Meet our Board of Directors 2025-2026
Alison Mahon – Chair
More about Alison coming soon!
Ray Meyer – Vice Chair
Ray was born and raised in Sarnia, Ontario. He is a Registered Nurse of over 20 years and is currently the Director of Surgery and Maternal Infant Child at Bluewater Health. He obtained his diploma in Nursing at Lambton College, Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and Master’s in Health Studies from Athabasca University. Ray has previously volunteered with Sarnia Hockey Association as a board member for 6 years, and as a coach for over 12 years. He looks forward to this new opportunity with Pathways and the opportunity to give back to the Sarnia Lambton community.
Emma Nicholson – Secretary
Emma is the City Solicitor for the City of Sarnia. She grew up in Sarnia and obtained her Bachelor of Science from Western University and Bachelor of Law from the University of Leicester. She brings experience serving on various local boards including the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Centre and the Lambton Law Association. Emma met her husband while studying in the United Kingdom, and they both now reside in Sarnia with their children. Emma’s positive experience as a Pathways parent inspired her to join the Board of Directors.
Daniel DiFederico – Treasurer
Daniel is a Finance Coordinator at the County of Lambton. Born and raised in Sarnia, Daniel graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with an Honors Bachelor of Business Administration (with high distinction) and a minor in economics. He is actively pursuing obtaining his CPA designation. Daniel is passionate about giving back to his community and participating in sports such as soccer and hockey in his free time.
Dana Petko – Past Chair
Dana’s connection with Pathways goes back 40 years to when her sister first started utilizing their services. Since then, Dana has worked with Pathways professionally in various ways as both an Early Childhood Educator and a Professor in the ECE Program at Lambton College. She has also had experience with Pathways as a parent who has utilized their services for her own children. Volunteering as a member of the Board of Directors is her way of supporting an organization she holds in very high esteem.
Tanya Anderson
Tanya has been employed with The County of Lambton – Social Service Division for many years, currently in the Housing Services Department. She prides herself on being an active team member and strong advocate for people she serves and those who are unable to do so for themselves. Her foundation of support consists of her husband Brad and her two wonderful grown children, Jessica and Brett. Her connection with Pathways started 20 years ago when her son was diagnosed with Autism at a young age. Due to the superb programing and supports her family received from Pathways, it has inspired her to become involved with the agency.
Jason Baley
Jason was born and raised in Sarnia and recently moved back to the area to put down roots with his family. As a parent, he deeply values the exceptional work done by Pathways and the positive impact it has on children and families in the community. With a strong desire to give back to the place that helped shape who he is, Jason is excited to contribute his time and energy to support local initiatives and help make a lasting difference in the lives of others.
Ellie Carson
Ellie has lived in Sarnia for over 10 years now but has loved the sandy beaches, family friendly parks, and bridge fries since she was a child. As Sarnia has always held a special place in her heart, it was natural to move here to continue her career in the field of mental health and substance use which has included work in direct client care, education, and eventually a Master’s degree and position in public health.
With the pressures of the pandemic and a growing family, Ellie saw Board service at Pathways Health Centre for Children as an important way to refocus her efforts to support young people and the community. She’s excited to bring her experiences as well as her learner’s mind to this opportunity to serve Lambton County.
Sandra Graham
Sandra has held various Branch Management and Human Resources positions during her career in the Financial Services Industry. She retired from a local Credit Union where she held the position of Vice President Sales and Service. Sandra has been involved with many Non-Profit Boards throughout her career and also reported to a Board of Directors while in her position with the Credit Union. Sandra has been a member of the Rotary Club of Sarnia since 1995, and has had the privilege of holding the Club President position twice. The affiliation between The Rotary Club of Sarnia and Pathways is something that Sandra is very proud of, and looks forward to supporting Pathways as a Board member.
Kyna Patterson
Kyna Patterson was born and raised in Brights Grove. She is a Certified Child Life Specialist, with a Bachelors of Health Science from Western University and a Masters of Science Paediatrics, Child Life and Psychosocial Care from McMaster University. Currently she serves as Clinical Manager at Children’s Hospital, LHSC. She has a keen interest in clinical quality improvement, and outside of work, loves to learn and explore new things, especially if it involves the outdoors, woodworking or cooking!
Derek Stenton
Derek Stenton has lived and worked in Lambton County for 15 years. For the last decade, he has been an Administrator at Secondary Schools throughout the county, most recently as the Principal of Great Lakes Secondary School in Sarnia. He is passionate about helping young people succeed in their educational goals, and has seen the impact that the support of Pathways Health Centre for Children can have. He lives in Petrolia with his wife and two children, one of whom has benefitted from the expertise and care of the Pathways staff.
Dr. Stoesser – Pathways’ Medical Advisor
Dr. Stoesser has held the position of Pathways Health Centre for Children’s Medical Director and ex-officio member of the Board since 1992. During his weekly scheduled medical consultation visits, Dr. Stoesser is a great resource to clinical staff and parents by assisting, advising, advocating and educating on matters relating to medical services. He monitors medical consultants and clinics at Pathways and participates in matters pertaining to employee and Centre-wide health issues. Dr. Stoesser is a family physician that holds his practice at 481 London Road, and has active privileges at Bluewater Health. Dr Stoesser is a lifelong resident of Sarnia.
Alison Morrison, Pathways Chief Executive Officer
Alison grew up in Chatham, Ontario and realized a call to service with children early on. She studied Nursing at Western University and later worked in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario. Alison returned to Western to complete a Masters of Science in Communicative Disorders-Speech-Language Pathology. A relocation to Sarnia with her husband Pat in 1997 lead to an opportunity to work at Pathways. Care for children and youth has always been a priority for both Alison and Pat – and parenting two children has been their greatest joy. Alison loves squash (the sport – not the vegetable), is a competitive cheerleading coach at Bluewater Cheer Athletics and is an active member of the Grace United Church community.
Alison’s roles with Pathways over 27 years has included Speech-Language Pathologist, Accreditation Coordinator, Supervisor, Manager of Clinical Services, and for the past 6 years, CEO. Alison shares that “being part of the Pathways team on mission to wrap around children and youth with physical, developmental and communication difficulties to help them be their best….is simply the BEST!”
Our Mission
Our Board of Directors is dedicated to supporting the mission and vision of Pathways. The Board consists of community volunteers who give their time to help the organization maintain and improve the services provided by Pathways for children and their families living in Sarnia-Lambton.
We seek a diverse governance team. If interested, scroll down and click on the “Apply Now” link.
Have questions? Contact info@pathwayscentre.org.
While we have no present vacancies for membership on the Board, we do welcome community interest for volunteer participation on the Board Quality and Community Relations committees.
Contact info@pathwayscentre.org to express interest and learn more how to apply.
2025/2026 Board Meetings
All Board Meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month from 4:30 p.m. to approximately 6:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted. There are no meetings in December, July and August.
- September 30, 2025
- October 28, 2025 (tentative)
- November 25, 2025
- January 27, 2026
- February 24, 2026 (tentative – Board Retreat)
- March 31, 2026
- April 28, 2026 (tentative)
- May 26, 2026
- June 16, 2026 (NOT the last Tuesday of the month)
- June 23, 2026 – Annual General Meeting (AGM)