Board and Executive Team
Meet our board of directors and executive team!
Board Members:
- Kate Lines, B.A., (retired) Former Chief Superintendent, Ontario Provincial Police
- Ron Manes, LLM, LLB, Senior Litigation Counsel, Torkin/Manes, LLP, Barristers & Solicitors, Toronto, Ontario
- Hon. Denise Bellamy, Former Superior Court Judge, Toronto, Ontario
- Donald B. Johnston, D.Jur., LLB, Co-leader of the Technology Team, Senior Counsel and Partner, Aird and Berlis, LLP, Toronto, Ontario
- R.W. (Rob) Goodfellow, President and CEO, Investigative Research Group, former OPP Superintendent (retired)
- Heather S. Johnston, Office Managing Partner, BDO Collingwood, Owen Sound and Wiarton
Executive Team:
- Priscilla de Villiers, co-founder and Executive Director of the Victim Justice Network.
- Peter Sampaio, co-founder and Executive Lead of the Victim Justice Network.
Board Members
Kate Lines, B.A., (retired) Former Chief Superintendent, Ontario Provincial Police
Chair, Victim Justice Network
Kate Lines, (Retired 2010) Chief Superintendent, Investigation Support Bureau, Ontario Provincial Police was appointed the Chair of the Victim Justice Network in October 2014. Kate had a distinguished 33-year policing career with the OPP and became the first female Director of the Intelligence Bureau.
Kate received the Officer of the Order of Merit Medal, Queen’s Commission, International Association of Women Police Excellence in Performance Award, Ontario Women in Law Enforcement Excellence in Performance and Team Endeavours Award and Canadian Police Leadership Forum’s Police Leader of the Year award.
She recently released a bestselling book, Crime Seen, which recounts her remarkable career and stories about the courage of victims and their families.
Ron Manes, LLM, LLB, Senior Litigation Counsel, Torkin/Manes, LLP, Barristers & Solicitors, Toronto, Ontario
Vice-Chair, Victim Justice Network
As senior litigation counsel, Ron practices in areas of complex commercial and tort litigation at all levels of trial and appeal courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Ron is a founding partner and Chair of Torkin Manes LLP.
Ron has been a national leader in access to justice. He is the founder of Pro Bono Law Ontario, the internationally recognized and award-winning organization providing access to free legal services for those in need without resources to pay for legal assistance. He also founded the Volunteer Lawyers Service which provides free access to legal services to a vast variety of charities and non-profit organizations throughout Ontario.
Ron is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Victim Justice Network and serves as the Vice-Chair.
Hon. Denise Bellamy, Former Superior Court Judge, Toronto, Ontario
Secretary, Victim Justice Network
Denise Bellamy was a judge of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario from 1997 until she retired on August 16, 2010.
She obtained a B.A. in Political Science (with distinction) from Carleton University, and then obtained her law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1980.
Before her appointment to the bench in 1997, she had worked in the government of Ontario for seventeen years. There, she held a number of progressively more senior positions in the areas of criminal law, policing and correctional services, women’s issues, and labour and employment law. For nine years, she was a Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada. She was also President of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada and Vice-President of the Ontario Centre for Advocacy Training.
She was also a member of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, an advisory committee for judges of superior courts across Canada. She has participated as a panelist or main speaker at numerous conferences, seminars and panels, and is now on the Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Board.
Donald B. Johnston, D.Jur., LLB, Co-leader of the Technology Team, Senior Counsel and Partner, Aird and Berlis, LLP, Toronto, Ontario
Treasurer, Victim Justice Network
Donald B. Johnston is a Partner with the Toronto law firm, Aird and Berlis and is co-leader of the Technology Team, as well as a member of the Corporate/Commercial, Communications and Mining Groups.
Don is a well-known technology lawyer with broad experience as a corporate and commercial lawyer. He also has a wealth of experience in health law, health informatics, information technology, health care privacy law, biotech and pharmaceuticals law, technology financing, telecommunications, procurement and outsourcing.
Don is a founding board member of the Victim Justice Network and serves as the Secretary.
R.W. (Rob) Goodfellow, President and CEO, Investigative Research Group, former OPP Superintendent (retired)
Board Member, Victim Justice Network
Rob Goodfellow is the President and CEO of Investigative Research Group (IRG) after joining IRG as the Vice-President of Operations. Prior to IRG, Rob retired as an OPP Superintendent with thirty years’ experience at the provincial, national and international levels. Rob has served in various locations throughout Ontario.
His police experience includes: general duties; major crimes; covert undercover operations; behavioural sciences; forensic polygraph; fraud; and General Headquarter Executive Management.
Rob has sat on many Boards and Committees including as past Chair of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) Crime Prevention Committee and the OACP Victims Assistance Committee.
Rob joined the Board of Directors of the Victim Justice Network in 2015.
Heather S. Johnston, Office Managing Partner, BDO Collingwood, Owen Sound and Wiarton,
Board Member, Victim Justice Network
Heather Johnston is Office Managing Partner of BDO Collingwood, Owen Sound and Wiarton. Heather has experience in audit and accounting services, as well as consulting and tax planning for a wide variety of industry sectors. Her strong community ties assist her in helping owner-managed businesses and non-profit organizations to achieve their goals.
She is a member of both the Chartered Professional Accountants Ontario and Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia. Professional Designations & Education
Heather joined the Board of Directors of the Victim Justice Network in 2015.
Executive Team
Priscilla de Villiers, co-founder and Executive Director of the Victim Justice Network.
Priscilla de Villiers is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Victim Justice Network.
For over twenty years Priscilla has been a leading Canadian advocate on crime victim issues. In 1992 she founded CAVEAT (Canadians Against Violence Everywhere Advocating its Termination) after the abduction and murder of her daughter by a sexual predator out on bail at the time.
Ms de Villiers is also a long-standing member of the Ontario Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). She was recently appointed as the Vice-Chair of the OVC. In her private capacity she continues to address victimization and to support and advise victims of crime.
She is collaborating in a research project with Dr. Susan Tasker, University of Victoria; Siblings of Young Homicide Victims: What Lives Do They Go On To Lead?
Priscilla has received numerous awards, most notably the Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor- General of Canada, and a Doctorate of Laws (Hon.) from McMaster University.
Peter Sampaio, co-founder and Executive Lead of the Victim Justice Network.
Peter Sampaio is the co-founder and Executive Lead of the Victim Justice Network. Peter has made significant contributions to the justice sector in various roles with the Ontario Public Service since 1996. From 2001 to 2004, Peter was a Senior Advisor with the Office for Victims of Crime in Ontario and worked on high profile victim-centred projects.
From 2004 to 2010, Peter served as a Corporate Manager at the Ontario Victim Services Secretariat, Ministry of Attorney General and co-led a number of innovative initiatives in the victim services sector, including the development of a Provincial Strategy to address Child Exploitation and Abuse on the Internet.
Since 2010 Peter has served as the Community Liaison at the Roy McMurtry Youth Centre (RMYC), Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Ontario.
Peter holds a Master’s Degree in Judicial Administration from Brock University, a Master’s Degree and Honours B.A. Degree in Political Science from York University.
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