Staff
Executive director
Kim Martin
Kim Martin was appointed Executive Director of the SPRC in April 2019. With more than 20 years of experience in non-profit organizations, she is recognized as a strategic and engaging leader. She has dedicated her career to helping individuals, organizations and communities create positive sustainable change.
Before joining SPRC, Kim worked as a management consultant, providing soft skills training and consultancy services in the public and private sector in Antigua and within the Caribbean. A significant portion of her services concentrated on leadership development, communication, and conflict management skill development and coaching.
She served as Executive Director of Crossroads Centre Antigua, an international residential program for substance use disorders, where she led marketing and business development initiatives, operations and special projects, including the organization’s first accreditation process.
Kim has served her communities both in Ontario and abroad as an active volunteer and contributor. She was the first female Trustee of the Addiction Recovery Foundation (U.K.); a Director of the Peterborough YWCA and was the Vice Chair of the Community and Race Relations Committee of Peterborough. Her international service work also includes contributions to literacy organizations and community development non-profits in Antigua.
Kim has an MBA from Leicester University, Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and Social Work from McMaster University, and she is a certified Project Management Specialist.
SENIOR STAFF
Patti McNaney, Associate Executive Director
Patti McNaney is a senior social planner working in the SPRC’s priority area of Healthy Development of Children and Youth. Coordinating the Community Action Program for Children in east Hamilton is the primary focus of her work.
Originally from Oshawa, Patti moved to Hamilton to attend McMaster University where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. She became a permanent transplant to the city and later earned her Bachelor of Social Work, also from McMaster. Patti remains connected to McMaster through her participation on the School of Social Work’s Field Instruction Committee and her role as supervisor to placement students.
Patti has built a strong connection with Hamilton that translates into a passion for strengthening the capacity of neighbourhoods. The work of the SPRC fits with Patti’s belief in the transformative quality of collaboration and community development.
Her interest in participatory facilitation led Patti to the Catalyst Centre for training in popular education ideals and techniques. The concepts underlying popular education methodology remain a foundation for her work with groups and communities.
Past and present community participation activities include volunteer workshop facilitation and co-chairing the Hamilton Status of Women City Advisory Committee.
Deirdre Pike, Senior Social Planner
Deirdre Pike has been with the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton since 2001. After transitioning out of 14 years of parish ministry, Deirdre found a great match for her facilitation skills and her passion for social justice when she joined the team at the SPRC. In her current role as a Senior Social Planner, Deirdre works with both grassroots organizations and policy making bodies under two main priority areas – poverty reduction and elimination and equity and inclusion.
In working to create positive space for LGBTQ people, Deirdre co-chairs the Hamilton Positive Space Collaborative and is a leader in delivering LGBTQ Positive Space Training. In the latter role, Deirdre has “outed” the conversation of LGBTQ reality with over 4,000 people in Hamilton and beyond, including educators, social service providers, police officers and health care providers.
Deirdre is an urbanite who lives with her partner, Renée, in the Strathcona Neighbourhood in Hamilton. She rides her bike as much as she can for work and for fun. In between you may find her gardening, cooking or writing her regular column for the Hamilton Spectator.
Cindy Sue Montana McCormack, Senior Social Planner
Cindy Sue was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. As a Kanyen’keha:ka (Mohawk) woman and a long standing active member of the Hamilton Urban Aboriginal Community, she also maintains ties to her home reserve, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. She has served as a director and member of many Aboriginal agency boards and participated in various social policy committees, representing this community at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.
As a social planner on the SPRC’s Homelessness & Housing Team, Cindy Sue has co-authored reports and is currently the lead planner responsible for the delivery of the federal Aboriginal homelessness funding in Hamilton. Cindy Sue builds on these accomplishments with a continued interest in her educational pursuits including various Indigenous Studies courses and numerous seminars, workshops and training programs (e.g. governance, lateral violence).
As an active volunteer, Cindy Sue has participated as the past Chair of the City of Hamilton’s Committee Against Racism, has just finished her second term with the McMaster Research Ethics Board, and is a current member of the Aboriginal Advisory Committee, a Volunteer Advisory Committee to the City of Hamilton. She has recently completed a Kanyen’keha:ka (Mohawk) language course with her two nieces, indicating her interest not only in youth but to the importance of the promotion, education and awareness of Aboriginal culture overall.
Her areas of interest include community development, anti-racism, and access and equity issues for culturally diverse communities especially as it relates to the urban Aboriginal community; enjoying the opportunity to aid in the improvement of the quality of life for all citizens of the Hamilton community.
Sara Mayo, Senior Social Planner
Sara Mayo is a Social Planner with a concentration in Geographic Information Systems. She specializes in making data accessible and useful for social change, especially through visualization and mapping. She has authored publications on topics in each of the SPRC priority areas including poverty, housing and homelessness, health, labour markets, seniors, and social trends in Hamilton.
