Board of Directors

The Board of Directors has the overall responsibility for the strategic focus, policy direction and financial health of the organization, ensuring that our programs have adequate resources and are consistent with our mission and values. If you are interested in becoming a board member, contact Phil Groff, Executive Director, at phil@newcircles.ca

To learn more about our strategic plan 2019-2022, please click here.

We are fortunate to have a committed group of volunteers serving on our Board of Directors who collectively bring a wealth of expertise and experience to the organization.

Brenda McNeill, Chair

Brenda holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. She has recently retired as Executive Director of the Anne Johnston Health Station, a community health centre located in midtown Toronto. The AJHS, now known as Vibrant Health Alliance, provides primary care and social services to seniors, youth, and people with physical disabilities. Brenda’s prior employment includes planning responsibilities at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care and teaching at Seneca College. Brenda is a former member and chair of the Board of Directors of Belmont House, Home for the Aged. During her employment and Board terms, Brenda played key roles in strategic planning, organizational mergers, and change management. Brenda has significant knowledge of and expertise in the social determinants of health and a keen interest in the role and importance that the determinants of health play in the well-being of vulnerable populations. On a personal note, Brenda is an advocate for the environmental protection of the eastern archipelago of Georgian Bay.

David Mousavi, Vice Chair

David, a Juris Doctor, holding an MBA, is a lawyer with over a decade of experience advising public and private businesses, non-profit organizations, and political leaders. He has a long history of volunteer service, including chairing non-profit boards in the child care and seniors care sectors, and launching a province-wide pro bono legal service for frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic. For his community service and human rights advocacy, he was appointed as a Diverse City Fellow by Civic Action, where he spearheaded initiatives to bring greater diversity and inclusion to government programs and services across the greater Toronto region.

Joan Arruda, Past Chair

Joan is a recent retiree after working over 35 years in the non–profit/charitable sector. Joan’s career includes experience as the Executive Director of a community-based agency focused on settlement and family support in the Thorncliffe and Flemingdon communities. Joan taught for over ten years at Seneca College in the continuing education programs for Early Childhood Educators. Most recently, as the CEO of a large multi-service agency providing early learning, school-age programs, and family support programs in three regions in the GTA. In that role, Joan participated at numerous regional and provincial tables focused on early learning in the three regions. Joan acted as co-chair of the Quality Early Learning Network (QELN) for many years as well as an active participant of the Minister’s Early Years Advisory table for the Ministry of Education.

Shamima Adam, Secretary

Shamima is an accomplished financial professional, with extensive experience in Capital Markets, Wealth Management, Risk Management, Governance, Relationship Management, Compliance and Operational Controls. She serves in multiple capacities in the community. She is a strong supporter of the arts, through The National Ballet of Canada, Art Gallery of Ontario, Textile Museum of Canada Patrons, Aga Khan Museum Patrons, and Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) via ROM’s Patrons’ Circles since 2010. She is passionate about supporting and elevating women and girls, by being an Activator with Coralus (previously SheEO); the latter is a venture ecosystem funded by women. She loves Toronto, and is a Founding Member of Toronto Life Insider, a membership program dedicated to exploring and supporting the city’s businesses. Shamima has lived on three different continents, is an avid traveler, and a foodie.

Sandra Chiu, CPA, CA, Treasurer

Senior Director of Finance, Sinai Health System

Sandra Chiu is a senior audit manager at KPMG LLP, specialized in the health care and not-for-profit sectors. She has over 10 years of working experience in both Canada and the Netherlands. Sandra graduated from University of Waterloo and earned her Chartered Accountant’s designation in 2008. She is also an active member in community committees and other volunteer programs, including the young leader committee at Markham Stouffville Hospital. She has also volunteered in childcare programs in countries such as Tanzania and Peru.

Cindy Blakely, MSW, RSW, Founder

Cindy Blakely is the founder of New Circles and has been an integral part of the organization since inception. Cindy has spent more than 35 years in the field of social work. She has focused on child welfare, school social work, bereavement counseling and program development. Cindy has been a sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto’s School of Social Work and has been a field supervisor for Social Work and Divinity students. Cindy is the co-author of three children’s books from The Lookout Safety series. She has held board positions for many not-for-profit organizations and is a past Board member for The Child Development Institute as well as a Patron of the Distress Centres of Toronto.

Christine Doucet, Director

Legal Counsel, Children’s Aid Society of Toronto
Christine is a lawyer working in the public sector. She obtained her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and holds a Bachelor of Social Work from York University. Christine has worked as in-house counsel for the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto since her call to the bar in 2013. Christine articled with the Office of the Children’s Lawyer and previously worked for Legal Aid Ontario and a community legal clinic in Parkdale. Christine is also an active member of the legal community, including mentoring law students and new lawyers.

Grace Greatrex, Director

Grace worked in the financial services and retail industries in finance and business development roles after completing her MBA from The University of Western Ontario in 2000. She was a Board member of Justice of Children and Youth for three years and has been a very active and dedicated volunteer at New Circles since 2018. She volunteers once a week in the GLOW clothing bank and helped with the Holiday Angel Program.

Chuck Johnston, Director

Chuck has more than thirty years of experience in senior management positions in the healthcare industry. In his role as Managing Partner at AXON, Chuck was responsible for leading cross-office, global and multi-disciplinary teams to find creative and impactful solutions to address their clients’ real-world challenges. Through this work, Chuck gained an in-depth understanding of the barriers to knowledge transfer and behavior change as well as the motivation required to optimize them. Chuck has also been a leader in his community as a Past-President of the Lawrence Park Athletic Association, a non-profit recreational organization offering programs for children and teenagers. As with his colleagues at New Circles, Chuck shares a deep desire to help others in society towards a better life experience. Chuck is active in a number of sports and is passionate about all thing’s hockey (as a fan, a participant, and a parent).

Melanie Lauber, Director

A dedicated and passionate volunteer with a background in Marketing and Communications, Melanie has spent the better part of the past two decades volunteering with school and community groups, often in leadership roles. She is an active volunteer at New Circles; her work here includes Past Chair of the Board, Co-Chair of the New Circles Golf Classic organizing committee, and Volunteer Mentor, as well as two days a week volunteering in the GLOW clothing bank.

Karen Stern, Director

CFO, The T1 Agency
Karen is the CFO at the Toronto based marketing and advertising agency T1. With both a BSc and MBA from the University of Toronto, Karen began her career in audit at EY before moving to their process improvement and IT consulting practice. With a strong foundation in financials (she earned her CA designation in 1993), much of her career as a consultant involved both operational processes and HR. In her current role at T1, Karen is as much focused on the people and culture of the agency as she is on the numbers.