STAFF & BOARD MEMBERS
Our Board of Directors and staff complement are both comprised of agents of change from across Canada. We believe that it is possible to prevent and end youth homelessness, and that our collective efforts will get us there.
STAFF MEMBERS
MELANIE REDMAN
President & CEO
MELANIE REDMAN BIO
Melanie Redman is the co-founder, President & CEO of A Way Home Canada, a national coalition reimagining solutions to youth homelessness through transformations in policy, planning and practice. A Way Home Canada has inspired communities and countries around the world to adopt the A Way Home brand as a way to participate in a growing international movement for change. Melanie leads the National Learning Community on Youth Homelessness in Canada, which is a pan-Canadian community of practice for youth homelessness service providers. Melanie is also the co-founder and Partnership and Implementation Director for the Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab, which is a Government of Canada Research Tri-Council Networks of Centres of Excellence. Since 2021, Making the Shift has held the designation as a Geneva UN Charter Centre of Excellence. Melanie was named an Ashoka Fellow in 2023 for her on-going social entrepreneurship.
HEIDI WALTER
Program Design and Training Consultant
HEIDI WALTER BIO
Heidi’s journey is one of dedication to supporting vulnerable youth and families, rooted in her background in social work and frontline experience. With over two decades of commitment to addressing youth homelessness, she brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to her role as Program Design and Training Consultant at A Way Home Canada. Her work extends beyond borders, as she collaborates with agencies across Canada, and internationally amplifying the voices of young people and driving positive change within the sector with the hope to end and prevent youth homelessness.
Before joining A Way Home, Heidi supported the work at the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness as a trainer where she not only conducted training but also conducted fidelity reviews, ensuring quality and effectiveness in programs. Her earlier tenure at the Boys and Girls Club of Calgary, managing Housing First for Youth programs for seventeen years, showcases her long-standing commitment to providing essential services and support to vulnerable youth.
Within A Way Home Canada, Heidi offers support within the Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Demonstration Lab, where she provides coaching and training to community partners across Canada, and internationally. Through her hands-on approach, she empowers others to deliver person-centered care effectively, fostering a community dedicated to improving the lives of young people and practitioners alike.
Heidi’s passion for her work is evident, dedicating time to sharing knowledge, providing support, and fostering a sense of community within the youth homelessness sector, with the ultimate goal of working towards a future where all youth have access to the support, opportunities and permanent connections they need to thrive.
KIM KAKAKAWAY
Indigenous Training and Relations Consultant
KIM KAKAKAWAY BIO
Kim Kakakaway, is a Cree and Saulteaux First Nations woman from Red Pheasant Cree Nation. She has worked with and for Indigenous communities across North America and has been an advocate for social justice and change. Kim has over 15 years of experience working with vulnerable youth and young adults and works towards the inclusion of Indigenous values and practices within oppressive systems. Kim understands the complexities of working frontlines within the homeless sector and continues to provide supports, coaching and education from her experiences and learnings.
She is educated in family counselling and is currently offering consultation work to A Way Home Canada to conduct trainings, provide program supports and bring in an Indigenous lens to the work within. She is passionate about empowering those around her, and is always up for a good laugh and some good humor!
TANYA MCCAGHERTY
Program Design and Training Consultant
TANYA MCCAGHERTY BIO
She/her : Third generation Canadian
Tanya McCagherty is an individual whose journey is driven by empathy and a relentless passion for knowledge, aiming to create a positive impact on the world. With a robust background in non-for-profit leadership, youth strategy, service development and evaluation along with change management, Tanya holds over 17 years of expertise in various sectors. Her experience spans across Immigration and Settlement, Early Education, Community Engagement, Youth Prevention, Public Education, plus Federal and Provincial Employment Innovations.
Tanya’ s commitment to continuous learning is evident in the roles and services she has led, ranging from frontline positions to Sr Director level. She actively engages in sector led courses, and embraces innovative practices, complemented by her educational background in Business Administration and Commerce.
As a kind communicator and natural team player, Tanya possesses the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse groups, while ensuring the client is at the center of all decision making. Tanya has led teams of over 350 individuals. Tanya sets the bar high with a strong moral compass and embraces challenges with an optimist mindset, knowing that obstacles are steppingstones towards meaningful and lasting change.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Tanya advocates for causes that hold personal significance, such as, the importance of quality mental health supports within the Canadian public school system, to end violence against women, wildlife preservation and nurturing her own natural supports. For leisure, Tanya finds joy by hiking, skiing, and running on the trails of Treaty 7. A perfect complement to these activities includes a delicious London Fog with a well-used library book, promoting both her physical and mental wellness.