As a member of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction’s Living Wage Working Group, Sara worked with a tool to provide meticulous detail in coming up with Hamilton’s Living Wage rate. This process is recorded in her report, “Calculating a Living Wage for Hamilton.” Sara also explores Hamilton-specific data to produce a regular update on the Impact of the recession on this community.
Sara is skilled at program evaluation and stays up to date on evaluation processes and best practices as a member of the Canadian Evaluation Society. Sara regularly works on evaluations for SPRC partner organizations.
Sara contributes to many partnership tables and collaboratives. She is a member of the Hamilton Community Foundation’s Vital Signs Advisory Committee and the City of Hamilton’s Neighbourhood Development Evaluation committee.
Beyond Hamilton, Sara was chair of the capacity building working group for the Canadian Council on Social Development’s Community Data Consortium in 2011. This body assists municipalities and community organizations in over 20 communities across Canada to access neighbourhood-level social and economic data from a variety of sources.
At both a professional and personal level, Sara is an advocate of public transit and cycling. She is a member of Hamilton CarShare co-operative and enjoys bike riding with her family.
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Natalie Irwin, Executive Assistant
Natalie Irwin is the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director of the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton. She brings several years of administrative experience with a track record of strong performance in high-volume, high-pressure environments. Natalie skillfully manages administrative duties and client relations for her colleagues at the SPRC. With expertise in scheduling and correspondence in addition to her experience in project support and coordination, make her a valuable asset to the SPRC team.
As Executive Assistant, she ensures the smooth operation of the SPRC’s office with her knowledge of office management and efficient handling of inquiries. In addition to supporting the Executive Director, Natalie also provides support to the social planners and coordinates all social media for the organization.
Natalie is active within the community and volunteers her time for events and fundraisers. She is passionate about equality, empowering women and strengthening the community.
Caroline Eyk, Financial Administrator
As one of the longest serving members of the SPRC staff team, Caroline Eyk has been responsible for all aspects of the financial accounting at the SPRC since 1984 and is now overseeing the financial details of an organization that has grown exponentially since she started here almost 35 years ago.
Besides juggling a multitude of funding reports her work involves community engagement and working with social planners to ensure that projects and programs are delivered on time and on budget. She is appreciated by her co-workers for being so organized and detail-oriented.
Caroline came equipped for this work as a graduate of the Mohawk College Business Accounting program and has completed a Business Computer Applications Certificate since then as well as learning many other work specific applications. She is a female entrepreneur with her own bookkeeping business which she has successfully managed since 1994.
Caroline is married and has two grown children. She loves to play volleyball, read, cross stitch, take time for boating and water skiing, camping and travelling. Caroline is also a leader in Beamsville where she lives. She is a volunteer at her church in Grimsby, including supporting young moms in the nursery, greeting visitors to the church library and welcoming church attendees. Caroline is very involved in pursuing her interests in community and is committed to serving others.
Yvonne Rauwerda, Finance Assistant
Yvonne Rauwerda is the Finance Assistant to the SPRC Financial Administrator. Yvonne started her career as a bank teller with CIBC right out of high school and spent 10 years there until she and Henry, her husband of 28 years, had their first child.
Yvonne kept her foot in the business world while raising Chantal and Amber by doing the bookkeeping for the family business, Bradley Flowers Wholesale out of Vineland. Yvonne is also the part-time bookkeeper for First Reformed Church, St. Catharines.
When she’s not working she loves to play volleyball, travel with her family and put all their happy memories into scrapbooks, both paper and digital.
PLANNER STAFF
Victoria Bomberry, Social Planner – Homelessness Partnering Strategy
Victoria Bomberry is Kanyen’kehá:ka from Six Nations of the Grand River. After moving from Six Nations to the City of Hamilton 7 years ago, Victoria quickly became active in the Hamilton community by applying her knowledge and skills to support organizations and projects focused on Indigenous community building, including providing research support to the Urban Indigenous Strategy for the city. Victoria brings her strong passion for Indigenous community building to her work as a Social Planner with the SPRC’s Homelessness & Housing team.
During her undergraduate studies at McMaster, Victoria developed and led a number of initiatives to enhance and promote Indigenous Knowledge on campus and within the Hamilton community including the Moc Walk, a fundraiser in partnership with the Native Women’s Centre of Hamilton to support Indigenous women living in the City of Hamilton to pursue post-secondary studies, and the Seven Grandfather Teachings awards, highlighting the strong leadership of Indigenous students at McMaster and within their communities. Committed to enhancing educational opportunities for Indigenous peoples in Hamilton, Victoria also launched the inaugural “Indigenous Student Spelling Bee” for Indigenous elementary children in Hamilton.
