At Kerry’s Place Annual General Meeting (AGM) on June 23rd, we welcomed new members to the Board of Directors, recognized members transitioning to new roles, and acknowledged many whose leadership guides and strengthens Kerry’s Place. Following are the Board of Directors’ leadership changes recently made at the AGM:
Officer of the Board Transitions:
Paula Allen was welcomed as incoming Board Chair, replacing Jan Stewart who was in the role for 4 years. Jan will continue as a Board Director for one more year to support the transition.
Anna Harris becomes Vice Chair, taking on the role previously held by Paula Allen, and Enza Dininio continues as Treasurer.
New Board Members:
Eric Van Grootheest and Rose Cook are new members who bring with them strong experience in real estate and healthcare, respectively.
Pushpal Desarkar joined the Board in September 2025 to fill the remainder of Carobeth Zorzos’ term.
Departing Board Members:
Carobeth Zorzos, James Stellick and Garry Chan have departed the Board. Together, they contributed more than 25 years of volunteer leadership, governance, and service to Kerry’s Place.
Board Committee Leadership Transitions:
Brian Ritchie and Pushpal Desarkar are the new co-Chairs of the Quality Outcomes Committee, succeeding Carobeth Zorzos.
Vanessa Morgan was welcomed as the new Chair of the Nominations & Governance Committee, replacing Mike Williams who was acknowledged for his leadership.
We thank the outgoing Board members and committee Chairs for their outstanding dedication and contribution to Kerry’s Place – and also welcome the new and existing Directors who bring valuable insight, expertise and leadership to advancing our mission for Autistic individuals and their families.
To learn more about the individual Directors on the Board, visit the Board of Directors webpage.