WHO WE ARE
OUR TEAM
Wendy Gee
Executive Director
Hala Kassem
Program Manager
Simone Racine
Case Manager
Wendy Gee has held the position of Executive Director of A New Day Youth and Adult Services since September 2016. Over the past 30 years, Wendy has worked in various capacities as a counsellor with community agencies across Eastern Ontario. In past years she has held a number of senior executive roles, including Founder and Director of Om4Youth, a restorative yoga and expressive arts program for at risk youth and Executive Director of Turner Syndrome Society of Canada. Wendy currently holds three college diplomas in Child and Youth Counselor, Business Administration/Human Resources Management, Drug and Alcohol Treatment Worker and a degree in psychology. Wendy has many years experience in program management/planning, grant proposals and fundraising.
OUR BOARD
Jodi Mosely
Chair
Tracy Charles
Director
Cheryl Margesson
Director
David Corkery
Vice Chair
Joanne Van Hooser
Director
Bill Janes
Director
Pat Dussault
Director
Jodi Mosley is a graduate of the Child & Youth Care Program at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario, and holds certificates in Behavioural Management Intervention, Drug and Alcohol Counselling, Financial Management and, most recently, Advanced Anti-Human Trafficking. Earlier in her career, Jodi worked as the Program Coordinator and Acting Manager of Isumaqsunngittukkuvik, a secure young offenders facility in Iqualuit, Nunavut for 6 years. During this time, she also held the position of Sexual Harassment Officer for the Baffin Region. In 2002, Jodi co-founded and continues to co-direct Stepping Stones Foster Care Inc. (SSFC); an agency that offers foster homes to children aged 0-18 years, transitional homes to youth aged 18-21 years as well as specialized programs for high-risk youth. SSFC provides individual and wrap-around services in a family setting. Jodi is a co-founder and Chair of the Board of A New Day and also sits on the Algonquin College Advisory Committee for the Child and Youth Care Program. Jodi is an active member of the Ottawa Coalition to End Human Trafficking and heads its training program, which provides training to service providers on human trafficking indicators and appropriate responses.
David Corkery is a graduate of the Therapeutic Recreation Program at Sir Sandford Fleming College in Peterborough Ontario. Earlier in his career, David worked as a residential counselor/program coordinator and program supervisor with the Robert Smarts Centre for over 22 years. As a former foster parent, David brings empirical experience in fostering children. In 2002, he co-founded and continues to co-direct Stepping Stones Foster Care Inc. (SSFC); an agency that offers foster homes to children aged 0-18 and transitional homes to youth 18-21. He has extensive knowledge working with children and youth in a treatment milieu and has developed many innovative programs that meet the unique and individual needs of children and youth in this program. David is a co-founder and Vice Chair of the Board of A New Day and also sits on the board for Ontario Association for Residence Treating Youth (OARTY).
She:kon: My name is Jo-Joe Van Hooser. I am a strong Kanyen’keha:ka- Onkwehonwe- Mohawk grandmother from the Bay of Quinte Mohawks-Tyendinaga Territory, Turtle Clan. I have over 30 years of experience working with Indigenous youth and families who are or have been engaged in Child Welfare, Domestic Violence, Gangs-connected, or associated with Missing and Murder Indigenous people, Prostitution, Human Trafficking/Sex Trafficking, and other forms of Criminal activity and systems. My work experience also includes working within the Urban Indigenous Community in variety of different professional hats, on Indigenous Community boards and currently sit on the OCDSB-IEC Council, A New Day, and the Ottawa Coalition to Stop Human Trafficking, plus my current position as an EDII- Equity Diversity & Inclusion Indigenous Focus worker at Ottawa Children’s Aid Society, Indigenous Facilitator for Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, Human Trafficking Liaison for the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, Private Community worker for HT/ST, and formerly, The Child Welfare League of Canada’s Leaning Community Activator. My work primarily with Indigenous families and children from legal systems to front line involvement. I have extensive personal experience, along-with my education working within the Indigenous community Urban and Territory, adding my strong voice as community member of Ottawa Urban Indigenous Community with my own community of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. My legacy is to continue to work with youth, children and families and making a difference in their lives, standing strong beside them dealing with systems of our ages, and always striving to work towards Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action and Calls to Justice for Murder and Missing Indigenous Women/MMIP.