It was the culmination of Victoria’s undergraduate studies that led her to the SPRC in pursuit of a Community Catalyst grant with the McMaster Office of Community Engagement. Victoria and the SPRC successfully teamed up to investigate how the affordability of housing in the City of Hamilton impacts the ability of Indigenous peoples to pursue or continue post-secondary studies. As a new member to the SPRC team, Victoria leverages her traditional Haudenosaunee knowledge, community connections and educational background to support the SPRC vision of improving the quality of life for all citizens of Hamilton. Her primary portfolio is addressing and eliminating homelessness as experienced by Indigenous peoples living in the City of Hamilton.
After work, Victoria and her young son enjoy taking in Bulldogs and Bengals games, exploring local waterfalls and hiking trails, as well as visiting the many beautiful Hamilton public libraries and museums.
Matt Thompson, Community Financial Worker – Financial Empowerment Project
Matt has worked in the community for over six years in various roles in social services including supportive housing and developmental services. Matt works towards a belief in a more just society and a more just city. Prior to working in Hamilton, he attended McMaster University, where we earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science.
Matt continues his work beyond the SPRC in his various project roles, including Hamilton Food Rides, Hamilton Synthesizer Social, and the Residential Temperatures Project. When not working, Matt engages in his fascination with the history of Mennonites in Southern Ontario.
Sabrina Sibbald, Social Planner Assistant – Family Learning Project
Sabrina Sibbald is the Project Coordinator for The Family Learning Project. Funded by The Law Foundation of Ontario’s Access to Justice Grant, this project focuses on connecting newcomers with information about their legal rights and responsibilities as parents in Hamilton. In this role, Sabrina is responsible for many components of project construction and delivery, including the research and design of educational content, the facilitation of sessions, and the coordination of logistics. She is committed to engaging in this work with deliberate attention to the different forms of violence– both historical and ongoing– that mark and harm racialized and marginalized bodies.
Sabrina brings with her a background in Cultural Studies and Critical Theory (Master of Arts, McMaster University) and interdisciplinary problem-solving (Hon. Bachelor of Arts & Science, McMaster University). She has helped to coordinate and deliver several programs, workshops, and conferences. She has published work in areas ranging from educational pedagogy, to analyses of municipal elections, to poetry and short fiction. When not at work, Sabrina enjoys engaging in photography and set design to create surreal-ish images.
Sabrina is an active member of the Hamilton community who works with and supports those committed to making the city more equitable. She is especially interested in the intersection between law and social equity.
Shahzi Bokhari, Social Planner Assistant
Shahzi Bokhari joined the SPRC in December of 2015 as a Social Planner Assistant. Originally from York Region, Shahzi was first introduced to Hamilton through McMaster University where she earned her Bachelor degree in Social Work. She found a love for Hamilton by working across the city, meeting local residents, and by exploring the art, culture, heritage, and natural landscapes that the city has to offer. Shahzi felt that there was a strong sense of community and engagement in the city, a unique homegrown feel that made her want to stay.
In her role at the SPRC, Shahzi works with Social Planners in the priority areas of Equity & Inclusion and Healthy Development of Children and Youth. Her work involves program evaluations that include newcomer needs, improving health systems, and services for parents with young children.
Shahzi brings with her experience in long-term care, newcomer support, community engagement, violence against women, a passion for social equity and advocacy, as well as quantitative and qualitative research and assessments. Shahzi is trained in ASIST and is currently earning a Community & Workplace Traumatologist designation through the Traumatology Institute.
When not at work, Shahzi spends her time learning to play the guitar, hiking along trails and enjoying the falls across the city, attending community events, reading, spending time at the lake and catching shows in Toronto.
Community Action Program for Children (CAPC)
Alison Miller, Community Outreach and Program Administration
With the SPRC since 1997 Alison started as part time administrative support to the Self Help Network in the Self Help Centre on West Avenue. When an opportunity came up with Community Action Program for Children, Alison moved into her current position as the Community Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator. Her office is now located in the Dominic Agostino Riverdale Community Centre. Alison has always loved children and she build great relationships with the families in the area. The bulk of her work is spent liaising with tenants and property owners to affect repairs and improve the standard of housing in the east Hamilton.
Alison has always enjoyed volunteering and has been a literacy tutor, teaching adults how to read, as well as a special events planner for the Boy Scouts, president of the tenant’s association where she lives, reading program member at the elementary school her children attended and has sat as a long term board member on a non-profit housing agency in Hamilton.
Alison’s favourite quote is “One family at a time”. She feels that all families should be given every opportunity to raise their children in clean, well maintained, affordable housing and get the best education available. Alison realizes that newcomer families to Canada have special challenges and she attempts to assist them with whatever situation they bring to her. To that end, she now provides support one day a week to the Immigrant Women’s Centre through a CAPC partnership. She works to ensure that CAPC is a “one stop shop” where all community members with questions and issues can obtain information and assistance.
Ghanwa Afach, Systems Support Worker
It has been just over three years since Ghanwa Afach arrived in Hamilton from Syria, via Japan. Although she knew very little about Hamilton at that time, she immediately had a great appreciation for the uniqueness of the community and felt she was in a place where she could make a difference and move from “what was” to “what could be.”
One year after her arrival, Ghanwa joined the SPRC team as a part-time Community Engagement Worker in Hamilton’s Riverdale neighbourhood where she coordinated a diverse team of volunteers where everyone came from a different geographical place. Ghanwa was able to use her communication skills to bring different points of views together to build on the common ground of love for the community which brought the people together for a unique volunteering experience.
As her role evolved into the part-time Resource Facilitator in Riverdale, Ghanwa assisted with the Riverdale Neighborhood Action Plan development process. In that role she was a conduit between different groups of people, providing support to residents to ensure their voices were heard and included in the planning process in order to move the work forward in new and effective ways.
Currently, Ghanwa works as a CAPC Systems Support Worker, providing support to families with children newborn to six years of age. She assists them with navigating programs and systems that contribute to overall health and well-being.
Ghanwa has also worked as a Research Interviewer for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences in McMaster University where she was involved in various aspects of a research study investigating the mental health and functioning of children in grades 5 – 8.
TASTEBUDS, HAMILTON’S STUDENT NUTRITION COLLABORATIVE
Jean-Anne Bauman, Community Development Worker
As a Community Development Worker with Tastebuds, Hamilton’s Student Nutrition Collaborative (formerly Hamilton Partners in Nutrition), Jean-Anne champions the continuing development of school and community student nutrition programs. Working closely with program volunteers, Jean-Anne helps programs plan menus, budget and access funding opportunities. Jean-Anne also coaches program coordinators on best practices to help their programs run to their full potential. Her degree in nutrition from the Western University is complemented by work in the food industry, public health and with non-governmental organizations.
As much as possible, she has integrated her work with ways to travel and gain cross-cultural experience. This includes administering a regional UN lead survey on food consumption and economic indicators of health in Malawi, East Africa, to working with marginalized women with World Vision in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Closer to home, Jean-Anne has lead nutritional education sessions and coordinated farm-visits for nutritionally at-risk groups in York Region and developed food products and refined their respective nutrition information at E.D. Smith and Renee’s Gourmet.
Outside of work, Jean-Anne connects with several organizations with a food and community focus. This includes the Canadian Association of Foodservice Professionals, which focuses on professional development. Jean-Anne is a member of Kiwanis, an organization “dedicated to changing the world one child at a time and one community at a time.” Jean-Anne also connects with Hamilton’s Community Food-security Stakeholders Committee to support initiatives that improve food access and policy. These commitments have led to work with a local community garden to help re-establish its role in its community.
If not at home, you can find Jean-Anne with her husband on the water or in a provincial park, in her garden or at the library. She is culinary adventurous and will eat and prepare just about anything. She is also trying to improve her skills as a Tri-athlete.
Bhairavi Kumar, Community Development Worker
Bhairavi Kumar has been part of Tastebuds, Hamilton’s Student Nutrition Collaborative since its inception in 2008. As a Community Development Worker with Tastebuds, Hamilton’s Student Nutrition Collaborative (formerly Hamilton Partners in Nutrition) her main role has evolved over the years. She was instrumental in setting up the nutrition programs with the initial Ministry Child and Youth Services funds (now Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services). Her role now is to continue supporting the existing 137 programs in Hamilton by providing students with universal access to nutritious food during the school day through breakfast, morning meal, snacks, or lunches.
Bhairavi supports approximately 75 program volunteers, in their day-to-day operations – including budgeting, fundraising, menu planning and coaching on best practices to help their programs run to their full potential. Because each school is different in terms of needs, school population, figuring out the logistics of feeding nutritious and wholesome food anywhere from ten to 750 students requires lots of creativity. Bhairavi sees these as an opportunity to develop various partnerships for a bigger impact. Her favourite part of this job is watching kids eat and laugh together. She believes eating together is a special time that should be cherished.
Bhairavi earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science, a degree in Human Resources from McMaster University, a degree in graphic design and project development from Pasadena College in Los Angeles. She has worked at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, East West Bank in Los Angeles and McMaster University before joining Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton.
Bhairavi loves spending time with her family, enjoys yoga, meditation and hiking.
