Meet our Board
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Jesse Porter
Chair
Jesse obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration – Finance from Brock University in 2018. Since graduation, Jesse has worked in corporate finance, tech, and most recently corporate strategy consulting. During high school, Jesse volunteered at Ontario Pioneer Camp where he worked with adults with down syndrome and has carried on his passion throughout the years. In his free time, Jesse enjoys exercising, investing, listening to podcasts and playing chess.
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Sheelagh Muldoon
Director of Fundraising
Sheelagh holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) with a minor in Human Resources. She has held Director roles for most of her career in several areas of business in public and privately owned organizations in the manufacturing, distribution, and services sectors. Sheelagh’s background includes Human Resources, Quality, Health and Safety, Procurement and Operations. In her spare time, Sheelagh actively attends events in the community and hopes to make a positive difference with the HDSA organization.
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Allan McNeill
Director of VIPs
-I Live in Burlington. I have Down syndrome.
-I have 5 siblings.
-I went to St. Raphael's Elementary School and I Graduated from Assumption High School in Burlington. I played on the Junior Football team and I was the Team Manager also.
-My Volunteering was at Holy Rosary School for 12 years.
-I work at Innomotive Solutions Group.
-I enjoy Sports -Music, singing and I am a qualified Scout Leader.
-I am on the HDSA Board, as Past Director of VIPs. I have a very nice beautiful Girlfriend.
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Lindsey Chalmers
Director of VIPs
Lindsey spent her elementary years living in Caledon, moving to the city when she was beginning high school. Lindsey graduated from Heydon Park S.S. in June 2013 and was presented with the Edith L. Groves Award for the student demonstrating Determination, Self-Advocacy and Compassion throughout her high school career.
Lindsey then attended Humber College for two years in the Community Integration Through Co-Operative Education Program followed by one year in The Culinary Skills Program sponsored by Christian Horizons and Humber College.
Lindsey began her work career at McDonalds and then in 2017 acquired her present job at Starbucks at Sick Kids Hospital.
Lindsey has had a passion for the arts all her life, especially musicals. She loves dancing and is very involved in many community groups. She also participates in Special Olympics Basketball.
Lindsey is thrilled to be part of the Board of Directors of the HDSA as the co-director of the VIPs.
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Ryan Bouskill
Treasurer
Ryan obtained a Bachelor of Administrative and Commercial Studies – Finance and Accounting degree from the University of Western Ontario and received his Chartered Professional Accountant designation in 2007. Ryan has completed the Partners, Directors and Senior Officers Course (PDO) and the Chief Financial Officer Qualifying Examination (CFO) offered through the Canadian Securities Institute. Over the past decade, Ryan has held different positions in public and private practice and has assisted a number of individuals and businesses with a wide variety of tax and accounting needs, including cross-border tax structures, small business compensation arrangements, tax planning, as well as US personal and corporate tax returns. Ryan has experience in providing back-office accounting support and has assumed accounting roles on the management side, including part-time Controller and CFO.
In his spare time, Ryan is an avid hockey player, skier, and movie enthusiast.
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Hannah Prinsloo
Corporate Secretary
My name is Hannah Prinsloo and I am from Toronto, Ontario. I completed my undergraduate degree in Kingston, ON at Queen’s University where I did a major in political science, a minor in history, and a business certificate and law certificate from the Smith School of Business and Queen’s Law respectively. I am currently in my second year of law school at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie in Halifax, NS. In my free time, I enjoy going for hikes, reading scary books, and jogging. I've had the privilege of serving as Corporate Secretary for the Halton Down Syndrome Association over the past year, and I’m thrilled to continue contributing in the year ahead!
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Khouloud Chouaib
Director of Community Partnerships
Khouloud is a pharmacist with professional experience in the pharmaceutical industry and a strong commitment to advancing patient-centered, preventive health. She is the founder of The Healing Collective and ReviGen Health, initiatives focused on empowering individuals to take greater control over their health, particularly in the area of autoimmune conditions and gut health through education, integrative strategies, and innovative tools.
Khouloud is deeply dedicated to supporting families of children with Down syndrome. Her involvement reflects both advocacy and a genuine commitment to building inclusive, informed, and compassionate communities that help children and families thrive.
Outside of her professional and advocacy work, Khouloud values time with her family and enjoys reading and travelling, experiences that continually shape her perspective and reinforce her belief in lifelong learning and human connection.
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Oksana Hlyva
Director of Advocacy & Awareness
A proud Canadian with Ukrainian roots, I have been calling this part of the Turtle Island in Southern Ontario home for 20 years. Educated in Ukraine and the US, I draw on my cross-cultural learning from my Master of Science in Higher Education (Educational Leadership and Policy Studies) and Doctorate in Philosophy (English, Rhetoric and Professional Communication). My work experience includes teaching Writing in Ukraine, the US and Canada (with a growing focus on ethical responsibilities of writing practices across contexts), 15 years of liaising, coordinating and knowledge translating in various research positions at McMaster University, and most recently research partnering across Canada.
Raising awareness, creating advocacy and promoting a culture of understanding became particularly important when my daughter with Down syndrome was born. What started with me educating the North American public about my native Ukraine (and contributions of Ukrainians to building Canada) has evolved and overlaps with my passion about education around Down syndrome, neurodiversity, (dis)ability, and inclusion. As a parent researcher, I have also been on a mission to raise the profile and to make a strong case for more inclusive, equitable and accessible research with individuals who have Down syndrome and their families. As families like ours navigate multiple social systems which are often disabling and disempowering, there is a growing understanding that the lack of engagement in research often leads to us being overlooked and not included in very important services, supports and other societal benefits research advances can offer to those communities who are engaged in research.
I am very excited to give back to the community in this new role within HDSA (and beyond) my passion and skill set around strengthening awareness, advocacy and research as we all work together to create a more understanding, equitable and supportive community. My daughter’s favorite song of this year has been Learning to Fly by Christina Aguilera. The song aptly captures the challenges and the strong need for the community and community s/heroes (beyond the family members) who believe in our loved ones as they “learn to fly” to reach their personal best. When not raising awareness, advocating, or researching, I love travelling, reading, and hiking with the family and our cockapoo Teddy, “our emotional support animal”.
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Catherine Villasenor
Director-at-Large
Catherine is a Registered Social Worker and holds a Bachelor of Social Work and minor in sociology from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University). She has 8+ years of experience in the non-profit sector in various positions from frontline to coordinator to director, mainly working with families experiencing homelessness within the Halton Region.
In 2022, Catherine and her husband, Danier, welcomed their son Caidan, who has Down syndrome. With her personal lived experiences and her professional background, Catherine hopes to not only contribute to bringing awareness and inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome in her board role, but also be a contributing member of the HDSA community.
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Ashley Sieders
Charity Administrator
Ashley's passion is people. She loves meeting new HDSA Members and serving the Halton communities in this capacity since January 2023. Ashley’s background is in community events, corporate administration, and her favourite, non-profit organizations. Please feel free to reach out to Ashley for anything you may need, or just to say Hi! She would be happy to hear from you.
Ashley and her husband Kurt are raising three kind kids who love laughing together, watching 90's sitcoms, hosting parties, and watching football on Sundays. Go Bills!