Board of Directors

Zeenat Khoja graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy in 2000 and subsequently became a licensed Ontario pharmacist. Her clinical experience was primarily in providing in-patient pharmaceutical care at The Hospital for Sick Children, Mount Sinai, and the Scarborough Grace hospitals. Although she is no longer in clinical practice, Zeenat remains a member of the Ontario College of Pharmacists.

She also has 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Zeenat is currently the Director of Pricing, Reimbursement, and Patient Access at the Canadian affiliate of the multinational Eli Lilly and Company.  In this role, Zeenat is a Six Sigma Black Belt, the Co-Chair of Lilly Canada’s Diversity and Inclusion Network, and Director of the team mandated with generating and expanding access to Lilly’s medicines to help improve the health outcomes of Canadian patients.

In her personal life, Zeenat was deeply affected by the impact of an acquired brain injury on the life of her cousin, who was a vibrant, articulate mother with a passion for reading until she lost the ability to form sentences and basic words, as a result of an inoperable brain tumour. Her cousin’s experience helped Zeenat live and understand the importance of supporting people in these difficult circumstances. Additionally, as the mother of two busy and active teenagers, she is particularly energized by the OBIA’s work to prevent brain injuries.

Zeenat is eager to join the mission of enhancing the lives of Ontarians living with the effects of acquired brain injury through education, awareness and support, and she will bring all of her commitment to healthcare, her business experience, and her passion for people to the OBIA.

Alice has been at Brain Injury Services of Northern Ontario (BISNO) almost 25 years. She has served in many roles on provincial committees, the District Health Council, volunteer boards of local non-profits and her various places of employment. These indicate not only Alice’s commitment to comprehensive health/social services and working toward positive resolutions to the current health/social service delivery challenges, but also nurturing the Community Development approach to a more holistic and integrated system. Alice has worked in hospital settings from acute to chronic to long-term care. In the community she has worked in respite care, group home settings for developmentally challenged youth, physically challenged children & youth, services for adults with a variety of special needs and most recently more active in the mental health and addictions sector.

Recently, Alice was re-appointed to the Board of Directors of the Ontario Brain Injury Association of Ontario (OBIA). She also has completed 6 years on the board of CONNEX Ontario and is in her last year with Addictions and Mental Health Ontario. Alice has three adult, adopted children, 3 grandchildren and had an almost 30-year relationship with her husband, Terry (deceased 16 years ago) who lived with a Spinal Cord Injury. She has family life experience with neurotrauma, FASD, mental health and addictions.

Fred is a registered psychologist who currently practices in Ottawa. He completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology at Queens University in 1988. His practice is dedicated primarily to Rehabilitation Psychology.

Fred has served in both hospital and private clinic environments in several areas including geriatrics, stroke rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury, concussion and post-concussion syndrome, pain, spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative disease. He was extensively involved with the design and development of The Robin Easey Centre and The Behavioural Rehabilitation Unit in Ottawa.

Over the last several years, Fred’s private practice has focused on individuals with complex injuries from motor vehicle accidents. When not assisting survivors of vehicle accidents, he provides treatment to individuals in the military and EMS sectors who are living with the effects of brain injuries, concussions and post-trauma challenges.

The Ontario Brain Injury Association has made a profound impact on Fred’s thinking and activities during three decades of professional service and advocacy. His membership on the Board of Directors gives him the chance to work with an organization that continues to be a source of professional inspiration.

Fred’s ongoing community involvements have included membership on community Boards of Directors and consultations with local service organizations. Fred, his wife and two sons are active in their local sports and recreation communities. They all share a commitment to public education, health promotion, volunteerism and advocacy.

Gary is a Chartered Professional Accountant/Certified Management Account (CPA, CMA) and a Chartered Business Valuator (CBV). Gary holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfrid Laurier University where he studied Economics and has had professional experience in various financial roles including banking, hospitality, public accounting, and valuations.

He is currently part of Crowe Soberman LLP’s Valuation | Forensics | Litigation group, leading various engagements including business and securities valuations, damages quantifications, and personal injury loss calculations. Through his work in personal injury matters he has obtained a greater understanding of the impact of acquired brain injuries on individuals, their families, and their careers.

Gary previously volunteered on a two-year term as a Treasurer on the Board of Directors of Field Hockey Ontario, a not-for-profit provincial sports organization. Gary and his wife have two young children and enjoy the outdoors as well as spending time with their dog. He has a great appreciation for the amazing work that OBIA does and is honored to be in a position to contribute to the continued success of such a wonderful organization.

