Appointee Biographies

CAROLINE FLETCHER-DAGENAIS

Caroline Fletcher-Dagenais is the Acting Associate Chair of the Child and Family Services Review Board, and Custody Review Board. Caroline is also Associate Chair of the Ontario Civilian Police Commission, and Vice-Chair of the Ontario Parole Board. She holds a master’s degree in Applied Criminology, University of Ottawa 1989. She has served on the front lines of criminal justice in Ontario as a Parole Probation Officer. Together with her past federal role on the Parole Board of Canada, Ms. Fletcher-Dagenais has been an adjudicator for over seventeen years. She has extensive experience in engaging and supporting those within vulnerable populations, and from diverse communities in the Province of Ontario.

DONNA WOWK

Donna Wowk was called to the Ontario Bar in 1984. Ms. Wowk was employed as senior counsel to a children's aid society for 18 years. She has since been in private practice and has represented children's aid societies as well as parents and a children's residential service in various proceedings. Ms. Wowk has appeared in all levels of court in Ontario as well as before the Child and Family Services Review Board.

CAROLINE SAND

Caroline Sand is a lawyer and educator who has been working in adjudication and mediation since 2015. She was a Vice-Chair at the Workplace Safety Insurance Appeals Tribunal prior to her appointment at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario in 2018. She worked for many years at a legal clinic where she represented low income clients experiencing complex and intersecting legal problems. She also provided public legal education, and oversaw the law student program at the clinic, where she was engaged in teaching, training and mentoring law students. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

TAMARA JORDAN

Tamara Jordan is a social worker and lawyer. She practiced as a lawyer for several years including in the areas of family law and civil sexual assault and harassment, and as legal counsel to a children’s aid society. Ms. Jordan also worked as an Investigator with the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth and in various capacities with Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre and other non-profit organizations. Ms. Jordan is an active volunteer and has served many years as a Board member with non-profit agencies. She also works part-time as a consultant conducting human rights investigations and reviews.

JANE FITZGERALD

Jane Fitzgerald has an extensive and varied record of working in clinical and executive management roles in government, foundations, and non-profit organizations in the mental health and child welfare sectors. Jane's professional history is broad and deep, having served most recently as Executive Director of Resolve Counselling Services Kingston, as Executive Director of a Children's Aid Society, as Senior Vice President of Invest in Kids Foundation, and as the Executive Director of Children's Services for the Province of Nova Scotia. She also served as the Policy Advisor to the Minister of Community and Social Services and led the Health Innovation Fund under two Ontario Premier's Councils on Health. Jane has also served on numerous Boards of Directors at provincial and national levels, including the Child Welfare League of Canada, and is currently serving on the board of the Kingston Health Science Centre.

CATHERINE BICKLEY

Catherine Bickley has been an adjudicator at provincial tribunals since 2000. She is a graduate of the University of Guelph and the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 1991. Ms. Bickley is active as a volunteer in professional and charitable organizations.

MARTINA DWYER

Martina Dwyer is a Lawyer for Dwyer Law Office and she practises in the area of family law. She graduated from the University of Windsor Law School. She obtained a certificate from Osgoode Hall Law School in Family Law Skills and Practise. She additionally graduated from University of Windsor School of Nursing, as a BScN, RN and is casually employed by Indigenous Services Canada in Public Health.

CHRISTINA BUDWETH MINGAY

Christina Mingay was a former Adjudicator for Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal/Residential Tenancies Board, a former Discipline Counsel for The Law Society of Ontario, and a former Junior Lawyer for Smith Lyons. Her community involvement has included serving as a Volunteer for Regent Park School of Music.

TRACY FOSTER

Tracy Foster has over her 30-year career in marketing communications, production management, project management and graphic design, Tracy Foster has worked for several large multi-national corporations across Canada and the United States. Her work and clients have included TransCanada, Bayer, RBC, Global TV, Albi Homes and Ferrero. Whether leading teams and projects or contributing, Tracy is always at the centre of bringing all the disparate parts and players together towards the common goal. Tracy is a member of the Ontario Parole Board and previously served as a member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

MALCOLM MACFARLANE

Malcolm M. MacFarlane is a retired Registered Psychotherapist and marriage and family therapist with 30 years’ experience in the mental health field at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay. He is a former Vice-President with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario where he participated in discipline tribunals and chaired registration panels. In his early career, he was a front-line family services worker at Durham Children's Aid Society. He was President of the Lindsay and District Council on Child Abuse, and a member of the Ross Memorial Hospital Ethics Committee, as well as the Ross Memorial Family Centred Care Working Group. He is author of two edited textbooks, Family Therapy and Mental Health: Innovations in Theory and Practice, and Family Treatment of Personality Disorders: Advances in Clinical Practice. He has published a number of journal articles and was the Section editor of the Family Therapy and Mental Health Section of the Journal of Family Psychotherapy.

LINDA LENNON

Linda Lennon is currently a part time member of the Ontario Parole Board and previously served as a member of the Parole Board of Canada (1993-1998 & 2005-2015). Linda worked for a design build firm in Waterloo from 1998-2007, was an elected City Councillor in the City of Guelph from 1985-1992, co-owned a construction company in the 1980s, and worked for Family and Children's Services in Guelph and Wellington County in the early 1980s. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Guelph and has done volunteer work in the past in the areas of domestic violence and homeless youth.

