Executive Leadership Team

Leonard Baker

Leonard Baker

President and Chief Executive Officer​

Len has been a leader in the disability community and not-for-profit sector for more than 30 years and has proudly led March of Dimes Canada since 2018.  

Under his guidance, MODC continues to evolve as a dynamic, people-focused organization that serves people with disabilities across Canada. Len initiated the largest community feedback process in MODC’s history and led the creation of our game-changing strategic plan: Champion Equity, Empower Ability.  

A strong believer in the power of collaboration, Len works closely with other disability organizations and corporate partners on program delivery and advocating for systemic change to improve the lives of people with disabilities. His leadership was crucial to creating MODC’s Benefits Without Barriers report, which informed the federal government’s decision to establish the Canada Disability Benefit.  

Len is committed to working in allyship with the disability community toward the goal of creating a barrier-free society where all people can live independently, have access to equitable employment opportunities, and are able to participate fully in their communities. He believes we’re stronger together and that partnerships are the pathway to creating new opportunities. 

Len holds a Bachelor of Arts and an Education degree from Memorial University in Newfoundland.



Tim Alcock

Tim Alcock

Chief Operating Officer

Tim joined March of Dimes Canada as the Vice President, Strategy, Integration and Partnerships in July 2019. In September 2021 he was promoted to MODC's Chief Operating Officer. An accomplished executive with over 25 years of demonstrated success in non-profit senior management and leadership positions, Tim has a solid record of achievement in delivering innovation and results, through strategic planning, marketing, fundraising, as well as health education programs and community led initiatives. Tim joined the MODC from The Lung Association (Ontario) where his most recent role was the Vice President, Programs and Operations. Before joining The Lung Association, Tim served as Vice President, Marketing, Communications and Philanthropy for CNIB where he led a broad portfolio of responsibility, including integrated brand marketing, fundraising, and social enterprise operations for accessible consumer products and technologies.


Lucy Lombardi

Lucy Lombardi, CPA, CA

Chief Financial Officer

Lucy joined March of Dimes Canada in July 2023. Lucy brings a wealth of finance and operations experience from both private and public organizations to her current role. She has more than 20 years of experience at the executive level and has held progressively senior finance positions within Ontario’s regulated electricity sector and within the not-for-profit sector. 

Since joining MODC, Lucy has streamlined financial reporting and budgeting processes, developed a five-year forecasting model, and is currently building and implementing new financial monitoring tools. 

Over the next five years, Lucy intends to strengthen MODC’s financial strategies by enhancing transparency, fostering accountability, increasing inclusivity, and leveraging new financial insights. She believes this work is essential to achieving MODC’s mission of supporting independence and improving the lives of people with disabilities. 

She also volunteers as a board and committee member for a not-for-profit organization serving the bereavement sector.


Alison Staples

Alison Staples, CHRE, MBA

Chief People Officer / Chief Privacy Officer

Alison joined March of Dimes Canada in September 2021. She has more than 20 years of experience creating positive, high-performing work environments in the not-for-profit sector, including in senior roles at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, and Kids Help Phone.  

Alison leads MODC's efforts to build a stronger, more connected workplace where employees and volunteers feel supported, empowered, and inspired. She oversees how work at MODC is structured, champions career growth, and fosters an inclusive culture that reflects our mission and the values of the people we serve.  

Over the next several years, Alison aims to help build a workplace where every employee feels valued, supported, and connected to our mission. She’s focused on making MODC an employer of choice, strengthening leadership at all levels by creating career pathways that allow employees to grow.  

Alison is passionate about equity, accessibility, and human potential. Her work is centered on building strong, future-ready organizations that reflect and serve diverse communities across Canada. She’s a certified Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion professional and completed the High Potential Leadership Program at Harvard University.


Jason Lye

Jason Lye

Executive Director / Vice President, Community Support Services

Jason joined March of Dimes Canada in 1994 as a part-time personal support worker. During his tenure with MODC, he’s served as a supervisor in both attendant and brain services, Regional Director, National Manager and became Vice President/Executive Director in 2022.   

Jason began his career in the developmental disabilities sector more than 35 years ago and has worked within the physical disabilities field for more than 30 years. He’s served as a board member for Brain Injury Canada and the Ontario Community Support Association, and he’s presented at several notable conferences, including the Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disabilities, on subjects such as the efficacy of community based programing, effective supportive housing, and the need for funding that allows people to age in their own homes.

In the next five years Jason aspires to expand Community Support Programs throughout Canada with a focus on waitlist reductions for existing services and expansion of brain injury services in remote parts of the country. In addition, he envisions a broader revenue stream for fee for service-based programing and addressing supportive housing supply. 

Jason is a graduate of York University, the Executive Management Program from Schulich School of Business and an MBA with Rotman School of business.


Lesley Smith

Lesley Smith

Executive Director / Vice President, Skills Development and Employment

Lesley joined MODC in 2010 and is a long-time advocate for people with disabilities in the areas of skill development and employment. With more than 20 years of experience in the private and charitable sectors, her knowledge and expertise contribute significantly to MODC’s mission, vision, and purpose. 

Lesley's expertise in program design and delivery, as well as in strategic partnerships, is evident in the ongoing success of MODC's employment and charitable programming. She’s also been instrumental in transforming community programs to help children, youth, and young adults with disabilities achieve their full potential and succeed in their communities. 

Over the next several years, Lesley will focus on expanding the MODC’s reach through the design and implementation of innovative programs. Her work will position MODC as a national catalyst for equity and increased opportunity for people with disabilities in Canada.  

Driven by a passion for sustainable social change, Lesley believes in fostering inclusive communities and workforces. Her leadership is key to accomplishing the kind of transformational change that will ensure MODC remains at the forefront of disability inclusion in Canada.​


Victoria Pearson

Victoria Pearson

Vice President, Strategy, Impact & Social Change

Victoria joined March of Dimes Canada in 2020. She has more than two decades of experience in the charitable sector, working in strategic planning and implementation, brand marketing and communications, and public affairs. 

Over her tenure at MODC, Victoria has helped establish the organization's enterprise and mission delivery strategies, modernize our brand, and establish our public affairs, research and evaluation functions.

In her current role, Victoria leads MODC's strategic planning and public engagement efforts, working to build inclusive approaches and collaborative relationships. 

Victoria is committed to disability inclusion and to working together with people with disabilities to drive social and policy change at all levels of society. She’s also dedicated to maximizing MODC's impact as an ally and trusted partner within the disability community.


Monica Merrifield

Monica Merrifield, ESG.D, CRM

Vice President, Risk & Resilience

Monica Merrifield joined March of Dimes Canada in 2022. Over her extensive career in the social sector, Monica has held leadership roles at the YMCA of Greater Toronto, YMCA Canada/Canadian Urban Group, and served as Chair of the Global Risk Management Society (RIMS) Strategic & Enterprise Risk Council. 

Known for her ability to integrate risk management with strategy, she combines risk and opportunity thinking with resilience-building to strengthen strategies, programs, teams, and processes at MODC.  

Over the next five years, Monica will focus on advancing a dynamic risk strategy designed to navigate uncertainty and build resilience, to support meaningful change for people with disabilities in Canada. 

An author and leader in her field, Monica’s work explores the risk and strategy interplay to solve problems that matter and enable productive change. She is the first Canadian to receive both the RIMS Global ERM Award of Distinction and Risk Innovator Award from Risk & Insurance Magazine – a testament to her contributions to the field of risk management.





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