Alexa  Barkley – Chair

Alexa is a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Professional Accountant who began her career with KPMG’s Manufacturing, Retail and Distribution group.  After having her children, Alexa began a sole proprietorship, serving small business clients and preparing personal tax returns.  The success of her firm allowed her to expand, welcoming her partner and creating a professional corporation which continued to serve the needs of her taxation clients while expanding into regulatory consulting.

Alexa has been involved as a board member for several not-for-profits, constantly seeking to improve the status of those who have been traditionally marginalized.  In recent years, Alexa has focused her energy on helping those who have suffered Gender Based violence, including members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and Survivors of sexual violence.  She works hard to create safe spaces for all within religious and educational contexts and has successfully advocated for the creation of Consent Culture within the Peel District School Board.  Alexa has also been involved in supporting survivors through the Canadian Court system, using the media and her links to the Liberal party to push for an improvement in Survivor experiences. Alexa is excited for the opportunity to support the wonderful work being done by SAVIS.

Suzanne Stoltz –  Past Chair

Suzanne is an experienced advocate with an extensive background in human rights litigation and policy, advocating for the rights of women and girls, and family and constitutional law. Prior to emigrating to Canada, Suzanne worked at the Center for Reproductive Rights, the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, and several major law firms in New York City. She is currently working as a collaborative family lawyer with Marian Gage Professional Corporation in Oakville. Suzanne has previously served on the steering committee with the Women of Halton Action Movement (WHAM), on the board of Community Development Halton, as an advocacy volunteer with the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, and as an education committee member with LEAF. She has a B.A. from Wellesley College and earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School. Before joining the SAVIS Board, she was a member and chair of the planning committee for the Dinner Party: IWD fundraising event, which benefits SAVIS and Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. She is grateful to be able to continue her work advocating for the survivors of violence by being a member of SAVIS’s Board of Directors.

Gillian Wassmansdorf – Secretary

Gillian is a staunch advocate for equity in public education and socially-responsible public policy. She graduated from York University’s Glendon Campus in 2015 and from Brock University’s Master of Education program in 2020. She is a classroom teacher in the Halton District School Board and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy, Administration, and Law at York University. In her free time, Gillian is a film photographer and an adoring cat mum. Working with SAVIS bridges Gillian’s passions for policy and education, and she appreciates the opportunity to continue on a journey as a co-conspirator in pursuit of justice with survivors of violence.

Michelle Ghai, CPA, MBA -Treasurer
Treasurer, Board Director and Chair, Finance & Audit Committee

Michelle Ghai is a senior financial-services and technology executive, board director and CPA with more than 25 years of experience spanning finance, audit and risk, strategy, governance, digital transformation, data and AI.

Prior to founding The Infinite CDO Advisory, Michelle held senior leadership roles at TD Bank Group and RBC. At TD, she led large-scale digital transformation and data, analytics and AI functions, including major technology investments and teams of several hundred professionals. Earlier roles in audit, finance and analytics built a strong foundation in financial stewardship, controls, risk and accountability.

Michelle serves as Treasurer, Board Director and Chair of the Finance & Audit Committee for SAVIS of Halton. She contributes to financial reporting, budgeting, external audit oversight, reserve planning and long-term organizational sustainability. She also serves as a Board Director of Kids Health Links Foundation, bringing her experience in financial stewardship, digital transformation and sustainable growth to support its children’s health mission.

Through The Infinite CDO Advisory, Michelle supports organizations navigating strategy, financial sustainability, digital transformation, data and practical AI. She is passionate about strengthening organizations that advance the safety, well-being and opportunities of women, children and communities.

Michelle holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.

Katie German -Member

Katie is a non-profit leader and community organizer. Having grown up in Halton, the first rally she went to as a teen was a Take Back the Night run by SAVIS over twenty years ago. She has spent 15+ years working in the non-profit sector in Toronto including senior leadership positions working on food justice, health equity, affordable housing, and gender-based violence. She has successfully fundraised millions of dollars for community programs and advocacy work and has led strategic planning processes for complex organizations. She has practical experience building more equitable and justice-oriented work places and her writing on workplace culture & non-profit sector change has been featured in the Toronto Star and Canadian Business. Her community organizing work has focused on building alternatives to policing and increasing affordable housing. In 2022, she moved back to Oakville to be closer to family and is excited to be more engaged in equity-focused community building work happening in Halton.

Smita Devane-Bhan – Member

Smita brings almost 20 years of public relations and communications experience across highly regulated industries. She is a dynamic, results-driven global strategist and leader with expertise in shaping integrated corporate, product and consumer-focused communication approaches. Known for delivering high-impact strategies that align with organizational priorities, she excels at cultivating stakeholder relationships and enhancing corporate reputation for high-profile organizations.

As a Board Member at SAVIS of Halton, Smita is deeply committed to supporting and strengthening her local community. She is passionate about advocating for survivors of sexual violence and fostering meaningful change through education, outreach and engagement.

Pamela Uppal-Sandhu -Member

Over the past 15 years, Pamela has focused on bridging frontline work, research initiatives, and public policy advocacy to shift systems for thriving communities. Her experience is diverse in its breadth and depth: she led a volunteer-run nonprofit as a university student, worked on the frontlines at a multi-service agency, built equity capacity in the sector, and collaborated with academics on multiple gender equity research projects. Currently, she is the Director of Policy and Co-Executive Director (interim) at Ontario Nonprofit Network, where she is building connected nonprofit networks, advancing nonprofit driven public policy, and sparking collective advocacy. She holds a Master’s degree in Women Studies & Feminist Research