Our Team
Stephanie
King
President
Stephanie was born in Kitchener Waterloo and has lived in Ottawa since 1990. She has been working with individuals with an intellectual disability and their families since 1993. She is also an aunt and advisor to a wonderful nephew who has an intellectual disability. Her educational background includes: DSW Diploma, B.A. in Psychology, B.Ed., and specialist qualifications in Special Education and English as a Second Language. Stephanie is presently a teacher in the Community Living Program at Glebe Collegiate. Stephanie has given workshops to parents, teachers and individuals with an intellectual disability on a variety of topics including: transition planning, educating for the future, and literacy for individuals with an intellectual disability. She is always willing to share her resources, time and support to individuals with a disability, their families and fellow educators.
Elaine Johnston
Secretary
Elaine Johnston was born and raised in Ottawa, is a Computer Scientist and mother of two. She has been working in high tech in the Ottawa area for 32 years. Elaine has volunteered for many organizations including being a big sister, co-chairing several parent council school organizations, and helping animals in the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Center. She is beginning a journey with her son, who is 20 with a developmental disability, to ensure he and his peers have opportunities, as they move into adulthood, to live fulfilling lives in an integrated society. After attending many coffee houses sponsored by Families Matter Co-op, Elaine was inspired by this organization's dedication to community and hopes to work with the board to bring innovative ideas to Ottawa families
Vania
Karam
Treasurer
Vania is a native of Ottawa. She has board experience as both President and Treasurer and volunteers her time with an array of organizations including CPA Canada's Financial Literacy Program, the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, the Ethics Practitioners’ Association of Canada and the City of Ottawa Accessibility Advisory Committee. She is an executive with the Government on the Canada. She brings to this role her experience and knowledge of accounting, finance, economics and risk. She also operates a small tax preparation business. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Certified Risk Manager. She values perseverance and empowerment and is a firm believer that with hope, hard work and a bit of luck, you can do anything. It is these values that drew her to Families Matter Co-Op.
Janice Berstein
Director
Janice is from Ottawa and has two teenage children, one of whom has a developmental disability. Janice has been working with children, youth and adults with intellectual disabilities since she first entered the workforce. She has worked as a residential summer camp director with the Ottawa YM-YWCA and as a child and youth care worker at the Toronto based Kinark Child and Family Services. Janice has served on the board of directors for Action Sandy Hill and for Bernadette Child Care Centre. Her educational background includes: B.Sc in Biology with a minor in gender studies, B.Ed with qualifications in Biology, Math, Guidance and Special Education. Janice has been an educator with the OCDSB since 2000 and recently joined the Lisgar Collegiate community as vice-principal. She is personally and professionally committed to equity and inclusion and is looking forward to supporting FMC as a board member.
Christine
Snow
Board of Director
Christine Snow is a Registered Massage Therapist, and has been in private practice for the last 26 years. She is a mother of three. Her oldest child is 20 years old, and has a developmental disability. Chris has been a member of the Board of Directors of The Social Network for Youth, an organization that offers social programming for youth and adults with developmental disabilities, for the last five years. In preparation for her son leaving high school and entering his adult life, Chris has been networking and gathering as much information as possible, to help her son design a meaningful life for himself. She has come to realize the importance of networking, sharing information and supporting one another in this process. Chris is keen to use her personal experience, dedication and commitment to these issues to contribute to The Board of Directors of Families Matter Co-op.
Jeff
Bond
Executive Director
Jeff aspires to create a positive and supportive environment for staff and volunteers to learn, grow, and innovate. He is always open to exploring new ideas and collaborative opportunities to improve organizational efficiency and overall community impact. Jeff studied Non-Profit & Volunteer Sector Governance and Management at Carleton University and his career spans over 20 years in the not-for-profit sector. When Jeff is not working, he can be found hanging out with his family... and when he can't be found, he's likely exploring a nature trail or paddling a backcountry river in his red Old Town canoe.