Laura joined Renascent in the role of Chief Executive Officer in September 2016. As a passionate leader of addiction and mental health care services, Laura is committed to working with the Renascent team in helping people affected by addictions achieve a life of physical, mental and spiritual health. Prior to working at Renascent, Laura held senior executive roles at Toronto-based addiction treatment centre, Bellwood Health Services, including the position of President from 2009 until 2015. Laura’s career also encompasses marketing management in the private sector and working with the hospital sector for the Ontario Ministry of Health. Laura earned a B.A. in Psychology (Honours) at Queen’s University, an MBA in Health Services Management at McMaster University and a Certificate in Addiction Studies, also at McMaster. From 2016 until 2024, Laura served as a member of the Board of Directors, York Region and South Simcoe, Canadian Mental Health Association, including in the role of Chair of the Board from 2022 to 2024. Laura has a track record of driving quality excellence and client-centred care, and fostering an environment of community engagement. She believes strongly in the power of people to come together to beat addiction, and create pathways to recovery and renewed health and hope.

Tania is responsible for overseeing Renascent’s business development and philanthropy teams, she works to develop and support business goals and fosters key relationships with our stakeholders, and partners within our community. Tania also oversees our client care access and engagement team, the initial point of contact and entry for all those seeking Renascent’s services. Tania began her career at Renascent in 2011 as Alumni Care Manager, after achieving her certificate in Addictions and Community Services. Prior to joining us, Tania worked in sales and marketing for one of the world’s largest brands for nearly 20 years.

Venkata is a seasoned Finance professional focused on business improvement and supporting boards and senior leadership teams in strategy execution. He has extensive experience in financial leadership and corporate services roles including Information Technology, Corporate Governance, Human Resources, Administration and Facilities Management within the non-profit and for-profit sectors, and is experienced working with governments and systems within the non-profit/charitable sector. He is very tech savvy having implemented various software systems during his career and focused on leveraging technology to improve business processes and reporting. Venkata holds his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) from Canada and the United States, and is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) from India.

Michael Lochran managed our Renascent Madison Avenue Centre for nearly five years, following two years of being an addictions counsellor at the centre. Prior to coming to Renascent, Michael worked as a chef in fine dining restaurants and had a passion for training and mentoring young men and women entering the culinary industry.

Hayley Bloom possesses over fifteen years of working experience in the social services sector working in a variety of different settings and areas of service. The majority of her work has been focused on advocacy with marginalized populations struggling with substance abuse, mental health and homelessness. Hayley has successfully launched, directed and managed small to large scale programs and has led and supervised various clinical teams through intensive change management and transformations. Over the past six years, Hayley has developed and led multi-disciplinary teams in the mental health, addiction and housing sectors creating new and innovative systems for service users utilizing a variety of quality improvement initiatives and strategies. She is committed to developing and providing person and client centred services. Hayley is an energetic and compassionate leader with a passion for coaching and mentoring teams to reach their fullest potential. While she’s not working, you can find her on long nature walks with her dog or tackling a new recipe in the kitchen.

Nadine Buchanan has over 20 years of experience of Human Resources, focused specifically on delivering quality support to not-for-profit organizations. She is a Certified Human Resources Leader and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration.

Dr. Tarman, MD, FCFP, ABAM, is a Medical Director at Renascent. As an addiction specialist, she also works as consultant for Salvation Army’s The Homestead and The Harbourlight treatment programs. She has worked in the field of addiction medicine since 1992 and is committed to her patients’ care and full recovery.

Dr. Matthew Stefanoff’s interest in addiction medicine began in medical school when he worked at an Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) clinic and noted the inter-professional collaboration among pharmacists, social workers, therapists, counsellors, and physicians to help their clients. Having worked at the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health as a program assistant in the Emergency Department, Dr. Stefanoff saw first-hand the acute phase of addiction management, from intoxication to withdrawal management, along with the social struggles often associated with the illness. After completing his residency at the University of Toronto in family and community medicine based at Scarborough General Hospital, Dr. Stefanoff worked at an OAT clinic in Oshawa where he also started a family practice. Having seen many clients struggling with alcohol and opioids transform their lives, Dr. Stefanoff is interested in expanding the use of anti-craving medication prescriptions to primary care.

Dr. Ryan is an accomplished physician who brings a high level of expertise in Inner City Health, Addiction Medicine, and the current Opioid Crisis to his role at Renascent. Having completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Toronto, Dr. Ryan has worked as a physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and at AMS, as well as in several other Opioid Agonist Treatment clinics in the Greater Toronto Area. He was also a Hospitalist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and later assumed a role at the Toronto South Detention Centre, where he saw firsthand the potential forensic consequences of individuals struggling with substance abuse. Currently, Dr. Ryan also serves as an Investigating Coroner for the Office of the Chief Coroner for the Province of Ontario and provides a highly sought-after perspective on substance abuse.

In 2016, Glen became the Manager of Client Care Access and Engagement. He provides clinical supervision and oversees the daily operations pertaining to client screening, intake, and comprehensive assessments of clients seeking to enter inpatient treatment, as well as providing support for business development initiatives. Glen came to Renascent as a student intern in 2009. After completing his placement, he filled the role as Alumni Manager until becoming a Counsellor at the Renascent Paul J. Sullivan Centre in Brooklin, ON. During this time, Glen continued with his education and certifications, becoming an International Certified Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counsellor and a Registered Psychotherapist specializing in concurrent disorders.

