As President and CEO of Kids Help Phone, Katherine (Kathy) Hay drives the strategic direction, innovation imperative and culture of Canada’s only national, 24/7 bilingual e-mental health service for young people. In 2020, Kids Help Phone’s team of counsellors and crisis responders made over 4.6 million connections with youth in every province and territory — with an ever-growing mandate to always be there for youth when, where and how they need mental health support.

Read more about Katherine Hay

Alisa Simon brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in health-care access and non-profit management to her role as Executive Vice President, E-mental Health Transformation and Chief Youth Officer at Kids Help Phone. As a champion of innovation, Alisa is integral to the organization’s development of virtual health solutions for youth. Using comprehensive data and research, Alisa drives improvements in e-mental health services and strategies that respond to evolving technologies and the changing needs of young people. Under Alisa’s leadership, Kids Help Phone has evolved from a phone-based helpline to a comprehensive solution that fully integrates a growing number of access points, programs and resources. In her role, Alisa oversees Kids Help Phone’s 24/7 clinical services as well as the organization’s knowledge translation, quality assurance and equity programs.

Alisa holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 and was named the Digital Health Canada 2021 Digital Health Executive of the Year. Alisa volunteers on many national boards and committees.

In her spare time, Alisa enjoys being a mom and travelling the world with her husband.

Justin Scaini brings extensive consulting, financial services and health care experience to Kids Help Phone as the Executive Vice President, Culture and Chief Strategy Officer. He joined the organization in 2021 and supports young people across Canada by leading the design and coordinated implementation of Kids Help Phone’s strategic portfolio of projects and initiatives.

Justin holds a Bachelor of Science, Honours from Queen’s University and a Master of Health Science in Health Administration from the University of Toronto. Justin started his career as a management consultant at Accenture. He then made the leap into health services where he designed and led Capitalize for Kids’ pro-bono consulting program. This enabled him to help 30+ mental health organizations and government partners build capacity. Most recently, Justin was a senior strategy consultant at Mackenzie Health, supporting the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic and the opening of the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital.

Outside of work, Justin was the founder of the Jack Summit and is currently the chair of the board for Progress Place. In his spare time, Justin has a passion for camping, photography, golf and reading non-fiction.

Aaron Sanderson leads Kids Help Phone’s fundraising efforts, and, in partnership with the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Community Officer, is the senior liaison to the organization’s community of generous supporters. Aaron joined Kids Help Phone in 2020.

Aaron is an international award-winning fundraiser with over 13 years of experience at leading non-profit organizations, including BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Plan International Canada, SickKids Foundation and War Child. In addition, he has over a decade of senior volunteer experience with non-profit boards and committees, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Athletics Ontario, The Arthritis Society, Habitat for Humanity GTA, Heritage Toronto and the University of British Columbia.

Aaron also holds a Master of Arts in Philanthropy and Development, an Associates Certificate in Non-Profit Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations. He is the 11^th Canadian to be awarded the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE) designation, the top credential of the fundraising profession, and was inducted as a Fellow of the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy (FAHP). He was named a Top 40 Under 40 in North America by AHP in 2018, and was named “Difference Maker” by the Rick Hansen Foundation.

Susan Morris joined Kids Help Phone as head of Finance & Administration in July 1997. Prior to this, she ran her own accounting practice specializing in non-audit reviews, special projects and individual tax returns. She has a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in December 1987. While at Deloitte & Touche, she specialized in small business and not-for-profit.

An active volunteer, Susan served on the Board of Directors of the Jean Tweed Treatment Centre for nine years, participated in volunteer tax clinics, served as an active school volunteer throughout her children’s elementary and secondary school years, and remains a committed Kids Help Phone volunteer. She enjoys gardening, long walks and, travelling. Susan lives in Toronto with her husband and two children. In her spare time, she studies piano.

Jenny Yuen is the Senior Vice President, National Partnerships & Government Relations at Kids Help Phone. She’s responsible for strategic development of advancement that connects communities across Canada. She joined Kids Help Phone in 2005.

