Karen Fleming became the Executive Director of Maltby Centre on March 9, 2020. Since assuming this role, she has successfully guided the organization through a global pandemic, initiated and led the development of a new strategic plan and approach, and focused on enhancing Maltby’s role and relationships with the communities it serves. Karen is recognized for advancing client and family focused environments that embrace the voice of the client within the organization, and for developing and implementing quality improvement strategies to support best possible client outcomes. She believes that healthy family units ensure healthy communities and is committed to improving both access to, and the quality of, mental health and autism services for families and children/youth in KFLA and the province of Ontario. Karen is a member of several Boards. She is a Registered Nurse by background, having completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts at the University of Western Ontario, and a Master’s of Education at Brock University. When Karen isn’t working, she enjoys cooking, baking, kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing and biking outdoors with her family.

The Director of Finance & Corporate Services oversees all finance, accounting, information technology, insurance, quality and risk, decision support and property needs of Maltby Centre. Derek has a 22 year career in accounting mostly as the senior finance staff in social services organizations. Derek holds a CPA accounting designation and an MBA from Laurentian University. Derek was part of a team at his last agency that was the first to implement a new Provincial client, accounting, reporting and information management system in child welfare. He was involved in developing system requirements and working through the challenges of a brand new system for the sector. Derek is someone who values giving back to the local community and supporting the needs of youth. Maltby’s services and the support to children, youth and families is a strong fit with him along with believing in possibilities. Derek has been involved with the Canadian Cadet Movement for more than 30 years as a cadet, volunteer and officer. As a member of the Canadian Armed Forces Derek has chosen to support the youth of today to become the leaders of tomorrow. Camping, sailing, Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Blue Jays along with a good Stephen King novel or interesting biography.

Karen’s role as Director of Clinical Programs & Services oversees the operations of Child & Youth Mental Health and Autism Services. Karen has 15 years of experience working to support children and youth in education and social services. Karen has a Bachelor of Health Sciences Degree, a Bachelor of Education Degree, and a Masters of Health Administration. She worked at Maltby for over three years managing the Autism Services department before taking on the new Director role. Karen led the expansion into the Kingston community of a not-for-profit organization that works with volunteers to provide free, specialized, in-home childcare for mothers with cancer. Karen believes that by building on strengths with the right supports, everyone has the potential to learn, grow, and live their best lives. At Maltby Centre, we work with families to support them through challenging times, while empowering them with knowledge and tools to grow and succeed. Karen has volunteered over the years coaching youth sports including badminton and volleyball. She supports local initiatives such as food drives and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society. Having spent 8 years living abroad, Karen enjoys travelling and experiencing new cultures. She is an avid fisherwoman in the summer and is a super fan of the Toronto Raptors.

Suzanne comes to the Board with over 30 years of experience working for agencies serving vulnerable children, youth and their families. As the Executive Director of the Children’s Aid Society of the County of Lanark and the Town of Smiths Falls she endeavoured to build a strong network of partners to ensure that integrated and comprehensive services were provided. Since her formal retirement she has been a consultant to and a volunteer in a wide range of local and provincial organizations.

Sheila Kingston started her own underwriting consulting business 2.5 years ago after a nearly 40 year career in the life insurance business. She has been a member of the United Way Cabinet as a Leadership Giving representative and currently is on the Retiree committee. In addition, Sheila is a member of the Board of Directors for CAA Club Group and serves on the Audit / Risk and Human Resources committees. Sheila was appointed to the Maltby Board of Directors in December 2017 She believes strongly in providing support for families who need help and in the work that Maltby does in the community.

Christine Herron recently retired from the Limestone District School Board as the Educational Services and Safe Schools Liaison Coordinator after a 34-year career. In her previous role with the Limestone DSB, she interacted with and worked alongside many staff and administrators of Pathways (now Maltby) and saw first-hand the strengths of the Pathways agency. This experience is the primary reason Christine sought a position on the Maltby Board following her retirement.

Julian works in the pharmaceutical industry, in the field of neuroscience and mental health. He possesses a vast knowledge and network of psychiatry and neurology clinics across Eastern Ontario. His educational background is in business with a Bachelor of Commerce and continued education in Business Analysis, Marketing and Health Science. He has past volunteer experience with non-profit organizations in fundraising and coaching. Julian views serving on the Maltby Board of Directors as an opportunity to apply his knowledge, experience and skills to make a difference in his community.

Shalome is a lawyer currently serving as Legal Counsel at a top-ten Canadian life insurance agency. She is a member of the Ontario Bar Association and the Frontenac Law Association. She has worked on committees focused on diversity in the workplace and continues to do so in her current role as Legal Counsel. Shalome has also previously worked as an Academic Assistant at the Faculty of Law at Queen’s University, teaching legal skills to first year law students. Shalome is excited to use her skills to help her community and support the services offered at the Maltby Centre.

Jacquie Coston is Co-Founder of Costron + Co., a boutique firm that provides holistic business support to entrepreneurs with a specialty focus on social-enterprise, creatives, and alternative health care professionals. She brings her diverse background to this work which encompasses financial management, strategic planning, life & executive coaching, and authentic leadership facilitation.
Jacquie is a life-long volunteer of over 45 years supporting organizations from sports to the arts, to social services. During this volunteer experience Jacquie held roles such as Chair, Treasurer, Director, and founded new charities. Currently Jacquie is Chair of The Art of Courage, Development Team Lead for Danielle Laporte Inc. and joined the board of the Maltby Centre in 2021.

Stacey brings over 30 years of experience to the Maltby Board as a frontline nurse clinician, senior leader, and educator in the acute care, community, and public health sectors. Stacey has recently retired from corporate employment and continues to build organizational leadership capacity through a coaching and consulting practice. As a parent to a young adult with neurodiversity and a former family client of Pathways (Maltby Centre), she is deeply committed to supporting families and building inclusive communities.

Prakash Vaghela comes to the Maltby Board with 33 years of health sector experience at various levels of public health institutions. He has overseen implementation of a broad range of community & national health programs, prepared budget plans, developed policies and procedures, overseen quality assurance, and monitored and evaluated government programs. He has contributed significantly in improving MMR/IMR, nutrition, immunization and mental health issues for children and adolescents, and community processes using innovation and technology.

While working with the government sector he has been on various boards in different capacities. He has worked with UNICEF, UNDP, UNAID, NABARD, World Bank, NHM and many non-profit organizations. Apart from his professional path, he enjoys music, traveling and meeting new people.

• Annual Reports 2019-2020; 2020-2021; 2021-2022
• Strategic Plans 2016-2021; 2021-2024
• All Governance Policies