Hands TheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca Announces Appointment of New CEO
Cheryl Sutton, Chair of the Board of Directors of Hands TheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca, is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrea Roberts to the position of Chief Executive Officer of Hands TheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca (Hands; the Agency), effective December 2, 2019.
Ms. Roberts’ appointment is a result of an extensive national search initiated earlier this year by the Agency’s Board of Directors. “We are very excited to welcome Ms. Roberts to Hands. We are confident in the leadership that she will bring to Hands TheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca and our communities, as we continue to support clients and their families in their journeys and respond to the continuing changes in the health, community and social services systems,” said Sutton.
Ms. Roberts possesses over twenty years of senior level management experience in social and health programming, with systems and content experience in social determinants of health, early years, special needs and mental health promotion.
She currently serves as the Director of Child and Family Health and Healthy Living at Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. Her previous roles in the health care sector include Program Manager of Child and Family Health and Public Health Nurse. Ms. Roberts holds a Master’s degree in Personal, Social and Health Education from Manchester University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Ottawa.
“I am honoured to take on the role of CEO at Hands TheFamilyHelpNetwork.ca,” said Roberts. “My professional and personal experiences and passions align with those of the organization. Hands has a strong reputation for supporting clients and their families, for being innovative and, for providing leadership at a systems level. I am committed to learning more about the work, the people and the communities served by Hands and look forward to contributing to its leadership.”
Ms. Roberts has demonstrated her passion for driving system change through her leadership and participation on a number of regional and provincial initiatives such as Moving on Mental Health, Children’s Report Card, LHIN Maternal Child Health Committee, Bridges Out of Poverty and the Public Health Early Years Table.
Ms. Roberts succeeds Jeffrey Hawkins, who is retiring on September 12, 2019. “We thank Jeffrey for his exceptional leadership over the past thirty years and wish him all the best as he moves into retirement,” said Sutton.
“We are pleased and fortunate that Mr. Paul Laperriere will assume the position of Interim CEO with Hands during the transition period,” continued Sutton. Mr. Laperriere has been with Hands since 2007 as the Agency’s Director of Corporate Services.