FOUNDING CHAIR – DR. ERIC JACKMAN

FLR (Eric) Jackman, CM, O Ont, PhD, C Psych, LLD, DSc a businessman and psychologist serves as founding chair and trustee of The Psychology Foundation of Canada. Eric was educated at the Universities of British Columbia, Toronto and Chicago.

Dr. Jackman is President of Invicta Investments ULC and Chairman of the Jackman Foundation. He is a former Chancellor of the University of Windsor and past President of the Art Gallery of Ontario, The Empire Club of Canada, and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Toronto Branch, and past Chair of the Atlantic Council of Canada (now NATO Association of Canada).

For his work to improve his community and Canada, Dr. Jackman has received the CMHA C.M. Hincks National Award for Mental Health, Canada’s 125th Anniversary Commemorative Medal, King Charles III Coronation Medal, The Order of Ontario, Order of Canada, four honorary doctorates, and in 2022 The Canadian Psychology Association’s Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Profession.

CHAIR – JESSICA GOLDBERG

Jessica is a Deloitte Partner with over 25 years’ experience advising senior executives on a range of strategic issues and initiatives, primarily in banking and insurance.  She is adept at integrating strategy with people, operations, and technology considerations to deliver practical solutions.  She has worked with leading organizations across Canada and internationally with Deloitte in London, UK.  Jessica holds an MBA from Rotman, an MA in Psychology from the University of Toronto and a BA(Hon) in Psychology from Queens University.  She recently completed the Institute of Corporate Directors Education Program.

VICE CHAIR – DEANA DJURDJEVIC

Deana is an accomplished executive in the financial services industry with extensive experience in building, leading, and transforming businesses and teams. She has a proven track record in navigating complex technological, regulatory, and stakeholder environments to develop and implement strategies that enable corporate visions.

Most recently Deana was the Chief Operations Officer at the Ontario Security Commission. Previously she held senior leadership positions in Canadian capital markets, including Senior Vice President of Equities Trading at the TMX Group and Chief Trading and Data Officer at the Alpha Group.

Additionally, Deana has worked as an independent consultant, advising Canadian financial services firms and regulators on strategy development, business model optimization and technology implementations.

PSYCHOLOGIST – DR. REBECCA PILLAI RIDDELL

Dr. Pillai Riddell is the Director of the Opportunities to Understand Childhood Hurt Laboratory or The OUCH Lab (www.yorku.ca/ouchlab) at York University, Canada. She is a Tier 1 York Research Chair in Pain and Mental Health. She also is Chair of the External advisory board of the Sick Kids Pain Centre and a member of the advisory board for Sick Kids Infant Mental Health Promotion Program.  As both a basic behavioural scientist and a clinical psychologist, Dr. Pillai Riddell leads a world-renown research program in infant and young child pain that seeks to understand pain from psychological, social, and a biological perspectives.  Her work as a clinical psychologist focuses on supporting parents of babies and young children.  Among her award-winning research accomplishments, her lab built the largest cohort in the world studying young child and parent interactions in vaccinations over the first five years of life. Her research focuses on parent-infant interactions during painful procedures, particularly the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Dr. Pillai Riddell is a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, the 2019 American Pain Society’s Jeffrey Lawson Award for Advocacy in Children’s Pain winner, and recipient of Canadian Pain Society’s 2020 Outstanding Mentorship Award.

TREASURER – MICHAEL ORT

Michael is a Partner in KPMG Canada’s Accounting Advisory Practice in Toronto who leads the GTA ESG reporting service line. In addition, Michael is a member of KPMG Canada’s National Sustainability Topic Team. He also belongs to a number of internal working groups and taskforces sharing leading practices on the implementation of ESG standards and regulatory changes.  Michael has extensive experience in multiple disciplines including complex and emerging technical accounting and reporting advice, ESG reporting and regulatory standard implementation projects. In addition, Michael focuses on advising clients on the implementation of Finance function improvement, including financial reporting modernization, reporting process improvement and strategy, and risk and control frameworks.

DR. ROBIN ALTER – PhD, C PSYCH

Dr. Robin Alter is a registered clinical psychologist in practice in Ontario since 1979. She received her Masters and PhD degrees from the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1979. She was a Senior Consultant to the Hincks-Dellcrest Children’s Centre (now Sick Kids Community Treatment Centre) and Blue Hills Child and Family Centre) now York Hills Child and Family Centre) for almost 40 years. In her consulting capacity, she also worked with Anishnawbe Health Toronto Conducting Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) assessments. Her current practice includes both the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and adults. She is the co- founder of the ADD Institute and a lifetime member of the Canadian Psychological Association, Ontario Psychological Association and American Psychological Association. At CPA she is a member of the Indigenous Section where she manages the newsletter– “The Circle in Action.”

Dr. Alter has been working as a psychologist for over 44 years In Florida she was the only psychologist working with children and families in a rural mental health center. Since coming to Toronto in 1979, she has worked as a clinician and consultant and taught courses in psychology at York University, while also running her comprehensive private practice. She is the author of several books, Anxiety and the Gift of Imagination and the Anxiety Workbook for Kids, and has been a trustee with Strong Minds/Strong Kid/Psychology Canada for the past 10 years in a variety of capacities, developing programs for stress management, as well as a member of the Task Force to guide psychologists to comply with the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee for Indigenous People of Canada.