VICTORIA JANE MORGAN
Sr. Manager, Governance & Operations
VICTORIA JANE MORGAN BIO
Victoria is our Manager, Governance & Operations, providing support to our Executive team and Board of Directors. A graduate of the University of Ottawa, Victoria brings over a decade of administrative experience to A Way Home, including 6 years working with Not for Profit agencies serving the homeless sector in Alberta.
KATIE DAVIES JORGENSEN
Chief Operating Officer
KATIE DAVIES JORGENSEN BIO
Katie Davies Jorgensen is the Chief Operating Officer at A Way Home. She joins us from Trellis Society for Community Impact, where she had a long history of leading innovative solutions to prevent and end youth homelessness as well as other complex social challenges. Her background in leadership, change management and not-for-profit management as well as MA in Psychology will be valuable additions to our collective work.
BOARD MEMBERS
SEAN KIDD
SEAN KIDD BIO
Representing the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, Dr. Sean Kidd is the Division Chief – Psychology and a Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He is also Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. The focus of Dr. Kidd’s career has been upon marginality and service enhancement. The populations of focus, often overlapping, are homeless youth and individuals with severe mental illness. Specific domains of contribution include publishing landmark papers in qualitative methods in psychology; international recognition for his research into youth homelessness, including being one of the most published scholars in that area; and extensive work in developing and testing psychiatric rehabilitation interventions and examining social inclusion among marginalized populations.
CÉCILE ARBAUD
CÉCILE ARBAUD BIO
Cécile Arbaud has been Executive Director of Dans la rue since mid-2013. Cécile has a degree in engineering, an MBA from the Collège des Ingénieurs in Paris and a certificate in psychology from the Université de Montréal. Throughout her career, she has successfully resolved a number of challenges as a manager and consultant for private, public and non-profit organizations in Paris, Vancouver and Montreal. Her responsibilities have extended to auditing, strategic planning, management systems implementation, process and structural overhauls, organizational development and change management. The three pillars of her management approach are sharing experience, collective intelligence and individual development.
JEFF DYER
Board Chair
JEFF DYER BIO
Jeff has served in the not for profit sector for over 25 years, leading in agencies involved in poverty reduction, affordable housing, youth leadership development, ending homelessness and now serves as the CEO of Trellis Society – where all those weave together. In each of these roles, he has had the privilege of aligning personal values with organizational vision: creating spaces for young people to thrive, leaders to grow, justice and mercy to emerge and everyone to belong.
He lives in Treaty 7 Territory and is learning his way into becoming an ally for reconciliation. He is a graduate of the University of Alberta, with both a Bachelor of Education and a Masters of Business Administration. He serves on the Board of a national agency committed to young entrepreneurs and has served as the Co-Chair of Calgary’s plan to prevent and end youth homelessness and on the board of Canada’s largest ever affordable housing campaign. For fun, Jeff runs marathons.
Clovis Grant
CLOVIS GRANT BIO
Clovis has provided leadership in the Human Services sector for over 25 years in the areas of homelessness, employment, social assistance, mental health and disabilities. He has worked with HOPE worldwide Canada, The Region of York, Eva’s Initiatives and currently is CEO of 360°kids an organization committed to seeing an end to youth homelessness. Clovis is also a Sessional Instructor in the Community Services Department at Humber College. When not busy at work, he has served as a volunteer in various ways—at his local Church, Community Living Toronto, Autism Speaks, Diamonds Special Needs Hockey, and has supported students with special education needs through his 10 years’ experience on the Special Education Advisory Committee with the Toronto District School Board. Clovis holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts in Leadership from the University of Guelph. Clovis’ wish is to have more time to read..preferably, a good biography.
Veniecia Laylor
VENIECIA LAYLOR BIO
Veniecia has served as a public policy professional across the public, private, and non-profit sectors on a range of issues including homelessness, gender & race equity, gender-based violence, and the wellbeing of children & young people for over 5 years. She is currently an Associate at Social Finance, a London based non-profit that works with a range of partners to design, fund, and scale better solutions to complex social problems. Prior to relocating to London UK, Veniecia served as a political staffer across different federal ministerial offices, including the Prime Minister’s Office, and a researcher with Aspire, a charity supporting people experiencing homelessness in Oxford. She is passionate about using innovative approaches to achieve lasting social change and is energised by opportunities that seek to create thriving communities for all people and the planet. Veniecia considers it a privilege to serve on the boards of both Making the Shift and A Way Home Canada. And to recharge from all the system change work, she watches one too many reality tv series.