Claire Smith was a member of the Canadian Equestrian Team from 1994 to 1997. In 1997, she fell from her horse and sustained a severe Traumatic Brain Injury. After six months in hospital, then a year of therapy, Claire tried to resume her old life. When she eventually realised that a return to the equestrian world was not possible, Claire enrolled at the University of Ottawa. She was awarded a MA (2004), followed by a PhD (2010). For both degrees, she conducted studies about head injury. Since then, she has published articles in numerous scholarly journals and has written chapters for academic books. Claire continues to write for these outlets.

In late 2017, her memoir, ‘Falling into Now: Memories of Sport, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Education’, was released. It has received much media attention from the head injury community as well as from the equestrian world. Claire has been a keynote speaker on several occasions, both before and after the memoir’s publication. Most recently, she spoke at the Equestrian Canada 2018 annual conference.

New to the board of OBIA in 2018, Claire is honoured to have been given the opportunity to serve on it. She brings with her not only her Olympic, academic, and head injury experiences, but also her passion to help others. From 2010 to 2016, Claire was a director on the Board of the Wings of Phoenix, a charitable organisation in Ottawa that raises money to provide rehabilitation services for individuals who have sustained Traumatic Brain Injuries. She was a director on the Board of the YMCA of Brockville from 2016 to 2018 and served on its Governance sub-committee. Since 2015, she has been a member of the Leeds and Grenville Accessibility Committee. She started coordinating student placements between the University of Ottawa and Carleton Lodge, a seniors’ residence, in 2011. She continues to do so and is also a friendly visitor to the residents at the lodge. In late 2017, she was nominated as an Amazing Person in the City of Ottawa for her volunteer work.

Claire lives in Merrickville, Ontario with her partner Michael. An avid swimmer many mornings, she devotes the rest of the day to writing academic material, volunteering, and working on her next full-length book.

Harrison is a lawyer at Oatley Vigmond Personal Injury Lawyers. Harrison has developed expertise in the field of acquired brain injuries while advocating on behalf of his clients. Having seen the impact of brain injuries on the lives of his clients and their loved ones, Harrison developed a passion for brain injury awareness, prevention, and recovery.

Prior to joining Oatley Vigmond, Harrison gained valuable insight into personal injury litigation from the defence perspective. This experience has provided Harrison with a unique viewpoint, allowing him to help his clients achieve the best possible results. Harrison is drawn to personal injury litigation because of his ability to make a positive impact for his clients and in his community.

Harrison is an active volunteer with Canadian Association for Disabled Skiing (CADS), an organization dedicated to promoting skiing and sit-skiing to persons with disabilities.  Harrison also created and co-hosts a podcast called “Exhibit Eh” and many episodes focus on representing individuals with acquired brain injuries.  Harrison is honoured to be on OBIA’s Board of Directors.

Robert DiGiovanni is a public policy professional with a passion for accessibility and inclusivity, rooted in his personal experience with a traumatic brain injury at the age of 13, which led to significant physical and cognitive challenges. Through perseverance and extensive therapy, he learned how to adapt to his new reality. He excelled academically, graduating with honours from York University with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Public Administration.

Currently, Robert is a senior policy advisor at the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility. In this capacity, he leads efforts to advance the Ministry’s goal of making Ontario more accessible by 2025. His role involves strategic planning, standards review and development, stakeholder engagement and managing significant policy initiatives that focus on improving accessibility for people with disabilities across the province.

In addition to his role in the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility, Robert is the Vice-Chair of the York Region Accessibility Advisory Committee. In this capacity, he collaborates with council members, community groups, and regional staff to advise on how to make it easier for people with disabilities to use York Region’s programs and services. His leadership in various working groups further underscores his commitment to fostering inclusive environments.

New to the OBIA Board of Directors in 2024, Robert is honoured for the opportunity to serve and is enthusiastic about leveraging his skills and experiences to contribute towards advancing OBIA’s mission of supporting survivors of brain injury, caregivers, and professionals through education, awareness and support.

Robert lives in Vaughan, ON and enjoys spending time with his dog, Molly, and bird, Nicky. He also enjoys exploring the outdoors and indulging in his love for music.

Kamilah was introduced to the world of brain injury from a young age with the personal experience of growing up with a father who sustained multiple brain injuries. After reading a fiction novel about a young girl recovering from a car accident when she was 11 years old and the many professionals that assisted in her path to recovery, Kamilah’s path was solidified to pursue a career where she could help individuals faced with these kinds of injuries.