For more than 15 years, Jenny has specialized in signature event fundraising strategies and execution, influencing the height of the most successful campaigns for two industry leading organizations — the Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation and Kids Help Phone.

Jenny brings a multidisciplinary approach that includes, but is not limited to, the following portfolios: philanthropy, corporate and community engagement, sponsorship, volunteer leadership development and establishing systems to implement cross-functional programs. She has played key roles in bringing an inside-out approach to community and national events and teams that are focused on both enhanced efficiency and increased fund development by leveraging online and community-based strategies. Holding leadership positions that have both regional and national oversight, Jenny has developed experience in planning centrally and executing locally — developing a team-centred approach and bringing synergies to event strategies (requiring leadership from staff and community-based volunteers).

Jenny is a proud mom of two little humans in elementary school — they fuel her commitment to evolving the community in which we raise our kids and continue to adapt with them.

Rebecca Stutley is the Senior Vice President, Brand, Storytelling and Communications at Kids Help Phone. She joined the organization in 2018.

For over 20 years, Rebecca has honed her craft in agencies and as a client across a range of categories and brands from homegrown to global. She has a proven track record of building emotionally relevant and resonant creative platforms that people connect with and respond to. Her contributions have led to award-winning work for brands such as TD and IKEA, and most recently for Kids Help Phone.

At KHP, Rebecca leads a cross-functional team of storytellers who develop and deploy service outreach strategies, revenue generating campaigns, internal and strategic communications, immersive and empowering content and personalized recognition of generous donors from coast to coast to coast.

As a passionate collaborator, Rebecca spearheaded Kids Help Phone’s brand transformation in 2022. KHP’s new identity and creative platform reflect the organization as a space where young people can feel safer and more secure to free themselves from all the feelings that weigh them down (and even lift them up!).

As a mother to two sons, Rebecca is personally driven to enrich the lives of all youth in Canada by normalizing conversations about mental health and destigmatizing help-seeking behaviours. As a marketer, she’s humbled by the opportunity to make meaningful social impact through such a beloved and important brand.

Mariana Catz is the Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Kids Help Phone. She’s responsible for leading the intersection of innovation, technology, data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Kids Help Phone to help revolutionize the e-mental health landscape for youth across Canada. She started her journey with the organization in 2023 (and has been a fan for many years!).

Over the course of two decades, Mariana has been a driving force behind change, innovation, and strategic positioning, cultivating excellence in organizations through the introduction of disruptive technology and the implementation of impact measurement strategies. She holds a master’s degree in Health Science from the University of Toronto and is Adjunct Faculty at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Mariana’s extensive experience includes leadership roles across the non-profit, public and private sectors in Canada and beyond. She served as Policy Advisor at the Ontario Health Ministry, Chief Information Officer at Academic Health Centers and Chief Advisor for eHealth at Health Canada. As Chief Operating Officer at the Ontario Trillium Foundation, she engineered the shift to becoming an outcomes-based funding organization, transforming people, processes and technology. Mariana also brings her international experience at the World Health Organization in Geneva and as a partner at Accenture Inc. to Kids Help Phone.

Mariana is passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders and giving back to community with a long history of volunteering and being a board member for charities. Originally from Argentina, Mariana — who came to Canada as a teen fleeing a military regime — is passionate about social justice, human rights and equity.

Photo credit: Ethan Catz

Lindsey Coulter is the Vice President, Corporate, Campaign Communication and Donor Relations at Kids Help Phone. She joined the organization in 2018.

For over 15 years, Lindsey has worked in the communications field in both for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Her areas of focus include global brands, youth mental health and international development.

Starting in 2019, Lindsey directed the communications team at Kids Help Phone. Her responsibilities included leading the development of the department while creating a strategic communication plan and steering its subsequent implementation. Thanks in part to Lindsey’s leadership, Kids Help Phone became a key player in sharing information about how youth in Canada were doing during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Lindsey joined Kids Help Phone’s advancement department to lead the donor relations team, drive the strategy for donor engagement and promote the art of storytelling. Because at the heart of everything Lindsey does is a passion for sharing compelling stories about youth mental health.