Muna Chowdhury
MUNA CHOWDHURY BIO
Dr. Muna Chowdhury has been practicing comprehensive family medicine since 2008. She is the founder of Thrive Youth Clinic, a specialized clinic dedicated to providing comprehensive primary care, sexual and reproductive health services, addictions medicine, and gender-affirming care for disenfranchised youth, including those who are unhoused, involved with the justice system, or refugee claimants. Dr. Chowdhury maintains a diverse scope of practice, including her work in addictions medicine, gender affirming care and GP-psychotherapy in numerous clinics in the community.
An Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Dalhousie University, she is actively involved in medical education, mentorship, and faculty development. She also serves on the Professional Support Program of her provincial medical association, contributing to both individual and systemic physician wellness initiatives.
In addition, Dr. Chowdhury serves on several committee and board positions within provincial, national and global professional and community organizations and specializes in areas including governance, policy work, and promoting interorganizational collaboration to advance health and wellness at systemic levels. A strong proponent of health equity and health justice, Dr. Chowdhury is deeply committed to advancing equitable access to care and addressing the upstream determinants of health and health inequities.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Dr. Chowdhury finds her greatest joy in her children, family, time in nature, photography, writing, and travel.
Yasmin Jetha
YASMIN JETHA BIO
Yasmin Jetha is Vice President, Community Services at Vancouver Coastal Health, providing executive leadership for system transformation and integrated, community‑based care. With more than 25 years in British Columbia’s health system, she has led child and youth mental health services, developed innovative programs to support families, and advocated for services tailored to transition‑aged youth—advancing equitable access, early intervention, and smoother pathways to stability. Yasmin’s multi‑sector collaborations with health authorities, government, and community organizations have strengthened home‑based treatment and integrated mental health and substance use supports, reducing hospitalizations and improving transitions to stable housing. She was nominated for a BC Premier’s Award for a multi‑system response to mental health and substance use and received a VCH People First Award for visionary, client‑centred care. Yasmin joined VCH’s Senior Executive Team in 2017 and holds an MSW, MHA, and CHE.
Colin Tessier
COLIN TESSIER BIO
For more than 15 years, Colin has served in senior leadership roles in Calgary and Victoria and has been the Executive Director of Threshold Housing Society since 2018. In addition to his organizational leadership, he has worked as a consultant to executives and Boards of Directors, contributing to strategic planning, organizational restructuring, and capacity building initiatives that strengthen mission-driven impact.
Colin often describes housing as his first professional love, having witnessed firsthand the transformative power of safe, stable homes in helping individuals heal from trauma and move toward brighter futures. He is deeply aligned with efforts focused on the prevention and ending of youth homelessness, grounded in collaboration, prevention, and sustainable systems change.
He holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University. Colin lives on the Lekwungen territory of the Songhees and Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) Nations—otherwise known as Victoria, BC—with his wife and daughters, and enjoys exploring Vancouver Island’s beaches and forests, golfing, and reading.
Robert Byers
ROBERT BYERS BIO
Robert Byers is member of the Little Black Bear First Nation, and is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Namerind Housing Corporation, a not-for-profit Indigenous housing provider in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Namerind’s mission is to provide safe, affordable, quality housing and economic development opportunities for Indigenous people in Regina, Saskatchewan. Under Robert’s leadership, Namerind has grown from a traditional Indigenous housing provider to a national model, diversifying revenue streams for innovative affordable housing. The organization is now self-sustained by social enterprises. Namerind is also one of three organizations in Canada collaborating as the Reaching Home Community Entity for both Indigenous Homelessness and Designated Communities funding streams.
In addition to his work at Namerind, Robert has also been an Executive Board member for the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA), former Chair of the Indigenous Caucus for CHRA, and former Board member for the Mackenzie Art Gallery.
Robert sat on the committee that authored the Reaching Home Homelessness Strategy, and was instrumental in establishing a funding stream specifically for Indigenous Homelessness. He is the former Chair of the committee responsible for Regina’s Plan to End Homelessness.
Robert is currently the Board Chair for New Dance Horizons. He also serves as Board Member for the National Indigenous Homelessness Council, and is a founding Board Member on the Board for National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc.
He is a Board Member for ORBIS Canada, focused on delivering eye health to remote communities and increasing the quality of care available for Indigenous people. He has committed to partnering to develop a Youth Homelessness Strategy for the Regina community.
In 2023, among the last issued due to her passing, Robert received the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for his outstanding work in housing and community involvement.
Robert’s diverse approach and leadership focus on identifying opportunities to achieve economic and social empowerment for people in our community and across the country.