Our People

College-Montrose Children’s Place is managed, governed and operated by a committed, dynamic and highly talented group of individuals who believe passionately in our mission, vision and values.

The staff here are amazing! They provide a caring, loving, approachable environment. ♥♥

Mel, A CMCP Participant

Our Staff

Management Team

The dedicated management team of College-Montrose Children’s Place oversees our sites day-to-day, delivers our programs and services and fundraises to ensure we have the resources to offer excellent child and family support.

Corina John | Executive Director

Corina John[email protected]
416-532-9485, ext 232

Corina was first introduced to CMCP in 2003 as an ECE student during her placement. A few years later she was hired as a Family Support Worker and worked our frontlines for over 10 years. In 2016 Corina joined the management team as the Community Programs Manager. Her passion for connecting with families means you still might see her leading the occasional circle time or parenting workshop. In 2023, Corina got promoted and accepted the role of executive director.

Sherlyne Fletcher | Community Programs Manager | RECE | CAPP

[email protected] | 416-532-9485 ext 235

Maximilian Okechukwu | Community Engagement Manager

[email protected] | 416-532-9485

Ankit Bhatt ………… Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator

Melanie Robitaille ………… Lead Family Support Worker

Marnie Bernstein …………. Lead Family Support Worker

Emma King, RECE………… Lead Family Support Worker

Romana Huq, RECE …… Front Desk & Program Worker

Donia Kobrosly
Executive Assistant

Ankit Bhatt
Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator

Melanie Robitaille
Lead Family Support Worker

Marnie Bernstein
Lead Family Support Worker

Emma King
Lead Family Support Worker

Romana Huq
Front Desk & Program Worker

Breanna Bylok
Program Worker

Michelle Narine
Program Worker

Mercedes Dickson
Program & Outreach Worker

Donnette Lawrence
Food Bank Coordinator

Breanna Bylok, RECE …………………….. Program Worker

Michelle Narine ……………………………. Program Worker

Mercedes Dickson, RECE …………. Program & Outreach Worker

Donnette Lawrence ……………. Food Bank Coordinator

Board of Directors

College-Montrose Children’s Place is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors composed of up to 12 community members. Directors are elected to a two-year term at our Annual General Meeting each April.

Patrick Madden | Chair

Patrick Madden

Patrick has been volunteering with CMCP since 2012 and has helped CMCP through two strategic planning cycles.  In his professional life Patrick works as a consultant supporting public sector and not-for-profit organizations here in Canada as well as in Africa and the Middle East.  His areas of specialty include institutional development, planning, evaluation, policy development, performance measurement and results based budgeting.  Prior to his consulting work Patrick spent thirty years working in various components of the Ontario Government.

Robert Spafford | Treasurer

Robert Spafford

Robert has worked at Cidel Asset Management as a VP, Portfolio Manager since 2006, where he leads the Canadian equity mandates of the Company. Robert obtained his Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Manitoba in 1996, and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto in 2005. Robert also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, awarded in 2002.

Robert is a father of three young boys who have been participants in CMCP programs.

(Board member since 2017)

Patrick Waller | Vice Chair & Development Committee

Patrick Waller is a senior marketing executive with over 15 years’ experience in brand building & marketing strategy, digital analytics and corporate social responsibility. He currently leads SkipTheDishes Digital Marketing team in Toronto and previously lead OtterBox’s Colorado based global eCommerce team. He also has international experience living in Hong Kong running OtterBox Asia’s marketing team and Europe with UPS working on the London 2012 Olympic sponsorship.

He lives in Little Portugal with his partner and 4-year-old twins frequenting parks, coffee shops and CMCP.

(Board Member since 2022)

Mirjana Vladusic | Secretary

Mirjana is an Associate Investment Counsellor within Burgundy Asset Management’s Private Client Group, where she works closely with individuals and families to understand their personal financial circumstances and to design, implement and monitor ongoing investment strategies.

Mirjana graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree (Economics) from York University in 2007. She received her Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2018 and is a member of the Toronto CFA Society.

(Board member since 2021)

Don Spandier | Development Committee Chair

For more than 40 years, Don Spandier built a remarkable career at the intersection of news and documentary storytelling. Working as a reporter, producer, director, and executive, he gained hands-on experience across every stage of news and documentary production.

From 2009 to 2017, Don led two of CBC News’ most prominent broadcasts. He oversaw The World at Six, the daily 30-minute flagship radio newscast, and later took responsibility for The National, CBC’s prime-time television news program. In these roles, he helped shape how Canadians understood the world—bringing clarity, depth, and integrity to the stories that mattered most.

 

 

Abby Wong | Program Committee Chair

Abby has over 15 years professional and volunteer experience in the nonprofit sector having held various positions in fundraising, volunteer management, and philanthropy. She is currently the Manager of Operations and Grant Administration for the new Definity Insurance Foundation. Previously she worked for the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Partnership Investments program supporting capacity building of the nonprofit sector. She is passionate about social justice and spent years supporting social service organizations.

Abby is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), holds a Hon. BSc, and Certificate in Voluntary and Nonprofit Sector Management.

She grew up in Little Italy in Toronto and is a mother to two young kids and a pup named Ernie. (Board member since 2022)

Morten Lave | Development Committee

Morten Lave

Morten is an independent consultant and an expert in digital and analog design, IC design, firmware and software design and digital signal processing.

He received the equivalent of a master’s degree in computer science from Aarhus University in 1990 after completing a bachelor’s degree in physics. From 1989, he was employed at TC Electronic in a small R&D department; he implemented software, firmware and DSP code for all TC Electronic products released in the first half of 1990s.

Morten left TC Electronic in 2003 to set up TC Applied Technologies a fab-less semiconductor company focusing primarily on the development and delivery of semiconductors and IP supporting audio networking technologies for the professional and consumer electronics sectors. These technologies include the DICE series of chips and the JET PLL. He served as the CEO of TC Applied Technologies until February 2016.

Morten is now the sole proprietor of All Access Consulting Ltd. working with Canadian and international companies in the audio industry. (Board member since 2017)

Tara Cassidy | Governance Committee

 

Tara was called to the Ontario bar in 2012. She earned her Juris Doctor from Queen’s University and holds a Certificate in Public International Law from the Queen’s International Study Centre in Herstmonceux, U.K.

She began her legal career in civil litigation at a downtown boutique firm before moving into public service. For the past several years, Tara has worked as an Assistant Crown Attorney with the Ministry of the Attorney General, prosecuting a wide range of Criminal Code offences.

Based in Toronto, Tara is deeply passionate about the impactful programming CMCP offers and the meaningful role it plays in supporting the community.

Committee Members

We have a group of passionate volunteers who support our mission at College-Montrose Children’s Place. They play an integral role on various committees to drive our work forward.

Program Committee

Jasminta Ryan 

Lasandra Conliffe

Noor Imran 

Roula Kassem

Development Committee

Devin Glowinski

Nicole Fletcher

Eric Gage

Augustina Llambi

Minni Jain

Jasminta Ryan ……………………………………………………….. Program Committee

Lasandra Conliffe …………………………………………………….Program Committee

Noor Imran ………………………………………………………………Program Committee

Roula Kassem …………………………………………………………..Program Committee

Devin Glowinski…………………………………………………Development Committee

Nicole Fletcher…………………………………………………..Development Committee

Eric Gage ………………………………………………………….. Development Committee

Augustina Llambi ………………………………………………Development Committee

Minni Jain …………………………………………………………Development CommitteeÂ