Board of Directors

Yvonne Ng-Gerritsen, R/TRO, CTRS

Vice-President

Executive Committee, TRPESC Committee Chair

Yvonne is a Professor and Program Coordinator at Seneca Polytechnic in the Honours Bachelor of Therapeutic Recreation degree program. She has worked in the field of TR for 15+ years. This is Yvonne’s 3rd term serving on the TRO BOD since 2011. Her goal is to collaborate within the field of TR to help advance the profession forward in Canada. Her hope for the future is for EVERYONE to recognize the value of Therapeutic Recreation. In her leisure time, you can find her spending time with family/friends, doing yoga, or reading!

Heidi Slotegraaf, R/TRO, CTRS

Professional Development Committee Chair

Heidi has been a Recreation Therapist for 23 years and has worked in LTC for 26 years. She is currently the Manager of Program & Support Services at The Ontario-Finnish Resthome Association located in Sault Ste. Marie, ON., home to over 400 senior residents who live in a variety of settings in one of the four buildings on their campus. Heidi enjoys spending summer and winter vacations at her remote camp north of the Soo with her husband and two children, reading, walking, and spending time with her large extended family. She looks forward to supporting TRO, the membership, and all therapeutic recreation professionals, regardless of their area of practice. Living “up north” she also hopes to assist TR’s who may live and work in smaller more remote areas of Ontario to gain more access to TR education opportunities to further their careers in TR.

Suneel Saini, R/TRO

Professional Development Committee, Mental Health Community of Practice Lead

In the past, Suneel has been co-chair on the Conference Committee. Since joining the field, Suneel has worked in the mental health setting. In his free time Suneel enjoys going for a run and playing basketball or simply spending time with friends and family. He hopes to continue building on the work already done by TRO and push the field to new and higher levels of respect in the healthcare field.

Chelsea Lazar, R/TRO, CTRS

DEIB Committee Chair, Standards of Practice Working Group

Chelsea (she/her) is a Recreation Therapist in the Forensic Psychiatry Program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and maintains R/TRO designation and CTRS with Behavioural Health Specialization. She has worked in TR for 15+ years in both community and hospital settings, with experience supporting individuals receiving support for mental health; dual diagnosis or developmental disability; precarious housing and homelessness and; responsive behaviours in LTC. Her goal is to broaden the voices of all TRO members for their visions to be represented in the growth and development of the profession. She is keen in holding spaces accountable to prioritize the values of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. She loves watching football, gardening, camping and playing outside with her family. You might catch her singing TS songs while walking her dog along the river in Caledonia, Ontario.

Emma Story, R/TRO

DEIB Committee

Born and raised in Muskoka and now living in Whitby, Ontario. Emma is one of the Senior Coordinators for the Therapeutic Recreation department at Abilities Centre; predominantly working with youth and young adults living with a disability. When not at work, you can find Emma at the gym, spending time with family and friends or relaxing with a good book and her cat Ginny. Her goal for TRO is to assist in the collective effort of enhancing Therapeutic Recreation’s status in the healthcare field and advocating on the holistic approach and unique skills that Recreation Therapist’s possess.

Amber Hall, R/TRO

Advocacy Committee

Amber is the Professional & Education Leader of the Recreation Therapy Team at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre as well as a practicing Recreation Therapist at the Holland Campus, part of Sunnybrook. Amber is a Therapeutic Recreation Graduate from the University of Waterloo and completed her Master’s Degree in Education. She has 17 years of experience in Recreation Therapy at Sunnybrook working in various patient care settings. These areas include the Veteran Centre, Mental Health, Geriatric Day Hospital, Acute Care, and her current position at the Holland Centre for transitional patients. Amber has led numerous priority projects at Sunnybrook including the pilot project for Recreation Therapy practice on C5 and D5, and Sunny Guides, a practical approach to helping patients facilitate virtual visits during the COVID pandemic. As a professional and education leader, Amber works to advance excellence in Recreation Therapy in the domains of practice, education, research and leadership, within an interprofessional context. Amber has been an R/TRO member of TRO since 2008 as well as part of the Recreation Therapy Practice Network of Canada and the Recreation Therapy Georgian College committee. During her free time Amber enjoys spending time with her two year old son, going for runs, baking, and reading.