Born and raised in Toronto in the midst of the post-war baby boom, Bill graduated high school in 1969, and after a period of working various jobs, was accepted into the Carpentry Apprenticeship Course at the Saint John (N.B.) Institute of Technology. He subsequently completed the apprenticeship program at Algonquin College in Ottawa, and was certified as a Journeyman Carpenter in 1973. After working as a builder, doing unionized, non-union and self- employed work, Bill returned to Algonquin College in 1986 to the Nursing Program, graduating with honours in 1989, and obtained his Ontario College of Nurses Certificate in the same year. Bill worked for ten years in the Psychiatric Emergency Services unit at the Royal Ottawa Hospital and was a member of the Occupational Health and Safety Committee during that time (serving as co-chair of the committee for four years). At the Royal, he was on the executive of the ONA local executive for four years. In 2001, Bill obtained an Outreach Nursing position at Lanark County Mental Health, a community agency affiliated with the Perth and Smiths Falls Hospital, where he worked until his retirement in 2022. As Team Leader there, he headed up a team of Nurses and Case Managers working throughout Lanark County, small town and rural, providing services to people experiencing serious and persistent mental illness. This work was done embedded in and in cooperation with a larger multi- disciplinary team of Psychiatrists, Social Workers and therapists. During this period Bill was the ONA representative at Lanark County Mental Health, a member of the executive of ONA Local 137 of the Perth and Smiths Falls Hospital, and OHSC member for 16 years. Bill has been a Board member of the Alwood Residential Treatment Centre and a Board member at Lanark Renfrew Health and Community Services. He is currently on the Board of the Legal Clinic based in Perth, Ontario as well as Board member and Treasurer for Stir It Up Collective. He also volunteers at The Table Food Program, the Rideau Community Health Centre, Lanark County Interval House and the Lanark Basic Income Network. Bill has lived in Lanark County for 50 years with his spouse, Linda Camponi. Linda is a proud Metis woman with roots in Saskatchewan who is a member of the Metis Nation of Ontario. They have two adopted children.
Patrick Dussault was a front-line member of the O.P.P. (Ontario Provincial Police from 1988-2018) where he served in Toronto, Lancaster and finally in Eastern Ontario with the Highway Safety Division. During his service, he encountered several cases of human trafficking on the road. He also developed a keen interest for the subject and became a passionate advocate for the topic by attending several seminars, courses and presentation which lead him to become a presenter on the topic. He also instructed at St-Lawrence College, (Cornwall campus) from 2004-2021 in the Police Foundations Program. He has presented to several groups and agencies and community groups such as Students in Police Foundations at St-Lawrence College (Cornwall campus), the Akwesasne Mohawk Police, City of Cornwall Social Services employees, Rotary Club, Richelieu Club, Chiefs of Ontario, Cornwall Police, Canadian Border Services Agency, Ottawa and Area Housing, O.P.P. command staff and front line specialty units, , Kahnawake Service Providers and community members, Six Nations Community with Ganohkwasra (Family Assault Support Services). He also appeared on a several local TV shows such as “Man 2 Man” and “I Begg your pardon” and also on CBC-Radio Canada. Immediately following his retirement from the O.P.P., he was hired at the Akwesasne Family Wellness Program as the Anti-Human Trafficking Liaison until March 2020, when the worldwide Covid pandemic crippled everything. He resumed his role in July 2022 until March 2023. He received the Paul Harris Fellowship award (Rotary Club) for his dedication to this cause in2023. He is a member of the Cornwall Human Trafficking Task Force (CHTTF), the Ottawa Coalition to End Human Trafficking (OCEHT) as well as the North Country Human Trafficking Task Force (NCHTTF) and a director with “A New Day” in Ottawa. He was appointed in February 2024, by the Province of Ontario, as a director on the Cornwall Police Service Board.
I hold a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree from Acadia University and a Real Estate Brokers license under the Real Estate Business Brokers Act. I have worked in the real estate industry for over 30 years in both the public and private sectors. Area of expertise include property management, commercial leasing, acquisitions and dispositions. My current position is Director of Centralized Property Operations with Minto Properties Inc., wherein I manage a team of 30 plus employees that provide various centralized services to the multi residential and commercial property management operating businesses including procurement, project management, building compliance and business process optimization.
Tracy possesses educational experience in the human services field studying relevant areas such as developmental services, psychology, and law. She is a professional with extensive experience in the human services field. She has been employed for 25 yrs. with the Western Quebec School Board. Tracy worked in various roles with neurodivergent youth as well as children and youth with specific mental health needs. She is a Crisis Prevention instructor at a Senior Associate level and has specialized training in “Trauma Informed Care.” Most recently, Tracy has been trained as an instructor in Behaviour Management Systems. She has led, managed, and trained Crisis Response teams for high schools and elementary schools. She has extensive certification and professional development with the Neufeld Institute in the developmental attachment paradigm. Tracy also works part-time as a case manager for community support services for the Ottawa Carleton Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities. (OCAPDD) She supports adults with a developmental disability and with dual diagnosis. Tracy has been with OCAPDD for 30 yrs. With her combined years of experience, Tracy has had the opportunity to organize and manage several programs and projects such as: applying for grants, developing alternative programs in education, developing nurturing support center in an elementary school, parent volunteers, entrepreneurial projects, student work placements, coaching and mentoring educational assistants etc... Tracy has been on the Board of Directors of A New Day for 5 years. She has presented on the topic on Human Trafficking to administrators, teachers, and support staff. Tracy is passionate and has a natural affinity for her work. She continues to study extensively to improve her own understanding of the needs of youth who have many challenging needs including victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Tracy has the exceptional ability of being both a strong leader, an advocate and a curious and engaged learner.