MICHAEL BEEFORTH – BA, MA, LLB

Mike is a commercial litigator and a partner in Dentons’ Litigation and Dispute Resolution group. Mike has particular expertise in advising clients in the financial services industry, having spent 18 months seconded to a large Canadian bank where he managed litigation for the bank’s capital markets, wealth management and treasury services businesses. Mike also regularly advised the business on compliance and regulatory issues, and planned and managed numerous internal investigations regarding a variety of issues, including regulatory inquiries and prosecutions, employment matters, and securities issues. Mike also acts for developers, commercial landlords and tenants in litigation relating to lease disputes and renewals, purchase and sale transactions, enforcing secured interests, and related injunctive relief. Mike has extensive experience in other areas of commercial litigation, including directors’ and officers’ liability, oppression proceedings, complex fraud matters, injunctions and class actions. Mike has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario, has represented clients in both domestic and international arbitrations, and has dealt with a number of regulators including the Ontario Securities Commission and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada.

CAROL CAUGHLIN – BA, MBA

Carol is a Partner and leader in Professional Services at Deloitte Canada.  She has decades of leading and achieving complex transformations in both the public and private sector, always with people at the centre.  Carol’s focus is primarily on her Provincial and Federal Government clients.  Prior to Consulting Carol’s experience is as a HR leader in Canada’s largest organizations. 

Carol also has prior experience working on the Board of Directors for children focused not for profits/charities.  She served both the Maurice Cody Childcare Board as the and the Future Possibilities for Kids Board, as the HR leader. 

Carol holds an MBA from Wilfred Laurier and a BA from Western University.

JULIE GAUDRY – B Kin

Julie Gaudry is Vice President, Insurance Product Development at RBC Insurance. Julie is a health and wellness professional by background, with proven effectiveness in business leadership, strong interpersonal skills, and a passion for leading highly engaged teams in the development and execution of innovative programs that positively impact the physical and mental health of the communities we serve.

Julie has been at RBC since 2006 where she has held a number of progressively more senior positions, including Wellness and Group Benefits roles within Human Resources until 2014, leadership of the Group Benefits and Creditor Insurance businesses until 2024, and now Julie is Vice President Insurance Product Development, responsible for developing and championing innovative products to meet evolving client needs in collaboration with partners across RBC.

Julie has a Bachelor of Kinesiology (with minor in Psychology) from McMaster University and a Doctor of Chiropractic from Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. She also has certifications in Foundations of Financial Performance at RBC, Ivey Business School and NCCP Competition-Introduction trained coach.

MALCOLM MCLEAN – MBA

After completing the International MBA program at Schulich with a specialty in Russia and
Eastern Europe, Malcolm worked for several years in Germany before returning to
Canada. Motivated by his interest in insight, perception, and the behaviour of brands, he
made the decision to focus on brand & consumer strategy and has led strategic initiatives
in Canada, North America, and Europe. After making rain happen at some of Canada’s
leading agencies – including both big network and independent Canadian shops – he
founded McLean Strategic, a brand consultancy. More recently he also stepped into the
role of President & CSO at Mackie Biernacki an independent, full-service boutique agency.

During his career, Malcolm has been engaged as the strategic lead for Canada on some of
the world’s most famous brands, including Apple, Absolut, BMW, HSBC, Mars, Mercedes,
and P&G, has led strategic initiatives across North America and in Europe, even
presenting a country-brand strategy to the President of Armenia (really!). He’s had the
privilege to work with a variety of not-for-profit organizations including CBCF, the Salvation
Army, Special Olympics, Moms Demand Action for Gun Control in America, and the
Missing Children’s Society of Canada. Malcolm led the agency team responsible for
rebranding the Psychology Foundation of Canada to become Strong Minds, Strong Kids
(Psychology Canada), an initiative that led to him joining the board and subsequently
becoming Vice-Chair.

Malcolm speaks four languages, is a proud Maritimer, and is very much a dog guy.

KATE MASON-SMITH BA, MPA

Kate Mason-Smith has been in the Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada orbit for many years and is very grateful for the opportunity to be considered a candidate for the Board

Kate is passionate about kids’ mental health and health promotion, and public policy more broadly.

She is currently a Fellow of the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and an Advisor to the Weston Family philanthropic foundations. Prior to her current roles, Kate was a senior executive in the Ontario Government. She served as the Deputy Minister of Education and also the Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Assistant Deputy Minister of Health Promotion of the Ministry of Health. Kate holds a master’s in public administration from Queen’s University.

DR. RYAN PERSRAM – PhD

Dr. Ryan Persram is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University, specializing in developmental psychology with a focus on sibling and peer relationships and their role in mental health and well-being. He holds a PhD and MA from Concordia University and completed multiple postdoctoral fellowships at McGill and Queen’s Universities. Dr. Persram has received prestigious funding from SSHRC and FRQSC, has published extensively in leading journals, and contributes to the field as a consulting editor and research partner with national networks like PREVNet. His research and teaching emphasize applying psychological science to promote positive developmental outcomes across childhood and adolescence.

DR. NICOLE RACINE – PhD, R PSYCH

Dr. Racine is a clinical psychologist, associate professor, and Director of the Early Lab at the University of Ottawa, Canada. She holds the Research Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario where she collaborates with clinicians and community partners to conduct research on child trauma. Her research examines the impact of early adversity in early childhood and identifies prevention and intervention approaches that promote resilience.

DR. CHANTAL REGIS – PhD, C PSYCH

Dr. Chantal Regis is a Registered Psychologist with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Guelph. Her areas of practice include children and adolescents. She provides therapeutic, assessment and consultation services at the Durham District School Board, and in private practice in the Greater Toronto Area. Dr. Regis previously worked as a staff psychologist at the Peterborough Regional Health Service, and at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences.