OUR BOARD

Jessica Williams

Chair & Conference Co-ordinator

Jessica brings strong leadership skills to the table with over 20 years of management experience – 12 of those years in the wealth management field (including Regional Directorship). Having managed large teams, assisted in managing 275+ client relationships, and liaising with preferred clients in a $250M portfolio, Jessica is a diligent proponent of excellence in all business practices.

Ms. Williams also carries a wealth of knowledge and experience in marketing and customer service in both for-profit and non-profit sectors. She is a committed volunteer in her private charitable pursuits.

Jeff Martino

Director

Jeff Martino is the Vice President, Business Development for Martino Contractors Ltd. As a seasoned contributor to the Senior Leadership Team in the family-owned business, Jeff is responsible for achieving the Company’s sales revenue goals by cultivating existing business, identifying new business opportunities, developing and executing sales and marketing plans, and preserving and enhancing brand recognition.

Jeff is an active member of the Building Industry and Land Development (BILD) Association and a Board member. As a graduate from Wilfrid Laurier University in Political Science and Administration, Jeff is a strong believer in giving back to the community and living a healthy lifestyle.

Martha Sheppard

Director

Martha was a Registered Nurse for over 30 years. She has had experiences in various settings in local hospitals, such as Medical-Surgical and step-down ICU in the Hamilton General, Neuro ICU in Sunnybrook as well as in Beaumont Texas. The 1992 move to Beaumont Texas provided her with different hospital and medical insurance nursing opportunities in management/leadership roles such as Nurse Manager, Infection Control & Employee Health Director, Quality & Risk Management Director, HMO Case Management, HMO-Medicare Training Director & Physician Relations Manager. 

Martha retired in 2017 and since then has been fortunate to volunteer with Margaret Bahen Hospice both in the kitchen as well an in-home visits. She started volunteering with Abuse Hurts in June 2020, enjoying working with her friends who had told her about their volunteer work at Abuse Hurts, as well as making new friends.

 

Donna Riddell

Director

Donna has had a very successful and long (25 years) career in publishing as a National Buying Manager and Regional Category Manager/Buyer and had the pleasure of working and meeting some many great authors. With an industry that showed limited growth, she decided to try her hand at a new career – Construction. Starting in the offices of Health &Safety, she trained to capture the importance of Safety not only in construction but in every day living. She also received an Auditors Certificate in Training. Moving from H&S, Document Control became the next challenge. Working for 2 1/2 years as a document controller, she was promoted to a Management job of which is still held.

On the side she is also the Band Booking Manager and Event Manager for The Duke Live.com. An East End club that hosts live entertainment and events of all kinds. This is where it led me to Abuse Hurts and running a yearly Christmas Toy Drive with Q107. Abuse Hurts is dear to my heart and such an important vessel for helping others. Very proud to be a part of this organization.

Charity DiPaola

Director

Charity is a business entrepreneur and has sat as the Chair of The Food Bank of York Region. She has also been a Director with two international organizations that have helped to alleviate poverty, build schools and give relief to those most in need. Charity has been involved in politics, working behind the scenes for over 18 years, helping and volunteering at all levels of government. She is currently also a Director on PCWIP “Women in Politics”. Charity is educated in public relations and has managed and spearheaded public relations tours across Canada and held important roles with international corporations in Ontario. She is a strong advocate for health care issues that have affected people close to her such as heart and stroke and cancer awareness.

Charity was a business entrepreneur running her own successful, small business for over 18 years and currently runs her own firm helping business and political advocacy. She is a wife and mother and now grandmother that cares about helping others.

Sheldon Waters

Director

With over 30 years experience with various business ventures, the following make up the current portfolio of companies that Sheldon is currently involved in : INFOtrac Solutions Inc., Proprietary Innovation Labs Inc., SiO2 Innovation Labs Inc. INFOtrac Solutions Inc. is the developer of INFOtrac Software, an accounting integrated CRM and business management system for Small and mid-sized companies that is sold world-wide. Proprietary Innovation Labs Inc. is the creator of “Phantom Glass” the next generation of screen protector for a multitude of devices from Smart Phones, Tables, Computers, Cameras and proprietary devices for medical, aviation, transportation and other industries. SiO2 Innovation Labs Inc. develops and sells advanced nano-technology based surface coatings for glass, stone, fabric and other surfaces to protect them through waterproofing and anti-viral / anti-bacterial protection, as examples.

Sheldon’s involvement and history of creating and working with companies that have unique deliverables have allowed him to gain experience and knowledge in business operations, product development and creation and executing market strategies to make these companies successful.

Robert DeFlece

Director

Robert is a seasoned executive with over 35 years in senior leadership positions in the automotive and construction/development sectors.  Over his career, he has gained valuable experience and expertise in sales and marketing, business operations and planning, client relations, team leadership and financial management.

Recently stepping back from full-time commitments and now a consultant assisting other businesses to improve in various areas, Robert will be dedicating a great deal of time to volunteerism and giving back to the community. He joined the Abuse Hurts Board as a Director in June of 2021 and looks forward to contributing in as many ways as possible.