Board Members

Hero Landry is the Executive Vice President of Walker Emulsions, a division of Walker Industries. Hero holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. Hero has worked in remote Northern and Arctic environments in leadership roles within both corporate and healthcare fields; often alongside First Nations and Inuit populations. Hero is excited to contribute to Ernestine’s vital work supporting women and children through participation on the Board of Directors.

Kathy is Vice-President and Canadian Legal Director at Aramark Canada Ltd. Kathy oversees all legal matters relating to the Canadian Aramark business and is a member of the Aramark Canada Executive Management Team. Prior to joining Aramark in 2010, Kathy practiced commercial litigation and corporate restructuring at Stikeman Elliott LLP in Toronto. However, Kathy’s first career was in social work. As a social worker, Kathy worked in adolescent addictions providing harm-reduction focused addictions counselling, education and professional development in Vancouver, BC. An interest in public policy led to applying to law school but Kathy’s heart has always remained in social work and the needs of women and children in the community. Kathy is proud to be a Board member of such a strong women-led organization. Kathy has a BSW from the University of British Columbia and a LL.B cum laude from the University of Ottawa.

Laurie Tucker is Director, Finance & Administration at a Toronto-based family office with a broad expertise in accounting, financial reporting, tax, financial and estate planning, philanthropy, human resources and office administration.  Laurie holds a CPA, CA designation, HBA degree from Ivey Business School at Western University, and an MBA degree from Schulich School of Business School at York University.

As a survivor of domestic violence, Laurie is passionately committed to Ernestine’s mission of supporting women and children escaping violence.

Jennifer has worked in the public sector, specifically related to community services, for over seven years. She is currently the Director of Stakeholder Relations at Tarion Warranty Corporation. Prior to Tarion, she was a senior political advisor on health and community safety, with responsibilities for such areas as public health, health promotion, mental health and addiction and women’s health. Previously, Jennifer was the lead advisor on consumer services, not-for-profit law, and government agency oversight including board governance. She holds a Master of Science in Climate Change and Bachelor of Arts in Human and Environmental Geography. Jennifer is a long-standing and active volunteer at the University of Toronto. She serves as alumni ambassador at the Faculty of Arts and Science and is a past mentor at OISE.

Cindy Luong is a seasoned marketing professional with experience in brand management, strategic planning, and non-profit partnerships. She currently works in Brand & Corporate Social Responsibility at Manulife, leading high-impact brand and cause marketing programs. Cindy holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. Over her career, she has developed several personal care and food category brands at respected organizations including Edgewell Personal Care, Maple Leaf Foods & Lactalis Canada.

Through her previous volunteer and personal experience, Cindy has spent her time outside her marketing profession in youth development, coaching & working specifically with girls to develop leadership and confidence through sport and the performing arts. She is honoured to support the women & children at Ernestine’s, and looks forward to contributing her expertise to this life-changing organization.

Jennifer is the head of segment marketing at Reckitt Canada, a consumer packaged goods company with powerhouse brands across hygiene, home and health. Jennifer has spent her career leading and building beloved mega brands across an array of categories at Johnson & Johnson and Mars. Jennifer is a strategic marketer, a passionate people leader, and an avid participant in giving back to her community. Prior to joining Ernestine’s, Jennifer sat on the board for another well-respected organization based in York Region supporting youth in crisis.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Masters of Business Administration from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She has also completed the Certificate in Social Impact during her MBA tenure, where she focused on developing deep understanding of leading-edge thinking and practice on strategic dilemmas and opportunities regarding responsible leadership. Outside of the professional realm, Jennifer is a mom, an avid world traveler, Pilates fanatic and golfer. She is absolutely thrilled to join a purpose-led organization like Ernestine’s and to support the work of the Program Committee.

Julia is an internationally published author on diversity, a national award winner for outstanding achievement in organizational development and was a finalist for WIT’s Ally of the Year, 2020. Her 15+ years career spans the industries of academia, legal, finance & tech. Julia has taught business executives at the University of the West Indies, was Keynote for Insights U.S. Diversity Summit, sits on the Board for Ernestine’s Women Shelter and is the Co-Chair & Strategic Advisor to UNITAR, CIFAL York. Julia has a degree in Philosophy, a Masters of Education, a Law Clerk Diploma, and Certificates in Professional Ethics and Data-Driven Decision Making. She is currently the Global Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Litera.

Laurie is Vice President, Strategy, Marketing & Communications at the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA). Her deep financial, capital and regulatory expertise helps drive informed marketing strategies, strong execution and measurable results. Prior to joining the CBA, Laurie was General Manager and Partner at Ext. Marketing. Before that, Laurie led Global Marketing for Manulife Asset Management. Her experience includes building, transforming and promoting leading financial services brands, including Manulife, HSBC and Merrill Lynch.

Laurie holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, and has completed her Canadian Securities Course and Partners, Directors and Officers Exam. More recently she earned her Diplome d’etudes en langue français and completed Ivey’s Investor Relations Program.

She is committed to helping end gender-based violence and to standing by those who need assistance as a result of it.

Luma is a global executive officer with over 25 years’ success in advising and delivering on numerous C-level and mission critical initiatives within the financial services industry. Luma has extensive experience that spans Industry and management consulting with strong focus on Risk management, regulatory compliance, business transformation, and global change management expertise.

