Shari Lichterman, Chair

As Commissioner of Corporate Services & Chief Financial Officer for the City of Mississauga, Shari oversees a portfolio which includes Finance, Information Technology, Revenue & Procurement Services, Legislative Services & City Clerk, Human Resources and Facilities & Property Management.  She previously served as Commissioner of Community Services and Director of Recreation at the City of Mississauga, with a diverse portfolio and a dual role as CEO of Tourism Mississauga.

In addition to having obtained a Bachelor of Commerce (Carleton University) and both CPA and CMA accounting designations, Shari has two decades of experience in the field of facility operations, recreation, sports, events and executive leadership.  Previously, she served as Vice President – Eastern Operations at Canlan Ice Sports Corp, the largest private sector owner and operator of recreational ice sports facilities in North America.  In this role, she had financial and operational responsibility for ice and multi-sport facilities in Ontario, Quebec and the United States.  Prior to this, she co-owned Firland Management, a management and consulting firm providing services to public and private sports and recreation clients in both the USA and Canada.

She serves on the Board of Directors of Parks & Recreation Ontario.

Jeff Payne, Past-Chair

Jeff has over 20 years of progressive public and private sector experience. With an educational background in political science, legal studies, and public administration, Jeff brings a breadth of experience and skills to the PRO Board of Directors, having previously held Director roles in the municipal sector, supporting programs related to emergency management, freedom of information and privacy, information management, communications and in the role of Municipal Clerk. As an active member of the local community, Jeff’s volunteer activities have included minor hockey, supporting school councils and the United Way. Jeff also served as the Vice-Chair of the Central West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) Board of Directors, where he held the roles of  Chair of the Governance Committee, Chair of the Quality Committee and as a member of the Finance and Audit Committee.

Currently, Jeff is a member of the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) Parks Task Group and he also serves as a member of the Conservation Ontario Insurance and Risk Committee. Jeff is the Commissioner of Community Services at the Town of Newmarket.

Sarah Ane, Director

Sarah has worked as a parks and recreation professional for the last 15 years including in her current role with the Town of Lincoln as Associate Director, Recreation and Culture. Sarah attended Brock University where she earned a Bachelor of Sport Management.  After completing her undergraduate degree, she continued her studies in the same discipline earning a post-graduate diploma from Algonquin College while working for the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and Canadian Olympic Committee.

Sarah is heavily committed to professional development and lifelong learning.   She completed the Parks and Recreation Management Certificate Program developed by PRO as a part of the inaugural class.  Additionally, she has also completed CPRA’s Professional Development Certification program.  Sarah is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) through NRPA and earned her Registered General Practitioner (RGP) designation through ORFA in 2015. 

Sarah was an active High Five trainer for nearly a decade and was also a longstanding instructor trainer for the Lifesaving Society for 15 years.  She received the Society’s Service Commendation Award in 2016. 

Sarah believes in giving back to her community and is an avid volunteer.  She previously served as a member of the Recreation and Leisure Studies Program Advisory Committee at Niagara College and currently acts as a mentor through Brock University’s Sport Management Mentorship Program.  Sarah lives in Niagara Falls and enjoys cheering on her son during his many sporting and recreational pursuits. 

Romas Keliacius, Treasurer

Kyle Barber, Director

Juanita Bueschleb, Director

Juanita has been a practitioner in municipal recreation for over 30 years and most recently worked for the City of Brampton as Recreation Supervisor, Central Services with a wide range of experience in program development, delivery, and support. She recently joined Goldfish Swim School in the role of General Manager.

Juanita is the Past President of the Lifesaving Society Ontario and Past President of the Drowning Prevention Research Centre Canada. Juanita served the Lifesaving Society Canada in a wide variety of portfolios including Area Chair and as chair of numerous committees including First Aid Services, Aquatic Management Training and Area and Affiliate Services and chairing National Leadership Revisions. She has served on the Society’s board of directors for the past 10 years. Juanita is an experienced trainer both in the water and out and has worked with groups across the province and country.

Aaron Karmazyn, Director

Aaron Karmazyn has been a parks and recreation professional for over 20 years working in municipal parks and recreation management with Richmond Hill, Aurora and most recently the rapidly growing Town of East Gwillimbury. As General Manager for the Town of East Gwillimbury Community Parks Recreation and Culture Department Aaron leads a team providing  a full range of Parks, Facility, Program and Event experiences and services.  Aaron and his team have achieved a number of industry leading awards and acknowledgments. 

Aaron has a Degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Dalhousie University where he also played Junior and Competitive Varsity Hockey for the nationally ranked Dalhousie Tigers. Aaron has several certifications from the ORFA, AMCTO and most recently a Parks and Recreation Management Certification from PRO in partnership with the Schulich School of Business.

