Board of Directors

Join our Board of Directors!

Help make a lasting impact for young victims and their families in our community! At this time, a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) would be a tremendous asset on our Board. Please review the posting and submit your completed Board Member application form.

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 – Past 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.

View Kendra’s LinkedIn profile.

Beatriz Bedin – Director

Beatriz Bedin is a Brazilian-born family lawyer, passionate about helping families navigate difficult transitions with empathy, cultural sensitivity, and clarity. Her practice is grounded in human rights, conflict resolution, and a deep commitment to advocacy for vulnerable individuals.

Beatriz holds a Bachelor of Laws from Brazil and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Canadian Common Law from Osgoode Hall Law School. She also completed a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Rights, Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship, and a Professional Certification in Neuroscience (Brazil).

In 2025, Beatriz joined the Board of Directors at Child Witness Centre, driven by her desire to contribute meaningfully to the lives of children and youth who have experienced trauma. She believes in the Centre’s mission to provide compassionate and empowering support, and is honoured to be part of this important work.

Outside of her legal career, Beatriz enjoys photography, spending time with her family, and caring for her bulldogs, Milka and Bilbo.

View Beatriz’s LinkedIn profile.

Sofia Colley Aquino – Secretary

Sofia is an associate lawyer in general litigation at Giffen LLP in Waterloo with a Dual Juris Doctor degree from University of Windsor and Detroit Mercy Law in Michigan. Born in Mexico and fluent in Spanish, Sofia brings a diverse perspective to her work and community involvement. In law school, she served as president of the Hispanic Law Association and If, When, How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice. She was also elected as the Student Bar Association Class Representative in each year of her studies.

Sofia feels deeply privileged to be part of Child Witness Centre – supporting our vital work of providing guidance to young victims and witnesses, and their families, in navigating the challenging justice system. In her free time, she enjoys hot yoga, reading, and puzzles.

View Sofia’s LinkedIn profile.

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.

View Alexis’ LinkedIn profile.

Paula Fecteau – Director

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.

Lesley Fletcher – Board Chair

Lesley Fletcher is the Executive Director of the League of Canadian Poets, a national organization dedicated to supporting poets and collaborative poetry projects across Canada. With over 15 years of experience in the non-profit and charitable sector, Lesley specializes in strategic project management, governance development, results-driven fundraising, and empowering leadership.

Lesley is passionate about supporting vulnerable youth and ensuring that child victims receive the care and resources they need to face challenging times with resilience, strength, and hope for a bright future. In 2025, Lesley joined our Board of Directors, where she is eager to help advance our organization’s essential mission and invaluable work in the community.

Outside of her professional life, Lesley enjoys spending time with her family and is an avid gardener, voracious reader, and enthusiastic serial hobbyist.

View Lesley’s LinkedIn profile.

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.

View Manish’s LinkedIn profile.

Jennifer Hamilton – Director

Jennifer Hamilton has over 30 years of experience in the social services sector and currently works as a Business Relationship Manager with the Ontario Public Service, supporting child welfare and special needs through MCCSS. She has served on several boards over the past two decades, most recently with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. Jennifer is honoured to support Child Witness Centre’s mission and finds her own peace and inspiration on the water.

View Jennifer’s LinkedIn profile.

Nicole Hobbs – Vice-Chair

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.

View Nicole’s LinkedIn profile.

Winifred Otokhina – Director

Winifred is an internationally trained lawyer and currently a Human Resources Generalist at Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region. Prior to this role, she worked as the Company Secretary at Momentum Chemicals Ltd and the Chief Operations Officer at Tonymay Foundation, an organization dedicated to the care, awareness, and advocacy for people with sickle cell disorder in Nigeria, as well as an Advisory member of the Child’s Safeguard Committee of St. Patrick’s Missionary Society.

She loves dancing, listening to inspirational music, and spending time with her family.

Winifred joined the Board of Child Witness Centre in 2025, where she currently serves as a member of the HR Committee.

View Winifred’s LinkedIn profile.

Lauren Portengen – Director

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.

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.

View Chris’ LinkedIn profile.