Luma brings sincere bias for action, achievement, and inclusivity. She is passionate about Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter’s mission and is committed to make a difference within her ability.

Lynn Langrock is the Vice President, Human Relations and Corporate Affairs at Bimbo Canada/Canada Bread Company, Limited, a division of Grupo Bimbo. In her current role, which she assumed in 2015, she has overall leadership in safety & wellness, real estate, pension and benefits, compensation, labour relations, leadership and corporate affairs. Lynn has held a number of progressive positions in General Management and Human Relation functions in a variety of public and private industries and companies including: Maple Leaf Foods, The Economical Insurance Group and the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Lynn has functional expertise in employee and labour relations, strategic workforce planning, leadership and organization development, communications, talent management, training and development and mergers and acquisitions. She is a highly-effective and high-energy change agent who leverages strategic and tactical management skills to excel in demanding and dynamic environments while remaining focused on pragmatic sustainable HR solutions. Her current role is that of a strategic business partner who understands the business issues and partners with functional leaders to support them as they drive to find the best methods of achieving their business objectives.

Lynn volunteers for and sits on the Board of Directors of Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter that provides a safe place for women and children fleeing violence.

Lynn graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Arts specializing in Urban Studies. She then went on to pursue a Masters of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University specializing in Human Resources. Lynn and her family are avid travelers and enjoy spending their free time between their family cottage in rural Nova Scotia and other international adventures.

Michelle is a business professional with broad experience in human resources and leadership coaching. She serves as a member of the Human Resources Leadership Council, Global Diversity & Inclusion Council and Sr Global Director, Human Resources with Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. Michelle helps companies build business and people capability by developing integrated strategies in the areas of human resources, leadership development and organizational culture.

She is passionate about fostering environments where people feel empowered and free of barriers to living and contributing at their full potential. In her spare time, she coaches women and leaders in navigating and building meaningful careers.

Advocating for women and families is of tremendous importance to Michelle, and she is grateful for the opportunity to be a member of Ernestine’s Board of Directors and contribute to the incredible support they provide to the community.

Nerissa is a CPA, CGA, designated in 2011. Nerissa graduated from Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and majored in Accounting and minored in Finance. She has 15 years of full time working experience in accounting, finance and related fields.

Nerissa was born in Toronto and raised in Scarborough in a low income family household. At a young age she was introduced by her family to fundraising for children’s homes and has participated in raising funds for various charities in recovering countries. Ernestine’s is especially important to Nerissa as it supports the most vulnerable members of society.

Pam Sharma is a seasoned HR professional with over 20 years of experience in the field. She has held a variety of positions across several industries allowing her to develop deep expertise in areas such as Talent Management, Performance Management, Coaching, Career Planning, Learning and Development and Strategic Workforce Planning. As Director, Organizational Effectiveness, Pam’s responsibilities focus on the development and movement of talent and ensuring functional areas are engaged in succession planning for key/critical roles across the organization, along with curating development interventions and curriculum to drive a high performance culture.

In her spare time, she is proud to have served as a Mentor through the Human Resources Professionals Association, in addition to mentoring via programs offered through corporate sponsorship.

Pam holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo, along with a diploma in HR Management, and she has obtained the CHRL designation.

Pam is humbled to sit on the Human Resources Committee of Ernestine’s Board of Directors to contribute to the incredible work of the shelter in advocating for, supporting, and providing resources to women and children who seek refuge from forms of violence and inequality.

Rachel Kattapuram is a legal counsel, Privacy at Shopify. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University, a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Toronto. During law school, Rachel volunteered with Justice for Children and Youth, a legal aid clinic which provides services for young people under 18 and homeless youth under 25 in Toronto. Currently she is a mentor with Laws in Action within Schools, an educational program which supports high school students in Toronto.

Rachel is honoured to sit on the Human Resources Committee of Ernestine’s Board of Directors and to contribute to its important and much needed work with women and children.

Tara McLenaghen is a consultant with RiskBusiness Services, offering her expertise on operational risk management to the financial services industry globally since 2004. She also brings business and executive leadership experience earned in a long career with RBC and holds an MBA from Queen’s University specializing in Finance. Tara first joined the Board of Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter in 2009, choosing to become involved after realizing how many women she was personally aware of that had experienced some kind of domestic violence.  She has been engaged in some form or fashion ever since, both on the Board and through personal fundraising campaigns. Tara is currently chair of the Client Services Committee.

Jasmin has over 35 years of experience in the health and social service sectors in senior management, service planning, service integration, and research and evaluation. She was an instructor in program evaluation and community development at Chang School at Ryerson University, and served as vice-president of health operations at SE Health before retiring. Jasmin continues to be an active volunteer and is committed to social justice and equity.

Michelle Xia holds a CPA, CA designation and an MBA degree from Schulich School of business at York University. Michelle is currently running the finance function at Crown Lift Trucks as a Corporate Controller with over 15 years of experience in Finance and Accounting.

Empowering women and assisting vulnerable individuals is important to Michelle. Michelle is honoured to be a member of the Finance Committee and to contribute to the support Ernestine’s provides to the community.

Sharlene Tygesen’s 25 years at Ernestine’s have been fueled by her passion to help women and children create new lives free from violence and abuse. She became a Co-Lead in 2008 and eventually was appointed Ernestine’s first Executive Director in 2014. Sharlene sits on the Board of the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 in recognition of her significant contributions.