The Stella’s Team is growing as we develop programs and engage young adults as facilitators and Peer Ambassadors. We are committed to hiring staff with a diversity of experiences, and assertively hire young adults with lived experience of mental health issues.
We have an energetic, compassionate team. Each team member is committed to values-based practice, working collaboratively, with flexibility. We strive to create bold and responsive approaches to change the landscape of young adult mental health.
Our Team Members
Nzinga Walker
Executive Director
Asante Haughton
Peer Development and Training Manager
Laera Gattoni
Director of Research & Evaluation
Nakeesa Kooshafar
Clinician
Sara Khatri
Clinician
Charlotte Johnston
Clinician
Claire Lewis
Clinician
Alex Sawatzky
Creative Marketing Officer
Megumi Onishi
Research Coordinator
Chukuka Ebuta
Senior Peer Ambassador
Asma Choudhry
Peer Ambassador DBT
Samantha Ledamun
Peer Ambassador DBT
Emma Downie
Access Counsellor Navigator
Stacey Gawrylash
Access Counsellor Navigator
Gena Little
Access Counsellor Navigator
Ajay Gallacher
Access Coordinator
Dr. Sabeena Chopra
Psychiatrist
Dr. Alexa Caturay
Family Physician
Mahamed Mohamood
Case Manager, Community Healing Project
Minatallah Ali
CHP Peer Mentor
Husna Raghe
Peer Ambassador
Patricia Feehely
Senior Development Officer
Leah Shifferaw
Manager, Community Healing Project
Meagan Minott
Clinical & Recovery Services Manager
Rachel Wilson
DBT Clinician
Walter Bak
Accounting Manager
Emily Jarrett
Communications & Marketing Manager
Lauren Saarimaki
Film Fest Coordinator
Meghna Nambiar
Development Officer
Susmita Neville
Manager Donor Relations and Data Analytics
Our Board Members
Donna Green
Founder & Chair, Stella’s Place
Trustee, Green Sanderson Family Foundation
Donna Green has over 40 years’ experience in real estate, arts and culture, and community development. Donna is a tireless community activist and philanthropist. She is founder of Stella’s Place and Chair of the board.
Martha Tory
Treasurer & Director, Stella’s Place
Retired Partner, Ernst & Young LLP
Martha Tory was Senior Partner at Ernst & Young with over 35 years experience in providing assurance and business advisory services. She led Ernst & Young’s Healthcare, Not-for-Profit and University Industry Groups in Canada. Martha retired in 2015 and currently serves on several boards, including Stella’s Place.
Dr. Mario Cappelli
Director
Director of Mental Health & Psychiatry Research, CHEO Clinical Director, Summit Centre
Dr. Mario Cappelli is the Senior Clinician Scientist at the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child & Youth Mental Health and the Past Director of Mental Health & Psychiatry Research at CHEO, Dr. Cappelli is also the Clinical Director of Cappelli & Associates and a Clinical Psychologist who has been in practice since 1991 working with children, youth, young adults and their families.
Melanie Lovering, CFRE
Director
Consultant, Philanthropy Partners
Melanie is a senior fundraising professional with two decades of direct fundraising experience as a Consultant with KCI, as a Director of Development for several organizations, and as the Founding Executive Director of the Leacock Foundation.
Colin MacDonald
Director
Principal, Navigator Ltd.
Colin MacDonald is a Principal at Navigator Ltd., where he specializes in public policy, reputation management and campaign execution. Prior to this role, Colin served as a senior policy advisor to several Ontario cabinet ministers. Colin graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a master’s degree in political science.
Steve Wilson
Director
Managing Director, Growth Matters
Steve Wilson is the Managing Director of Growth Matters, an advisory practice working with Canadian high-growth technology companies. Steve graduated from The University of Michigan in 1987 and received his Chartered Accountant qualification in 1990.
Dr. Brendan Andrade, Ph.D., C.Psych
Dr. Brendan Andrade is a Clinical Psychologist and Clinician-Scientist with the Child, Youth and Emerging Adult Program (CYEAP) and Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He is Associate Professor and Research Director for the Division of Child and Youth Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Clinically, Dr. Andrade works with children, youth and their families challenged by complex mental health challenges, including disruptive behavior disorders, ADHD, mood and anxiety disorders. His program of research investigates the social-emotional, cognitive and neuro-cognitive correlates of aggressive and disruptive behaviour in childhood and the effectiveness and predictors of short- and long-term treatment outcome of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties and their parents participating in cognitive-behavioural group treatment. This second line of research is highlighted by the CIHR funded Personalizing Psychosocial Intervention for children with disruptive behavior study that will lead to improved health outcomes by addressing the important question, “Which psychosocial treatments work for whom?”
Naveen Hassan
Associate General Counsel & Director of Privacy and Risk Management, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)
Naveen is Associate General Counsel and Director, Privacy & Risk Management at SickKida. In this role, she provides legal and risk management advice to administrative and clinical leaders across the hospital, and works closely with clinical teams to address diverse legal issues that arise in the delivery of care. Naveen has expertise in a range of health care matters, including mental health law, with a focus on children’s mental health. Prior to joining SickKids, she was a lawyer at a national Canadian law firm.
Dr. Bjug Borgundvaag, MD, PhD
Cynthia Sung
Marsha John-Greenwood
-Alex Gosselin,
Manager, Clinical and Recovery Services