After pursuing an undergraduate degree in Behavioural Neuroscience, Kamilah began to comprehend the magnitude of how many people are impacted by brain injury. Kamilah began her career working on the frontline with an agency that serves individuals with brain injuries and she is now the Regional ABI System Navigator for Northeastern Ontario.

Kamilah advocates for increased access and service provision for individuals with brain injuries in her role as ABI System Navigator for Northeastern Ontario, and even beyond this role in her day-to-day life, where she passionately overshares about brain injury with anyone who will listen.

Outside of reading new research on brain injury and educating others, Kamilah also enjoys spending all four seasons on Manitoulin Island with her partner and two children.

Maxine founded Essentially You Inc. in 2008 based on her extensive management experience and knowledge of navigating healthcare and rehabilitation services in Canada and England.  Since its inception, Essentially You Inc. has specialized in providing Personal Support Worker (PSW) services to clients who have sustained motor vehicle accident (MVA) related brain injuries. Maxine also established Essentially You Developments Inc. in 2024 which provides accessible housing for individuals recovering from MVA injuries (ABI, TBI and SCI), orthopedic injuries, slip and falls and post-operative or stroke-related hospital admissions.

Maxine has over 30 years of Social Work, Senior Social Services Management, Case Management and business leadership experience.  She has worked across the spectrum of healthcare including the former Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), hospital rehabilitation, mental health and long-term care settings.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work, a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Degree in Social Work and is a Certified Social Work Practice Teacher.  She has also completed further ABI Level 1 and 2 Courses through the OBIA/Brock University Certificate Training Programs. The delivery of quality, client-centered services represents the cornerstone of Maxine’s and Essentially You Inc.’s philosophy.  Their PSW services are grounded in the dedicated work of a skilled and professional team that is culturally diverse across the whole organization.

Maxine’s commitment to the brain injury rehabilitation community is further demonstrated within her role as an Ontario Rehabilitation Alliance (ORA) Board Member and advocate.  Maxine has provided education via virtual presentations and webinars on key topics including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), best practice case studies, addressing inclusion and diversity and promoting cultural competency.   Maxine also played an instrumental advocacy role with the ORA in the successful Attendant Care rate lobbying with Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO).

Maxine is an avid marathon runner and uses her passion for long distance running through proactive involvement in sponsorship and fundraising events that support brain injury community organizations.

Dave is the survivor representative of the OBIA Advisory Council to the OBIA Board.  His sustained his brain in a motor vehicle collision in December 2000.  His background includes both chemical engineering and occupational hygiene that included several leadership, consulting and training roles. Dave has been a member of the Hamilton Brain Injury Association (HBIA) since 2005 and on its Board of Directors since 2011. He has been a survivor member of OBIA’s Ontario Advisory Council for most of his time on the HBIA Board.

Dave ‘s other volunteer activities include guest speaking in McMaster University’s Occupational Therapy program as well as mentorship to pairs of OT, PT and SLP Master students in their exploration of the lives of people with disabilities. Dave is a founding member of Acquired Brain Injury Survivor Solutions (ABISS), an advocacy group dedicated to being a resource for other survivors of ABI received in an automobile collision. He has volunteered at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) Regional Rehabilitation Centre both on the ABI floor and the Patient and Family Learning Centre. More recently, Dave has become part of HHS’s Patient and Family Advisor Group.

Lastly, Dave’s strong sports interest is maintained as an active golfer and curler, as well as being part of the volunteer executive of the Dundas Real McCoys senior hockey team, who play for the Allan Cup, Canada’s oldest hockey trophy. Dave is married with 4 children and, so far, 2 grandchildren.

Teryl Hoefel has been employed with the Brain Injury Association Peterborough Region since 2010. She started at the Association in the ABI Day Service program as program staff, moved to Day Service Coordinator position and transitioned into her current role as the Executive Director in 2015.

Her background has been diverse over the years from working in the private sector to community support where it has included working with seniors, hospice, and ABI clients since 2007. She has personal experience with ABI with a brother who sustained a brain injury in motor vehicle accident.

With over 25 years of dedicated service in the fields of child development and mental health, Lisa Joubert is a seasoned professional committed to improving the systems that serve children and families faced with childhood adversities.

Lisa has left an indelible mark on the landscape of child/youth mental health through her multifaceted roles. As a practitioner, in both hospital and community settings, she has provided invaluable support and guidance to countless families, leveraging her expertise to navigate the complexities of childhood challenges with empathy and insight.

Beyond direct practice, Lisa has actively contributed to shaping policies and initiatives at both the provincial and community levels. Her involvement in committees and Board Memberships has been instrumental in advocating for the needs of children and fostering systems conducive to their growth and flourishing.

