Ontario Caregiver Coalition
The voice of family caregivers
Board of Directors
Lauren Bates
Chair, OCC
Chair, Research & Advocacy Committee
Lauren has been a Member of OCC since 2018, and joined the Board in 2020. She brings over 30 years of experience in policy analysis and development to OCC. Her background as a lawyer gives her a strong understanding of legislative and policy frameworks, while her history of community connections grounds her in the lived experience of law and policy, particularly among vulnerable and marginalized communities.
While at the Ontario Human Rights Commission, she championed and led a major project on the human rights of family caregivers (“The Cost of Caring”). At the Law Commission of Ontario, she led law reform projects on ageing, disability, legal capacity, and the end of life that were designed to include the experiences of caregivers. As Director of Policy at Wellesley Institute, she supported projects that centered the under-examined experiences of culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse older adults and their family caregivers. In her own life, she has provided care and support to several family members. Lauren says, “I know well that much of our society rests on the invaluable but all-too-frequently taken-for-granted efforts of family caregivers, and that it is a role that brings both joy and difficulty. I also understand that the struggle of women for equality is deeply entwined with the recognition of and support for family caregiving.”
Daniel Nowoselski
Vice-Chair, OCC
Co-Chair, Research & Advocacy Committee
Daniel serves as Co-Chair of the Research & Advocacy Committee at the OCC. He is currently working as the Senior Advocacy Manager for the Canadian Cancer Society, where he is responsible for, among other things, supporting their advocacy work regarding palliative care, financial supports for people with cancer, and supports for caregivers. Before taking the position at the Canadian Cancer Society, he spent eight years in various MPP and Ministers’ offices in the Ontario government and managed and worked on a variety of political campaigns. He believes this experience, where he worked closely with a variety of volunteers and limited resources to effect change, will serve him well as a board member for the OCC.
Lastly, and most importantly, Daniel notes, “I am passionate about this work because of the losses I have experienced and because of my loved ones with chronic illnesses. The work the OCC does is personal to me, and I have a deep personal commitment to seeing the OCC fulfill its goals.”
Shannon Bury
Board Secretary, OCC
Co-Treasurer, OCC
Shannon Bury, CHRL is Head of People & Culture at WISE Trust Pension Plan. Throughout her career, she is recognized for her collaborative leadership style and her commitment to building inclusive, high-performing workplace cultures and aligning people strategies with organizational objectives. Shannon has championed initiatives that strengthen employee experience and wellbeing, modernize people practices, and foster cultures of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. Shannon also serves as a Council Member in the Ontario Region for the Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute (CPBI).
She joins the Ontario Caregiver Coalition Board with a strong commitment to advocacy, community impact, and supporting caregivers through sustainable policies and people-centred leadership. She is committed to leveraging her leadership and human capital expertise to help advance the Coalition's mission of recognizing, supporting, and empowering caregivers and their families.
Camryn Berry
Director, OCC
Camryn Berry is a Project Manager at Hospice Palliative Care Ontario, where she works at the intersection of health systems, hospice palliative care, and caregiver support. She brings experience working in project implementation, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge mobilization.
She holds an MSc in Public Health and Health Systems from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor’s degree in Health Studies from Queen’s University. Her professional work has focused on strengthening health and social systems, and ensuring that the experiences and needs of people with lived experience, their families, and caregivers inform programs, policy, and practice.
Camryn also brings lived experience as a young caregiver, having supported her father, who lives with an acquired brain injury, since she was 12. She has helped him navigate transitions from home to hospital, assisted living, and now long-term care, gaining first hand insights from a young age. She is also a member of the Young Caregivers Collective of Canada, where she serves as the Knowledge Translation and Outreach Lead.
Camryn is passionate about advancing evidence-informed policy, cross-sector collaboration, and greater recognition of the diverse experiences of caregivers.
Mary Vourakes
Director, OCC
Mary Vourakes brings more than 15 years of professional experience in partnership development, community engagement, and program management across the aging, healthcare, and community sectors, together with over three years of lived experience as the primary caregiver for her father, who lived with
both dementia and Parkinson's disease. That experience gave her a firsthand understanding of the emotional, physical, and systemic challenges caregivers face, and it continues to shape her commitment to ensuring caregivers across Ontario feel seen, supported, and empowered.
Professionally, Mary has worked with the National Institute on Ageing, the National Institute for Care and the Elderly, and Toronto Metropolitan University, where she designed and led community workshops and programs on elder abuse prevention, financial planning, and caregiving supports, and secured and
managed federal grant funding on behalf of older adults and their families. She previously served as a Board Member with the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition, contributing to fund development and governance. Mary holds a Master of Education in Adult Education & Community Development from OISE, University of Toronto, and a Master of Business Administration in Finance & Management from Wayne State University, which underpins her experience with budget oversight and financial governance.
Mary is honoured to join the OCC Board, bringing both her professional expertise and her lived experience as a caregiver to advance the Coalition's mission of recognizing, valuing, and supporting caregivers across Ontario.
Rose-Marie Fraser
Director, OCC
Rose-Marie has been a member of the OCC for over 11 years. She has served as a Chair of the OCC Research & Advocacy Committee and other committees. Rose-Marie represents the OCC at the TDRA (Toronto Dementia Research Advisory) and has been a lobbyist in past years.
Rose-Marie brings years of experience working in various capacities in healthcare settings, court advocacy programs, and social policy. She is a PhD student at the University of Toronto Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, where her research focuses on caregivers & intersectionality.
Rose-Marie believes “nothing has impacted my life more than caring for others. Being a caregiver to a family member with a mental health diagnosis, a family member who has had a heart transplant, cancer, and other comorbidities, and caring for an aging family member with dementia has been rewarding & overwhelming to the point of advocacy & being an agent of change."
Chrissy Sadowski
Director, OCC
Chrissy Sadowski is the Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement Manager at Young Caregivers Association. Growing up as a young caregiver herself, she understands the stress that can come along with that position. Now as a parent of a child on the spectrum, she recognizes the toll it can take on siblings as well. Her children were involved in Powerhouse programs beginning at a young age and still utilize their supports today. Between her own children and countless others, Chrissy sees the importance that Young Caregivers provide through counselling, programs, camp and more.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Brock University and a Broadcasting Diploma from Niagara College as well as a rich Montessori background in leading CASA, Lower Elementary and teacher training, Chrissy has a wealth of experience and knowledge in supporting children, being an advocate for marginalized communities and public speaking.
She lives with her four children, husband, 4 cats and 2 dogs in Niagara.
Staff
Samantha Pantos
Membership and Communications Coordinator,
OCC
Samantha Pantos is very excited to be joining the OCC team as the Membership and Communications Coordinator! She prides herself on her written and verbal communication skills, and is well known for her friendly and warm demeanour. She studied English in post-secondary school and went on to pursue a certificate in publishing. Through her education and prior roles she has acquired a background in social media management, editorial work, and administration. Advocacy for caregivers is a cause close to her heart and her home. She currently assists her mother with providing daily care for her elderly grandmother, who she cherishes greatly. With a passion for storytelling, she is looking forward to helping caregivers share their experiences and ensure this often overlooked community has their voices heard.