Meet the WCSWR Board of Directors for 2024-2025!
Scott Heaman
Vice-Chair
Scott Heaman has been an insurance broker in Kitchener Waterloo for over 15 years and is currently the President of Encore Insurance Services. He joined Women’s Crisis Services Board of Directors to give back to the community. Scott recognizes and appreciates the important work
Women’s Crisis Services does to ensure women and children who are experiencing domestic violence have access to safe shelter and support services.
Brenda Halloran
Director
Brenda Halloran was the Mayor of the City of Waterloo from 2006-2014. Today, Halloran is on the Board of Startup Canada, the Accelerator Centre and the Innovators and Entrepreneurs Foundation. She is the president of the Third Age Learning KW Chapter and the Past District Governor of Rotary as well as a member of the Rotary Club of Waterloo. Brenda is a keynote speaker on issues of women in politics, is often invited to speak on the Canadian innovation and entrepreneur sector and is also a motivational speaker.
She has been on the Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, “She Is Your Neighbour” podcast and has shared her experience as a survivor of domestic violence.
Laurie Lengyell
Treasurer
Laurie Lengyell is a CPA (CA) with 28 years of experience at Sun Life. Currently, she is the VP, Internal Audit. Laurie is responsible for the Internal Audit function for the Canadian business, Corporate functions, Actuarial and the Internal Audit Risk Centre of Excellence supporting the global team.
Laurie has been an Executive member of the Canadian Finance team over the last 10 years where she held CFO roles across different parts of the retail business, before joining Internal Audit in 2020. Laurie is passionate about team engagement and talent development with a focus on diversity and inclusion, personal growth and authenticity. She is a mentor in the Company’s leadership development program and in addition, informally mentors a number of leaders across the business.
Outside of Sun Life, Laurie spends as much time as possible outdoors in nature with her husband and four children.
AnaMaria Pasc
Board Secretary
Anamaria Pasc is a lawyer with Lerners LLP in Kitchener, and has been assisting family law clients since 2015. Anamaria tirelessly advocates on behalf of her clients in order to assist them through difficult life transitions, ensuring that their rights are protected and voices are heard.
Given her years in law, Anamaria has seen first–hand the harms caused by domestic violence in the lives of victims, and their children. She is dedicated to supporting women and children effected by violence, and utilizing her skills to serve on the board of Women’s Crisis Services.
Robin Farrell
Director
Robin Farrell is an award-winning broadcaster with over 20 years of radio morning show experience. She currently hosts “Mornings with Robin & PJ” with Paul Johnson weekdays from 5:30-10am at Country 106.7 in Kitchener, and previously worked as a morning show host for 15 years in Victoria, BC. Robin has always had a great passion for getting women and girls involved in sport and physical activity. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Outdoor Education from Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, and a Master’s Degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Ottawa.
Throughout her career and educational achievements Robin has championed and hosted several conferences for women and girls. She has participated in various fundraising campaigns for the Canadian Cancer Society, and Co-Founded and Co-Chaired the ALS Cycle of Hope. She also brings to the table a strong stage presence in motivational speaking at both community and Women’s Expos. She hopes to continue to give back to the community here in Waterloo Region through her work on the board with Women’s Crisis Services.
Rekha Dhayakaran
Director
Rekha is an engineer and a project management professional who is passionate about women empowerment, advocacy, and equity.
As an immigrant, she realizes that there are several cultures around the world where gender abuse, domestic violence, and discrimination are a common occurrence, and women and children are conditioned to not seek help or become self-aware. She joined the Women’s Crisis Services Board to represent immigrants and work with the organization to make sure that victims find their safe place through the services offered by the organization.
Bonnie Saunderson
Director
Bonnie is a CPA, CGA designated accountant with 20 years of public sector experience, currently working in local municipal finance. She prides herself in being a resourceful accounting leader with a talent for empowering non-financial people to take ownership and meet financial accountabilities with confidence.
Bonnie has witnessed the constant fear and long-term wounds survivors live with, and the shame and stigmas they face when accessing medical and community supports. And it is infuriating. She sees her WCSWR Board of Directors position as an opportunity to direct her emotions into action.