Lindsey holds a master’s degree in communications, but her biggest accomplishments are her twin daughters. They’re the reason she’s working at Kids Help Phone ⁠— to help end the stigma attached to mental health and offer anyone in need of support a space for their feelings to go.

Juanita Gledhill is an award winning Human Resources (HR) professional who’s provided public, private and broader public sector organizations with strategic and operational business solutions to improve organizational effectiveness. As Principal of MCC Group Inc., Juanita has worked with many clients on projects related to varying HR and general operating functions. Juanita brought her skills and experience to Kids Help Phone as an HR consultant in 2018, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer in 2020 and Leadership Development Facilitator and Strategic Advisor in 2023.

Juanita holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from McMaster University and a Certificate in Human Resources Management from Mohawk College. She also holds both a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation. Juanita is the recipient of many awards and honours, including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for Community Service and the Ross A. Hennigar Memorial Award from the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) for her academic, career and community service achievements.

Juanita’s community volunteerism includes, but is not limited to, her roles as past Chair of the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA (HBSPCA) and Board Member of the Healthcare and Municipal Employees’ Credit Union (HMECU).

Andréanne Deschamps, Vice President, Clinical Operations and Chief Clinical Officer, brings more than 10 years of combined experience in counselling and youth support program management and development to Kids Help Phone. In her role, she oversees service and youth mobilization programs such as Resources Around Me, Counsellor in the Classroom, Good2Talk and the National Youth Council (NYC). She also brings leadership to services for the organization’s focus communities through Kids Help Phone’s Indigenous Initiatives and Equity Programs. She’s also responsible for the clinical training and quality assurance of counselling services.

Andréanne has dedicated her career to leveraging her passion for mental health support and skills to advance young people’s rights to autonomy and self-determination in help seeking and receiving support. Holding a master’s degree in clinical sexology, Andréanne uses her experience in providing counselling and therapy to young people and adults in service program design and development.

Andréanne has also been involved in the development of several youth mental health and wellness services and projects such as Live Chat counselling, resource development and more. She has promoted and advocated for the understanding of diverse perspectives in order to achieve positive outcomes while maintaining an open and empathy-driven environment. She has a passion for learning, believes in values-based work and is keen to imagine and action new and improved ways for youth to get the help they need, in the way they need it most.

Darren Mastropaolo, our Vice President, Innovation & Data and The Lang Family Foundation Chair in Innovation, joined Kids Help Phone in 2020. Darren’s portfolio includes both innovating within Kids Help Phone’s existing services, as well as strategy and implementation of new services. He works with our advancement team to raise funds for our innovation pipeline and also manages our data team to help us continuously enhance our service offerings for young people across Canada.

Darren holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Bucknell University. Over the past 10+ years, Darren’s career focused on innovations that support young people. He began his professional journey in New York City, working on digital products in entertainment, publishing and education. He left the corporate world to feed his soul and joined DoSomething.org, and later, Crisis Text Line. As the former Director of International at Crisis Text Line, Darren worked in partnership with Kids Help Phone for three years. At Crisis Text Line, Darren found his passion for mental health and helped bring Kids Help Phone’s texting service to fruition in Canada in 2018. Outside of work, Darren stays active with tennis, golf, skiing and surfing. He practices self-care by being outside in his garden, travelling, writing music, fly-fishing and spending time with his partner and their dog.

Allison Riva combines storytelling, innovation and human insight to reach and support people in Canada as the Vice President, Youth Marketing and The Story Studio at Kids Help Phone. She joined the organization in 2019 as a creative, adaptable and empathetic leader. Allison has since encouraged Kids Help Phone to turn a page by transforming our mental health library into The Story Studio — a powerful house of immersive, interactive digital experiences anchored by technology. Allison champions the organization’s brand voice and draws on her curiosity about human behaviour to open doors to trusted support for young people and the adults who care about them.

