Leadership
& Governance

Carolyn Acker began her professional nursing career in the health sector, working her way up the ranks of executive leadership through a combination of education, practical experience and, above all, a desire to give back. She has over 40 years of experience in the health care sector. Carolyn was the founding CEO of Pathways to Education Canada, a public foundation dedicated to helping youth from low-income communities to graduate from high school and successfully transition into post-secondary education.

In 2010, she received an Honourary Doctorate of Science from the University of New Brunswick, on July 1, 2012 she was awarded Membership in The Order of Canada and in 2014 she received an Honourary Doctorate of Science from Queen’s University. Carolyn previously served as Board member from October 2010 to February 2017. She joined the Finance Committee in July 2019 and the Board in June 2020.

Michael is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Licensed Public Accountant. He provides professional services in areas of financial risk management, budget analysis, board governance and advancement, financial policy development and charity and government reporting and compliance.

Currently, he is a Partner with Tinkham LLP with extensive experience providing assurance, business advisory and tax and financial reporting advice to owner-managed businesses, not-for-profit organizations and registered charities.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, Honours from Wilfrid Laurier University. He joined the Board of Directors in 2020.

Frank is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario with extensive experience in financial management. He has served as a senior executive for several local and global organizations. Most recently, he was the Vice-Chair, Financial Administration and Operations, and Advisor to DundeeWealth Inc., where he provided counsel on navigating the financial crisis.

Frank has written and published several industry articles and research studies. He has spoken at various seminars and served as the executive producer of the TV series, “Canada’s Best Businesses.” He is also a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and considers himself a student and practitioner of corporate board governance.

Through his expert knowledge of regulatory and compliance environments, Frank has been on the governance board for many corporate and not-for-profit organizations, including InnVest REIT, O&Y REIT, DundeeWealth Inc., and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario of which he is past Chair.

Frank is currently on the Boards of National Diabetes Trust and Villa Colombo Toronto, is a member of the Audit Committee of UHN Foundation and of the Development Committee of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.

Frank joined the Board of Directors in September 2023.

From the early 1990s until 2020, Vicki operated a successful Ontario-wide management consulting practice working with organizations operating at all levels in Ontario’s not-for-profit sector with the end goal of organizational capacity building.

Her former consulting practice and now her volunteer work is grounded in:

• An abiding interest in social justice.
• Experience as a senior executive in the provincial government involved in social policy development, program planning, and overall management of complex multi-year projects.
• An academic background in qualitative research as well as organizational and individual learning with a PhD in education.
• Experience as a volunteer board member and accreditation team leader.

Vicki joined the Board of Directors in September 2023.

Joe retired from Central Toronto Community Health Centre (CTCHC) in 2014 after holding several Director positions including Director, SHOUT Clinic. Prior to his work at CTCHC, Joe worked at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab as Director of the Neurodevelopment Program and Director, Social Work for nearly 20 years.

Through his career spanning 40 years, Joe has led and/or actively participated in programmatic reviews, quality improvement initiatives and programs, data and statistical management projects related to workload and service productivity, implementation of new statistical and health documentation electronic program, wait list improvements, workplace safety, community service partnerships and organizational amalgamations.

Joe holds Master of Social Work degree from Carleton University and is member of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. Joe joined the Board of Directors in October of 2025.

Linda Charlebois is a Chartered Professional Accountant and senior executive with more than 20 years of experience leading complex organizations in the public and not-for-profit sectors. She currently serves as Director of Corporate Services at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), where she provides strategic oversight across finance, marketing and communications, information technology, business strategy, and organizational planning.

Linda is recognized for her expertise in governance, financial stewardship, and organizational transformation. She has led major initiatives in enterprise modernization, performance management, and policy development, with a focus on strengthening accountability, operational excellence, and long-term sustainability.

Linda joined the Board of Directors in October of 2025.

Baaba Forson is a lawyer and practices general civil litigation. Baaba handles a wide variety of public law cases and has appeared before tribunals and at all levels of court, including the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Federal Court, Ontario Court of Appeal, Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.

She is a member of the Board of Directors and Vice President of Equity for the Association of Law Officers of the Crown (“ALOC”), a collective bargaining association that represents civil lawyers and articling law students employed by the Ontario government.

Baaba holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree from York University and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law. She is a recipient of the ALOC Michael Fleishman Crown Counsel Award and the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law, Honourable Julius Alexander Isaac Award and Scholarship.

Baaba joined the Board of Directors in September 2021.

Kemi is a law professional with over 20 years of experience. She is a managing partner of Topmarké Attorneys LLP in Toronto where she has successfully represented a long list of clients at different levels of courts in Ontario.

As a trained investigator, Kemi adopts a surgical approach to fact-finding and analyses while balancing the rights and freedoms of the parties and witnesses.

Kemi holds multiple law degrees, including a Master of Laws degree from the University of Toronto and the University of Lagos. She is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration (UK) and the Association of Workplace Investigators.

Kemi joined the Board of Directors in September 2021.

Michael Richardson is a Partner and previous co-owner of Eclipsys Solutions, Yoppworks and GoSpaces, three Canadian-based software and professional services organizations. Michael and his partner have since successfully sold all three companies to buyers in the US and UK.

Prior to founding these companies with his partner, Michael enjoyed an extensive career within the I/T industry, working in executive and senior management roles at Oracle, Sun Microsystems and IBM.

Michael is the father of an adult son severely affected by autism and is familiar with the challenges parents face as they navigate the various service models across the province. This personal experience inspired Michael to become a board member at Surrey Place.

Michael joined the Board of Directors in September 2009, and he served for eight years. He rejoined the Board in June 2020.

Stephanie was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 25 and has been passionate about helping other people with Autism and disabilities ever since. She has been part of the Self-Advocacy Council at Surrey Place for five years, where she advocates for other people with disabilities.

Stephanie is also part of Self-Advocacy Over Coffee through Arch Disability. Stephanie’s diagnosis has shown her that you should never give up on the things that you love most, and helping people is something she loves to do.

Stephanie joined the Board of Directors in 2025.

Eda has over 15 years of experience across healthcare and technology. She focuses on shaping partnerships and service models that expand access to clinical support for children, adults, and families. Eda joins Surrey Place where she leads the Paid Services, Public Sector Partnerships and Workplace Solutions teams.

Known for her thoughtful, practical approach, Eda brings together strategic planning and a strong commitment to community-based care. She is particularly interested in finding sustainable ways to deliver services that meet people where they are.

Eda holds an MBA Essentials certificate from the London School of Economics and a degree in Sociology from Concordia University. Based in Toronto, she is focused on helping Surrey Place continue to grow its reach through meaningful, well designed partnerships.