Governing Board:

Lori Stein
Lori Stein is a Family Visitor with the Regional Municipality of York working on the Healthy Baby Healthy Children Team since 1999.   Together with her ECE and Family Visitor training, Lori supports families with parenting their children from 0 – 6 through the home visiting program.  She is married, a parent of 2 adult children and works almost full time.

Victoria Shekhar
Victoria is a mother of two 2.5 year old twin boys. Victoria has successfully completed her CGA school of studies and is finalizing her last month of studies of Honors of Business Commerce. Victoria has acquired a wide range of accounting and finance experience having worked as a manager of business planning, assistant controller, and an IFRS implementation specialist for a subsidiary of Canada Post and a Controller for a web design company.  Victoria currently specializes in various Financial Reporting standards (including IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards), PE GAAP, current GAAP).

Lilac Averbuck
Lilac Averbuck is a posture specialist and entrepreneur.  Lilac is looking forward to helping LWAB develop a strategic plan, fundraising strategy and long term sustainability plan.  Lilac hopes to use her entrepreneurial skills to evaluate current strategy as well as reduce costs while increasing the quality of programs.

Jen Abramson
Jennifer Abramson is working mom to one delightful daughter. When she is not negotiating, disciplining or fixing booboos (as a lawyer or a mother) she tries to find time for sports and coffee with friends, many of whom she met through LWAB after moving to York Region in 2007. As a board member, she is looking forward to helping develop more opportunities for moms to connect through fun and informative programs. She is a member of the bars of Ontario and Quebec and holds an MPhil degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Carl Rotmann
Carl Rotmann is an active and certified Advanced Care Level 3 Paramedic with Toronto EMS. Carl specializes in training new moms and dads Infant/Child CPR and Choking. He is the Medical Advisory Board Chair for the Lifesaving Society of Ontario, a Provincial Faculty Member with the Resuscitation Program at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and on the Advanced Cardiac Life Support Faculty at Sunnybrook Hospital. He is a Professor of Paramedicine at Centennial College. He holds the Golden Jubilee Medal and Toronto EMS Valour Award

Cyndi Gilbert
Cyndi Gilbert, B.A.(Hons), ND is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor with a special focus in pediatrics, perinatal care, women's health, and mind-body medicine. She graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine's four year post-graduate program after completing an undergraduate degree in Cultural Studies at Trent University.  In addition to maintaining a general family practice, Cyndi is an assistant professor at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, teaching courses in botanical medicine and philosophy.   She is also mother to two active and curious toddlers.


Advisory Board

Dr. Lori E. Ross, PhD
Dr. Lori E. Ross is a Research Scientist in the Social Equity & Health Research Section of the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, and Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.  Her research focuses on mental health during pregnancy and parenting, with a specific focus on the experience of diverse and marginalized populations. Dr. Ross is supported by a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Ontario Women’s Health Council.

Pam Youssef RN BScN

Pam Youssef is a Public Health Nurse with the Regional Municipality of York where she has worked since 1980.. She is currently working on the Child Health Team facilitating the Transition to Parenting groups which provide education and support to women experiencing perinatal mood disorders while pregnant or postnatally. Pam is passionate about supporting these women and their families who are challenged emotionally in coping, especially since the birth of a baby. As well as working full- time Pam is married with 4 children and now is also enjoying the role of grandparent to 4 grandchildren.