Allison’s narrative includes a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and certifications in publishing and leadership. During her 20 years in professional services marketing, communications and content, Allison has made her mark through integrated strategies and a consultative style. This mix of skills allows her to create genuine connections that drive results, including empowering people to navigate each chapter of their wellness journey. She strives to amplify vibrant voices, particularly those from equity-deserving groups, by collaborating with trusted partners with heart.

Allison is a proud mom to her young daughter who she describes as the light of her life. She loves to travel, laugh, dance and share her ideas for interesting new inventions.

Winnette Sampson is the Executive Director, Community Partnerships. She joined Kids Help Phone in 2022. Winnette supports the organization in preserving and unlocking partnership opportunities for young people across Canada.

Winnette has over 14 years of expertise in establishing strategic corporate partnership programs, fundraising initiatives and marketing campaigns to drive new and sustained investment from donors. She hopes to build upon Kids Help Phone’s previous successes by deepening relationships and developing philanthropic opportunities with new and existing partners.

Photo credit: Kevin Van Paassen

Ariel began cultivating her passion for fundraising during her time at Western University while working the phones on their annual giving campaign. Since then, she’s built expertise in corporate giving, major gifts, peer-to-peer fundraising and donor relations / stewardship.

Ariel joined Kids Help Phone in 2023 as the Executive Director, Philanthropy following her time at the Ontario Medical Foundation (OMF). At the OMF, she successfully built a strategy, process, pipeline and case for support to solicit donors to advance health equity. Ariel also spent several years with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), where she secured their largest philanthropic gifts, increased individual giving revenues, implemented a targeted stewardship program and organized signature fundraising events in communities across Canada.

Ariel comes from a family of philanthropists and is currently the president of her family foundation. In her spare time, Ariel loves to travel, with some of her recent trips being to Bali, South Africa and Portugal. Ariel is also a proud mom to her two-year-old twin girls and puppy, who bring her so much joy every day.

Stephanie Vasiliou is the Executive Director, Equity, Programs and Innovation Implementation at Kids Help Phone.

She came to Kids Help Phone in 2023 from the non-profit organization, batyr Australia. In her role as Head of Global Impact, Stephanie led the integration of impact, research, advocacy and global partnerships into the organization, advancing best-practice approaches for lived-experience storytelling and peer models for youth. Previously as batyr’s Head of Programs, Stephanie scaled digital and in-person lived-experience programs in schools, post-secondary institutions and communities with a focus on stigma reduction and improving access to support for youth.

Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a concentration in Psychology, and a post-graduate certificate in Forensic Practice. She was a speaker at several international conferences in Australia, the U.S., South Africa, Denmark, the U.K. and Brunei. She’s the Co-Chair for the Child and Youth Working Group of the Global Mental Health Action Network, leading 900 global members working in mental health. As Board Director for the U.K.-based charity It Gets Brighter, and member of the Global Anti-Stigma Alliance and NEXUS Global, Stephanie is passionate about fostering knowledge sharing opportunities to elevate youth voices.

After residing in Australia for 10 years, Stephanie is enjoying reacquainting herself with Canada and navigating winters once again.

Sandra Chiodo joined Kids Help Phone in 2023 as the Executive Director, People and Culture. For more than 25 years, Sandra has worked in the Human Resources (HR) field in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Sandra has dedicated her career to organizations that help make a positive impact in their communities and focus on the well-being of young people. She joins us from the child welfare sector, where she has spent most of her professional life.

Sandra has broad experience in strategic HR management. Her experience includes the development of various strategies to enhance employee engagement and organizational performance as well as leveraging technology-based solutions to improve efficiencies. Sandra also brings a wealth of expertise in labour relations, having served as the lead negotiator in numerous successful collective bargaining sessions. Her core objective is fostering a people-centered culture that promotes strong connections, inclusivity and well-being.

Sandra holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Toronto and a Certificate in Human Resources Management from Sheridan College. She also holds both a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation. She’s an active member of the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) and serves as a member of the HRPA’s Appeals Committee. Outside her professional life, Sandra is a proud mom to two daughters. She loves to travel, read and spend time outdoors.