Bonnie has a history of volunteering and giving back to local organizations that are important to her. She has experience in non-profit governance and reporting, financial management, staff recruitment, communication and facilitation. As a lifelong Kitchener resident, Bonnie is passionate about effecting change where she lives, works and raises her family.
Scott Wahl
Director
Scott has been a software operations executive for over 25 years and is currently Vice President, Product Operations at PointClickCare, a Canadian-based healthcare technology company. He is an active volunteer, including prior board positions with The Literacy Group and Alzheimer Society Waterloo Wellington, and currently serves as a supervisor and mover with Shelter Movers Southwestern Ontario. It is through his work with Shelter Movers that Scott deepened his understanding of gender-based violence and the critical need for community support.
A resident of Waterloo for most of his adult life, Scott is a graduate of both University of Waterloo (Hons BA) and Wilfrid Laurier University (MBA). Outside of work and volunteering, Scott enjoys reading, traveling, and fitness. He is married and has two adult sons.
Moumita Roychowdhury
Director
Moumita is a compassionate and thoughtful research insights professional with over 12 years of expertise in consumer research, dedicated to enhancing consumer experiences, meaningful storytelling and empowering teams to deliver compelling narratives from consumers across industries. She is also an artist and art instructor, finding joy in inspiring and empowering others through creativity and wellness initiatives. Passionate about gender equality and wellness, she loves the power of sharing stories, building connections and bringing communities together.
In addition to her professional experiences as a consumer research professional and visual artist in the region, she brings a personal passion to contribute to wellness, support gender equality and a mission to help those in crisis. As an immigrant woman herself with varied lived experiences, Moumita hopes to bring passion and commitment to advocating for women’s rights and supporting women facing crisis and to contribute to the impactful work that Women’s Crisis Services has been doing.
Holly Hendershot
Director
Holly is a mom of two, a lifelong question-asker, and someone who’s always working to make things a little better: more just, more human, and more hopeful. She is a founder of Hendershot & Co, a nonprofit consultancy that helps mission-driven organizations step boldly into their next chapter with confidence. We help leaders align their vision with actionable strategies, build organizational capacity, and cultivate the courage needed to create meaningful, lasting impact for the communities they serve.
She believes in the critical role that Women’s Crisis Services plays in our region and is honoured to contribute her skills to an organization committed to safety, empowerment, and systemic change for women and children experiencing violence.
Kathleen Kresky
Director
Kathleen brings over three decades of senior leadership experience in the financial services and insurance sectors, with a distinguished career that spans executive roles at Manulife Financial, Aon Hewitt, and Gore Mutual Insurance. She has guided these organizations through significant evolution in systems, client experience and operational effectiveness. At Gore Mutual where Kathleen currently serves, she has held pivotal positions, including Vice President Transformation Initiatives and is currently the Vice President of Information Governance.
A long-time resident of the Waterloo Region, Kathleen is deeply committed to supporting women in business and our community. Her lived experience as a senior female executive has shaped a strong personal conviction to elevate women’s opportunities to thrive and flourish. Kathleen is honoured to serve on the board of Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, where she brings not only her extensive professional expertise, but also her unwavering belief in the power of safe spaces, community support, and transformative change.
She is married and a proud mother of three adult children.
Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region (WCSWR) is committed to having a Board composition that reflects the cultural diversity of our community and the diverse population we serve. We are seeking individuals that reside in Waterloo Region with governance, leadership and/or previous board experience. As well, we encourage those who identify as male, Black, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+, and all equity seeking community members to apply. Individuals with lived experience with domestic violence are especially welcome to consider serving in a governance capacity as a volunteer on our Board. If you are interested in applying to be on the Board, please forward a cover letter and resume to boardrecruitment@wcswr.org.
We empower women and children to move beyond violence by providing emergency shelter, education, and outreach services. The Board’s primary role is governance and policy setting. Directors contribute 5 – 8 hours per month including monthly Board meetings and committee participation.