Aaron is an active volunteer whenever possible with the Southlake Regional Hospital and Habitat for Humanity. Aaron also has a very active recreational lifestyle and continues to play hockey and golfs as much as possible with family and friends. Aaron and his family live in Newmarket and his children Ben and Zoe are both competitive swimmers.

Darryl McWilliam, Director

Darryl’s experience in municipal recreation started as a volunteer in aquatics, which provided his first employment opportunity at 14 years of age working as a pool attendant with the City of Mississauga.  Darryl currently leads a team responsible for marketing and promotions, customer service and business analysis. Through Darryl’s leadership, the Town of Oakville has introduced an e-customer feedback system using the framework created by PRO – Measuring Customer Value and Satisfaction.   Darryl holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Kinetics from Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigonish Nova Scotia.

Darryl has also supported the Lifesaving Society as a volunteer in the areas of Lifesaving Sport and Critical Incident Management.  Currently, in his spare time, Darryl is an active Hockey Coach for his two daughters who keep his family busy enjoying the benefits of recreation year round.

Dexter Slater, Director

Dexter's career in recreation started as a playground leader/volunteer. He was the first recipient of the old City of Toronto, Michael Sansone Volunteer Award, recognizing excellence in sports and leadership. Dexter has been in Municipal, Community Recreation for over 25 years with the City of Toronto,  working in progressively more responsible positions in the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division. Currently the Community Recreation Manager for the Scarborough district, my years of experience include working in various cultural and socially economic diverse, populated communities. I am very passionate about Workplace Culture, Equity and Diversity, and am a strong advocate of staff programs that support mental health andwellbeing.

I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration and Governance and a Human Resources Management Practitioner certificate from Ryerson University.

Outside of the office, I enjoy biking with my family during the warm months and skiing during the winter months. I am a Level  3 Certified, provincial level coach in both baseball and Soccer. I have volunteered for over 20 years as a baseball coach with the North York Blues and Toronto Playgrounds baseball programs. Currently, my sports passion is spent watching my daughter play competitive hockey, as a proud parent.

Katie Misener, Director

Katie Misener is an Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo. She received her PhD in Kinesiology (Sport Management) from Western University after receiving a Master’s from the University of Windsor and a B.Kin from McMaster University. Her primary research focuses on the capacity and social impact of nonprofit community sport organizations, with a particular focus on how capacity can be enhanced to support sport service delivery and foster social engagement through sport. Katie's research interests also include the role of sport and recreation organizations in community health promotion, and creating collaborative value through interorganizational relationships. She has published research articles in the Journal of Sport Management, Sport Management Review, Leisure Sciences, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, and the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics. She works closely with community organizations in her research and teaching and volunteers on the Youth and Recreation Committee for the Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation. Katie lives in Conestogo and enjoys an active lifestyle with her family through hockey, dance, skiing, swimming, and local theatre.

Ray Mensour, Director

Ray has been involved in the field of Recreation for over 23 years after he obtained an Honours Bachelor Degree in Commerce specialized in Sports administration from Laurentian University. During his final year of University, Ray travelled to Lausanne, Switzerland to deliver a presentation on TV ratings to the International Olympic Committee Board of Directors. In 2002, Ray returned to his hometown of Sudbury to work for the City as the Assistant Manager of the Sudbury Arena.  Within 2 years, Ray was promoted to the Manager of the Sudbury Arena and then was promoted to the Manager of Arena that included 13 community arenas in addition to the Sudbury Arena.  In 2014, Ray moved to Windsor and started as the Manager of the WFCU Centre and within three years, he was promoted to the role of Executive Director of Recreation and Culture. 

Currently, Ray is Commissioner of Community Services for the City of Windsor. In his spare time, Ray enjoys spending time with his family, working out, playing hockey and golfing.   

Jeff Pafford, Director

Like many in the industry, Jeff's passion for parks and recreation was first sparked with various jobs as a student working as a playground supervisor, parks sumer student and outdoor rink attendant.  He has continued to work for the City's Leisure Services Division in various, progressive roles, culminating with the Director of Leisure Services position in 2017.  As Director, Jeff is responsible for the areas of Arenas, Cemeteries, Parks and Recreation, providing leadership to the Division's 90 full time employees, 800 part time staff and 300 volunteers.

A graduate of Laurentian University's Commerce program, Jeff has also obtained a Masters Certificate in Municipal Management and was part of the first cohort of the Northern Leadership Program obtaining a Certificate of Leadership from Laurentian University.

When not at the office, Jeff and his family enjoy the numerous parks, playgrounds and recreation facilities in Greater Sudbury.  He also volunteers with local grass roots sports, coaching with the Sudbury Playground Hockey League, Sudbury Minor Baseball and the Sudbury Youth Basketball League.