Sunil Boodhai MSW (RSW), BEd. – Manager, Outpatient and Family Programs Before coming to Renascent, Sunil was a front-line counsellor with Warden Woods Community Centre’s Substance Use Outreach Program. He was deeply touched by how often his clients would express great concern for how their addiction was affecting their family members. This resonated with Sunil on both a human and a personal level; members of Sunil’s family have experienced their own struggles with addiction. Sunil’s experience with his Warden Woods clients led him to look for an environment in which he could work with families impacted by addiction. His search led him to Renascent. Sunil did his undergraduate work and MSW at Ryerson University, as well as a Humanities degree and Bachelor of Education degree at York University. He has been working as an addictions counsellor for over 12 years.

John Bushell joined Renascent as a student placement in 2011, and has been a full-time clinician since 2015. John was a long-standing member of the Renascent Madison Avenue Centre Team until his shift to managing the Virtual Intensive Treatment Program in 2023. During his time at Renascent, John has remained a strong believer that recovery can take many forms and has always led with person centered care. John has been an active member of Renascent’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee since its inception in 2017, and focuses on promoting interagency collaboration in order to support the diverse populations that access Renascent’s programs.

David Charlton is a Renascent Alumni with over ten years of counselling experience in the addictions and mental health field. David completed his student placement with Renascent Paul J. Sullivan Centre (Sullivan Centre) in 2015, and went on to hone his clinical skills working in both live-in and outpatient settings, treating people with substance use disorders and mental health issues. David returned to Sullivan Centre as the Assistant Manager in 2023, with experience focused in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT), and 12-Step Recovery. David views his vocation as helping people who want to find a new way to live free from active addiction, and supporting the counsellors who work with them. In 2024, David became Manager of Sullivan Centre where he oversees the daily operations of live-in treatment, provides clinical supervision, and coordinates with the many other skillful teams at Renascent to provide consistently high standards of client care.

Alessandro joined Renascent in 2015 as a volunteer and later transitioned to a full-time counsellor role at the organization’s Client Care Access and Engagement Centre, while concurrently studying addictions and mental health at Ryerson University. Alessandro later led Renascent’s innovative Virtual Intensive Treatment Program (VITP) from June 2020, until he became Manager of Program Quality Measurement and Improvement in November 2022. In his current role, Alessandro leads an array of strategic initiatives at Renascent and works with Renascent’s leadership teams and stakeholders to improve the organization’s processes, programs, services, and culture to achieve long-term success stemming from customer feedback and measurement.

Christina has been involved with Renascent since 2017, and quickly transitioned to Manager of Philanthropy in the fall of 2020. Now, Christina leads the fund development team in its mission to support and deliver barrier-free access to addiction services. Christina developed a strong sense of devotion for the nonprofit sector, growing up with philanthropy routed at the core of family values. Christina has been fundraising since she was 5 years old, driving focus to social change through various fundraising activities and events. Christina is a founding member of her local Parish Youth Group; she collaborated to build various youth-focused programs that supported transitional-aged youth in finding healing through a rooted connection to the community through spirituality. Working on this program’s development was one of Christina’s first experiences with community building, and gave her a deep appreciation for how nonprofits seek to improve the quality of life, one dollar at a time. Christina has over 10 years’ of fundraising experience working in the nonprofit sector before coming to Renascent. She has worked in the social service sector and health-care sector working building and executing the strategic development of targeted donor groups. Her priorities include creating sustainable and stewardship-focused relationships that will support individual access to barrier-free programs and services. Christina is currently in the final stage of obtaining her CFRE designation. When Christina isn’t working, she is volunteering in the community, practicing mindfulness and yoga meditation, and spending time with her fur-baby Luna.

Abshir brings his infectious passion for evidence based 12-step treatment and an inexhaustible ability to bring people and organizations together to meet the needs of our clients. During his time as a member of the Renascent Madison Avenue Centre counselling team, Abshir strengthened Renascent’s relationships with other community service providers and was instrumental in connecting clients with safe supportive housing, mental health resources, and the recovery community through active engagement with alumni and contacts.

Isaiah joined Renascent as a placement student in January 2016, and since then has taken on various roles across the organization. Isaiah has supported Renascent’s mission working on the front-lines and in administrative offices. From performing clinical roles in the organization’s Client Care and Access Center as an addiction counsellor, to administrative roles focused on revenue generation with the Renascent Business Development Team, Isaiah’s commitment to enabling high-quality client care shines through. In his current role, Isaiah manages the Renascent Community Relations and Partnerships Team, which focus on developing and maintaining relationships with essential community and business stakeholders. Isaiah is one of the founding members of Renascent’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, which works to embed principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion across Renascent, and promote discussions on the multiple issues facing marginalized and racialized individuals, especially in accessing treatment and care for addiction and mental health concerns.

Donna has built a 20+ year career in marketing, communications, and public relations, with experience that spans both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Donna has predominantly worked within in the health care and social services sectors, and has focused her life’s work on serving the most vulnerable in our society. In her role as Manager, Marketing and Communications, Donna works to increase awareness of Renascent’s programs and services, and engage stakeholders in conversations about improved access to mental health supports and addiction treatment. As Renascent’s brand steward, Donna is passionate about using storytelling to demonstrate the impact of the organization’s work and to show that recovery from addiction is possible.