed is a member of the Mistawasis First Nation in Saskatchewan but has spent his career in Ottawa. He has worked as the Executive Director of the National Association of Friendship Centres in Ottawa and the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, respectively. Joining the federal Department of the Solicitor General of Canada (later Public Safety Canada) in 1984, Ed led an Aboriginal Policy Unit responsible for community corrections, crime prevention and community safety planning, including a focus on Aboriginal street gangs and missing and murdered Aboriginal women. Ed spearheaded approaches to healing, using communities’ traditional cultural and spiritual approaches. For his work, Ed was awarded the 2002 APEX Award for Leadership within the Executive cadre of the federal public service. Ed is also a proud father and grandfather.

Director

Javier Ibáñez

Javier Ibáñez is a senior business leader whose professional practice focuses on creating and embedding high-performance sales cultures. Mr. Ibáñez is an expert in leading enterprise-level business development strategy and has worked for several of Canada’s largest insurers. He is a highly sought-after advisor in the area of B2B marketing, sales and communications. Mr. Ibáñez is a passionate educator and keynote speaker at industry events. He is a skilled communicator and is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Italian.

Mr. Ibáñez holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from York University and a Master’s Degree in Adult Education from Saint Francis Xavier University. His research Graduate degree research focused on Organizational Learning Mechanisms; analyzing how organizations create, share and leverage knowledge to achieve competitive advantage in the marketplace. He has completed post-graduate work in Business Administration at the Schulich School of Business. He is currently completing an LLM in corporate law at Osgoode Hall Law School.

He and his wife are the proud parents of four boys and are active in outdoor sports including hiking, canoeing and fly fishing. They make their home outside of Toronto.

Director

Michele Ratsch

Michele Ratsch's illustrious 35 year career in the Ontario Public Services spanning seven different ministries over this time, has just come to end at the end of June 2024. Over the years, she garnered extensive expertise in organizational and change management, leadership development, employee engagement, health, safety & wellness, as well as anti-racism, inclusion and diversity. At the senior management level, Michele led the implementation of the Organizational Dynamics Unit in the Strategic Human Resources Branch, Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Park by spearheading programs to enhance the employee experience. Her steady guidance and leadership in employee engagement, recognition, workplace mental health, and cultivating safe and healthy workplaces have left an indelible mark on our organization.

As a dedicated people leader, Michele makes it her mission to enhance the work environment, championing employees and advocating for positive change. Her impact was felt across the OPS through her innovative approach to delivering programs, projects, and events and also in her many roles on the Provincial Interministerial Committee/OPS Leadership Network where she served in various roles Toronto Local Chair, and Central Region Chair.

One of Michele’s legacy to the OPS is the founding of the Women in Government (WiG) employee network where she served as a key executive member and CoChair for the past 10 years. As Co-Chair of WiG, Michele influenced decision making by ensuring women had a seat and a voice at the table and advanced women's representation across the OPS. For her efforts, dedication, and passion, Michele was part of the fabled WiG team that won an OPS Amethyst Award in 2015. Michele has also received many ministry recognition awards including a MECP Hidden Gem award where she was nominated by her employees for inspiring them and others to making the workplace a better place to work because of her attitude, values, expertise, and talents. Michele’s passion for inclusivity and equity continues through her mentorship of women and their allies, ensuring an equitable and inclusive workplace for all.

As a manager, Michele empowered high-performing teams to enhance the OPS and ministry culture, imparting her expertise in data analytics, workplace mental health, inclusion, and belonging. Many of her current and former team members now lead equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives for OPS employee networks, a testament to Michele's exceptional leadership.

Director

Will Stratton

Will has extensive expertise in leading large transformations, developing revenue generation and growth strategies, and process improvement. He places a strong emphasis on customer experience with a special ability to develop creative solutions to complex problems. Formerly Will was with the Department of National Defence, and volunteers for the ‘Right to Play’ youth- to-youth program as well as initiating a program to give Syrian refugees a camp experience.