IVANA VACCARO

Ivana Vaccaro serves as a member (part-time) of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, Child and Family Services Review Board, Custody Review Board, Ontario Special Education Tribunal (English) and served as a member (part-time) of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. She is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at RV Law LLP, and the founder of Mediated Family Results Inc. She is a family lawyer, an accredited mediator, arbitrator and parenting coordinator. Her community involvement includes serving as a member of the Board of Directors for The Redwood and serving as a coach and advisor with the Coach and Advisor Network for the Law Society of Ontario.

LOUISE CHARETTE

Louise Charette is a graduate of the University of Ottawa French Common Law Program. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Ms. Charette was employed with the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services for a number of years. During her employment with this Ministry, she held different positions within the provincial correctional system working within the institutional setting and with offenders in the community. As a lawyer, she started her career with the Ministry of the Attorney General working primarily as a per diem Assistant Crown Attorney. She later acquired experience as duty counsel representing the accused. Ms. Charette was previously a part time member of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board as well as the Social Benefits Tribunal.

PIERRE R. LAVIGNE

Pierre R. Lavigne is a member of the Bar of Ontario and the Bar of Quebec, with a practice in administrative law, litigation, and class actions. His Ottawa based practice has experience in the areas of medical and governmental malpractice, design of compensation systems, alternative dispute resolution, actuarial issues, consent and capacity issues, insurance, and municipal law. He has appeared at all levels of provincial and federal courts up to the Supreme Court of Canada. He has been a sessional lecturer in Insurance and Municipal Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa.

KARYNN VON CRAMON

Karynn von Cramon graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1990 where she completed an intensive program in Poverty Law. On her call to the bar, Karynn started work as inside counsel for what is now Family & Children's Services of Lanark, Leeds, and Grenville, where she remained for 30 years as manager of Legal Services and Senior Counsel. Following her retirement in 2021, Karynn became the coordinator of Every Kid in Our Communities, a collaborative of child and family services. She is passionate about children, family & social justice issues.

ALEXANDRA BARTHOS

Alexandra Barthos was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2016 and practises primarily family, civil, and criminal law. She is the proud parent of a husky who occupies much of her time and most of the memory of her cell phone.

SONYA VELLENGA

Sonya Vellenga resides in the City of Kawartha Lakes and has most recently retired from the Trillium Lakelands District School Board in 2023 following 5 years of service as the Mental Health Lead and Manager of the Mental Health Portfolio. Sonya worked for the Kawartha Haliburton Children’s Aid Society from 1991 to 2009 in both front line and management roles. In this role, she also supervised the Child Welfare response on Curve Lake and Hiawatha and was a Provincial Trainer with the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies. Sonya moved from this role to that of an Executive Director with the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre from 2013 – 2018. In this role, Sonya was able to partner with Trent University and Western University on a research project focused on building resilience with young people at risk of harm through the use of horses. Throughout her career, Sonya has been both a sessional instructor and field instructor with a number of Post Secondary Institutions.

CHRISTINE STALEY

Christine Staley is a graduate of the University of Guelph and the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa. She practiced law for several years in the areas of family and insurance law in Toronto. She has spent the last 2 decades working with non-profits and charities, most recently as the Executive Director of Dyslexia Canada. Ms. Staley is an active volunteer with charitable organizations focused on family and child support.

BONNIE OAKES CHARRON

Bonnie Oakes Charron is a public sector governance specialist and has served as a board director, committee chair, and tribunal member. She is a licensed paralegal and holds BA and MLIS degrees. Ms. Charron has experience in parliamentary procedure, corporate governance, adjudication, and professional regulation.

GENEVIEVE PAINCHAUD

Geneviève Painchaud is a bilingual Communications consultant and Realtor in the Ottawa area, with extensive community involvement including her current positions as a Board Director at the Law Society of Ontario (Lay Bencher), the Law Commission of Ontario, the Ontario Arts Council and until recently, Ontario 211 Services. She is also an adjudicator with the hearing and appeals divisions of the Law Society Tribunal. Some of her past employers include Trimark Mutual Funds (Invesco) and Bell TV, and as a Professor at College La Cité in the Business Faculty.

JEREMY ROBERTS

Jeremy Roberts is a community builder who has been involved in public service from a young age. Elected at 26 as the Member of Provincial Parliament for Ottawa West - Nepean, he went on to serve as Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children, Community & Social Services. A long-time advocate for individuals with developmental disabilities, Jeremy successfully secured a multi-million-dollar investment in a new hospital expansion for kids with special needs and helped oversee the transformation of clinical services for these children province-wide. He holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Oxford, is a Senior Fellow at the Munk School for Global Affairs & Public Policy and is the past recipient of the United Way’s Community Builder of the Year Award. Jeremy currently lives in Toronto with his partner, John.

SEAN WEIR

Sean Weir was CEO of Canada’s largest national law firm from 2000 to July 1, 2018. In his legal practice, Mr. Weir advised financial institutions, corporations and major pension funds. Active in his community, Mr. Weir served as an elected Councillor of the Town of Oakville, a director of the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and a Director and Chair of Oakville Hydro. Mr. Weir was named a “Diversity Champion” by Women of Influence Magazine, received the Lexpert Zenith Managing Partner Award for Corporate Social Responsibility and was listed in the Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada.