Board of Directors

We are led by a wonderful group of individuals with various backgrounds who provide governance, guidance, and support. We are extremely grateful for their gifts of time and dedication.

Kendra Abraham - Board Chair

Kendra Abraham is the General Manager of Finance at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC). Prior to this role, she spent several years working in Human Resources providing her with a well-balanced outlook which she applies to both her personal and professional life. Kendra is a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) and holds a Master of Business degree from Wilfred Laurier University.

When not working, Kendra enjoys travelling and watching her children play soccer.

Bernadette Behm - Past Board Chair

Bernadette is a Realtor with Davenport Realty Brokerage. Prior to becoming a Realtor she was employed with Raytheon Canada Ltd. She spent more than 30 years with Raytheon holding various positions, including managing a large manufacturing group.

Having completed two terms on the Board of Directors for Conestoga College and volunteering for The Heart and Stroke Research, Bernadette was eager to find meaningful work where she could give back to her community. This led her to join the Board for Child Witness Centre in 2019. We are grateful for her strong leadership as our past Board Chair.

Bernadette has lived and worked in Kitchener-Waterloo her entire life and has raised her family here.

Tomas Blazejowski - Board Vice-Chair

Tomas is a mergers & acquisitions, and venture capital professional. His experience and training equip him to excel as Corporate Development & Venture Director at The Co-operators, which he joined in 2014. Prior to this role, Tomas worked as an Investment Banker. He is an Honours Business Administration graduate from the Richard Ivey School of Business, class of 2007.

When not working, Tomas enjoys spending time with family and friends, staying active, and going on adventurous trips.

Tomas joined our Board of Directors in October 2021. We are grateful for his strong contributions.

Click here to view Tomas’ LinkedIn profile.

Lisa DeBaets - Director

Lisa is the Chief Product Owner for Plan Member Experience at Manulife Financial and has been with Manulife for 31 years where she has held a variety of project management and leadership roles.

Lisa is married with three adult daughters and has a bulldog named Charlie. Lisa was a member of the Women’s Crisis Service of Waterloo Region board and served as Secretary for one year. Lisa loves to stay active and enjoys playing golf in the summer months.

Alexis De Leon - Treasurer

Alexis is the Associate Director, Finance and Operations, at the University of Guelph. His connection with the university began as a student, earning a BSc in Human Kinetics, and Nutrition and Nutraceutical Sciences. Sticking to his University of Guelph roots, Alexis then completed his MBA, specializing in Food and Agribusiness. As an avid learner, Alexis is continuing his studies to pursue a CPA designation. Alexis is a recipient of the Rising Star Award from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE).

In recent years, Alexis moved with his family from Guelph to Kitchener. He has dedicated himself to giving back to the community in meaningful ways.

Click here to view Alexis’ LinkedIn profile.

Paula Fecteau - Secretary

Paula retired in 2011 from a career as a lawyer in the Law Department of Mutual Life of Canada / Clarica Life Insurance Company / Sun Life Financial. In that role, she worked on a wide variety of corporate matters and projects, including IT, investments, human resources, tax, and pension and benefits. Originally from Midland, ON, Paula has been a resident of Kitchener-Waterloo almost all of her adult life. Her two adult children and grandchildren also live in K-W.

Paula served on the Board of Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region for a number of years, and she welcomes the opportunity to continue to serve the children of our region as part of our Board.

Paula enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and at her cottage in the Midland area.

Manish Garg - Director

Manish's professional journey includes over 10 years in financial services and risk management. He is currently serving as Assistant Manager at Laurentian Bank.

Manish pursued higher education, graduating with Honours in Accounting and Business Statistics, and later earning his MBA, from the University of Indianapolis.

Away from work, Manish enjoys driving, badminton, and time with his family.

Click here to view Manish's LinkedIn profile.

Nicole Hobbs - Director

Nicole is a family lawyer at the local law firm, Bennett Grant LLP.

Born and raised in the Region of Waterloo, Nicole grew up in the small community of Wellesley. She completed her undergraduate degree at Wilfrid Laurier University before attending law school at Western University’s Faculty of Law where she focused her studies on family and child-related issues. While in law school, Nicole worked as a legal research assistant in family law, was a summer law student at the Office of the Children’s Lawyer, and worked as a researcher and writer for the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children (“CREVAWC”) at Western University where she published various articles about family violence in family law. She spent three years as a Caseworker at Western’s free legal clinic, providing family and child protection legal services to members of the London community. She writes and publishes on legal issues impacting children and their families.

Nicole is proud to support Child Witness Centre's mission. She joined our Board of Directors in 2023 and is the Chair of the Governance Committee. Nicole and her husband are proud residents of Wilmot Township and enjoy spending time with their friends, family, and Dalmatian dog.

Click here to view Nicole’s LinkedIn profile.

Reid Pridham - Director

Reid Pridham has over 25 years of service experience through roles teaching ESL abroad, TD Canada Trust, The Stratford Festival of Canada and with the Waterloo Regional Police Service. Since 2007 Reid has held positions as Constable in the capacities of patrol and Community Engagement (formerly Community Resources) providing a collaborative based effort of wraparound support and situation resolution for community members experiencing chronic and/or acute crisis.

Reid graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University, obtaining Bachelor degrees in both history and philosophy.

Reid lives in Kitchener with his family. He has experience volunteering with youth through Kitchener Minor Baseball Association, Waterloo Minor Girls Softball Association and Scouts Canada.

Ryan Selves - Director

Ryan is a senior manager with BDO Canada's assurance service line, providing accounting services to owner-managed businesses and organizations in the charity and not-for-profit world. Ryan has an Economics and Accounting degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).

When he is not working, Ryan, his wife, and their young family like to spend as much time as possible in the outdoors and with friends and family.

Ryan has been part of the finance committee of Child Witness Centre since December of 2019 and served as treasurer from June 2022 to June 2024.

Click here to view Ryan's LinkedIn profile.

Ritu Singh - Director

Ritu is an Associate Lawyer at SV Law. Prior to this role, she worked at a local law firm in Waterloo.

Born in India and raised in Bahrain, Ritu moved to Canada with her family in 2008. She completed her undergraduate degree at Wilfrid Laurier University before attending the University of Sussex School of Law in Brighton, U.K.

Ritu joined our Board of Directors in 2024 and serves as the Chair of our HR Nominations Committee. Outside of work, she enjoys staying active and spending as much time as possible with her puppy, Tia.

Click here to view Ritu’s LinkedIn profile.

Chris Warden - Director

Chris is a seasoned sales leader with 18 years’ experience in the Tech sector. Chris joined Magnet Forensics in 2012 and has held various sales and executive leadership positions focusing on their global business. In his current role, Chris is responsible for sales strategy and revenue growth for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Prior to joining Magnet Forensics, Chris held various sales positions on the Verizon Business Unit at BlackBerry as well as IKON Office Solutions. Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Diploma in Business Management from George Brown College.

Away from work, Chris is an avid golfer and enjoys travelling. He lives in the Kitchener-Waterloo area with his wife, two daughters and their Labrador Retriever.

Chris joined the Child Witness Centre board in 2021, and is an active contributor.

Click here to view Chris’ LinkedIn profile.