Lisa’s passion for the well-being of children extends beyond the confines of her profession as she is also the caregiver to a child with an acquired brain injury. She is deeply engaged in her community, collaborating with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and identities to create inclusive spaces where every child has the opportunity to thrive.

Lisa Kakonge is a seasoned speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience in providing both in-patient and outpatient speech and language therapy to children with acquired brain injury at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Lisa graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Linguistics and obtained a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from The College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York.

As a clinician, Lisa is dedicated to client and family-centered care, the provision of evidence-based cognitive-communication supports, and the incorporation of a trauma-informed lens in her practice. Her commitment to excellence extends to her role as a simulation facilitator, co-facilitating integrated clinical learning experiences for second-year speech-language pathology students at the University of Toronto.

Lisa is also a PhD Candidate in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON. Her doctoral research focuses on bridging the gap between technology and rehabilitation, specifically investigating how computer-mediated communication (CMC) and technological supports can empower adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI) to engage more fully in their communities. She is dedicated to engaging youth and patient partners in all stages of her research and has received specialized training in patient engagement through the Family Engagement in Research (FER) course at McMaster University Continuing Education.

Lisa is enthusiastic about advancing the Ontario Brain Injury Association’s mission to improve the lives of Ontarians affected by brain injury through education, awareness and support initiatives.

Johanna has combined decades of both public and private sector experience in audit, governance, risk management and compliance providing organizations with value-for-money and optimized solutions to drive forward change.

She is currently supporting the oversight of the Toronto Transit Commission’s integrated internal audit, risk management, and compliance programs and directing assurance and advisory services to refine the TTC’s operations. She has also held progressive roles at Scotiabank, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board within their international banking, project management office, internal audit, forensic consulting practice, and enterprise compliance.

Johanna devotes her personal time serving on a number of board committees allowing her the opportunity to be proximate to the people and things that matter. She has found a renewed significance in life by being in the presence of a close family member who survived a traumatic brain injury. Together with his faithful loving wife, they have profoundly taught her about help, healing, and most of all, hope. The same words and actions speak to what OBIA is made of.

As a Board Director of OBIA, Johanna commits to supporting the collective efforts of the organization in enriching the lives of the people it touches every day and continues to be an agent of help and best represent the common interest of vulnerable individuals to make their rest of life, the best of life.

Keith Lindsay has been Director of Services for Central and Northern Ontario with Bartimaeus Rehabilitation Services since 2001. Keith has over thirty years in providing support to children and adults within the mental health and rehabilitation fields, working in various positions of frontline, management and training.

In his position at Bartimaeus Rehabilitation, Keith coordinates a team of Rehabilitation Support Workers in providing community based services and supports for people with acquired brain injury. He specializes in supporting people with challenges within their own home, work, and community.

Keith graduated from Cambrian College with an Advanced Diploma in Child and Youth Work. He previously served as President of the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care, and as Treasurer of the Simcoe County Brain Injury Association.

Keith lives in Innisfil with his wife Margaret and their two children, and is honoured to be serving on the OBIA Board of Directors.

Stephanie graduated from Conestoga College in 2012 with a background in Advertising, Design and Communications. She has been employed with the Brain Injury Association of London and Region since 2013. Stephanie was brought on as the Brain Injury Associations Communications Coordinator and additionally took on the roles of Volunteer and Support Services Coordinator a few years after. In 2017 Stephanie transitioned into the role of Executive Director.  

Stephanie lives in London and enjoys golfing and spending time outdoors. She is thrilled to be working closely with OBIA and has an immense appreciation for the incredible work that they do for our community. 

Sophie is an Occupational Therapist practicing in the area of acquired brain injury rehabilitation. She graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology and the University of Toronto with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy.

Sophie, provides a fresh perspective and enthusiastic excitement to make a difference in the lives of those living with acquired brain injury. Through her day-to-day work, she has recognized gaps in the care, awareness, and support of survivors of brain injury and their caregivers which she will bring to the table as a Board Member. She has a tremendous appreciation for the incredibly important work that the OBIA does for the brain injury community and healthcare providers working in this area.

Personally, Sophie has lived experience with mild traumatic brain injury, which she sustained while playing in varsity soccer games. These injuries affected all aspects of her life and helped her better understand the profound and all-encompassing impact of brain injury.

Sophie is originally from Nanaimo, BC, but now lives in Toronto, ON. She enjoys spending time outdoors and with loved ones, as well as conducting research in her spare time. She is honoured to have been appointed to OBIA’s Board of Directors.