Senior Executive Team

Heather McDonald

President & CEO

A senior staff of LOFT since 2005, Heather was appointed CEO in 2017. Heather’s career has included work in the fields of harm reduction, community health care and street outreach. Heather has a Master of Social Work (Wilfrid Laurier University, 1998) and has achieved her Institute of Corporate Directors Designation, ICD.D, (October 2023) from the Institute of Corporate Directors, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto.

Known as an enthusiastic and hopeful leader, Heather is a partnership builder. Heather has helped build LOFT into one of the largest multi-service, accredited, award-winning organizations in the Greater Toronto Area.

Heather has been awarded Wilfrid Laurier University’s Award for Community Impact in 2023, the 2022 National Changemakers Award by the Globe and Mail, the North American Heart of Social Work Award in 2016, and the National Terry Fox Humanitarian Award in 1992.

Michael Cheong

Chief Financial & Operating Officer

Michael Cheong is United Way’s Chief Financial & Operating Officer. Michael leads the Strategic Finance, Controllership, Operations & Analytics and IT-Technology Solutions teams for the organization.

Michael has extensive experience in finance leadership, controllership, planning and analysis, policy and compliance, enterprise resource planning, and various finance transformation projects, with a focus on increasing efficiency of the organization’s processes and procedures to enable corporate strategic objectives. Michael’s primary mandate is to support strategic development and to plan the future growth of United Way from a financial perspective.

Before joining United Way in June 2019, Michael served as Chief Financial Officer of York Region Rapid Transit Corporation (YRRTC), where he led the strategy and execution for all aspects of corporate and project finance while maintaining the organization’s strong reputation for transparency, accountability and financial reporting related to public funds. Michael has also spent over a decade developing new business strategies and financial models in telecommunications that led to exceptional financial and operational results for the organizations he then worked for.

As a strong advocate for social responsibility, Michael has served in the Executive role of Treasurer for the 360Kids Board of Directors from 2017 to 2019.

Michael holds an MBA, Strategy and Finance from the Schulich School of Business-York University, an Honours BA in French Literature and Mathematics from the University of Toronto, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant. He has also completed his Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy Executive Program from the Sloan School of Management-MIT and the Executive Leadership Program from the Rotman School of Management-University of Toronto.

Nation Cheong

Vice President of Community Impact and Mobilization

For 25 years, Nation has been deeply committed to community development, dedicating his professional career and personal efforts to fostering caring, safeand culturally vibrant communities. His journey began at the grassroots level, starting at Dixon Hall Neighbourhood Center, where he led children and youth programs and supported adults with mental health and substance use challenges, laying a strong foundation for his dedication to community upliftment.

Progressing to leadership roles, including Director of the Youth Challenge Fund and United Way’s Youth Success Strategy, Nation championed the positive development of Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth across the Greater Toronto Area, driving initiatives aimed at their empowerment and success.

In his role as Vice President of Community Opportunities and Mobilization, Nation led United Way’s Research and Public Policy, Public Affairs, and Strategic Initiatives. He was instrumental in developing United Way’s Reconciliation and Equity Action Plan and the Indigenous Partnership Council, demonstrating his commitment to reconciliation and equitable community impact.

Currently, as the Vice President of Community Impact and Mobilization, Nation leads a dynamic team that drives United Way’s community service investments and systems solutions. Together, they collaborate with partners across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to deliver equitable neighbourhood-level outcomes.

Ruth Crammond

Vice President, Community Infrastructure

Ruth Crammond is the Vice President of Community Infrastructure leading a new UWGT powered community real-estate initiative aimed at improving the strength and sustainability of community service organizations by creating opportunities for community-owned space or partnerships with the public sector for neighbourhoods and communities living in poverty.  

She joined United Way in 2014 as the Director of Community Services and Capacity Building and then as Vice President of Community Investment and Development. In those roles she oversaw the transformation to a new investment model for United Way, led strategic investments to strengthen the United Way network of 300 agencies and pushed forward on a stronger approach to Reconciliation and Equity through UWGT grants and capacity building. Ruth led a number of system initiatives including work on supporting newcomers and refugees, coordination and urgent response during the pandemic, and support for UWGT neighbourhood solutions in under-served neighbourhoods across the GTA.

Before coming to UWGT, Ruth spent her career working in United Way-funded agencies, beginning as a summer camp counsellor at Central Neighbourhood House, and a drop-in worker in a program for homeless people at St. Christopher House. She has held several senior management roles in United Way-funded agencies, including Executive Director at Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre and Director of Housing and Shelters at YWCA Toronto.

Ruth holds a Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Toronto. 

Kyla Lougheed

Vice President, Transformation

Kyla Lougheed is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience delivering large-scale transformational initiatives for some of Canada’s leading non-profit organizations. These data, technology and process re-engineering solutions streamline operations, enhance donor experience and drive sustainable growth.

As the Vice President, Transformation, she draws on her deep expertise in analytics, operations, project management and business analysis to align people, processes, and technology with strategic business objectives. Kyla also serves as UWGT’s Privacy Officer and Information Security Officer and is the driving force in the organization’s journey to become an Insight Driven Organization that leverages data as a strategic asset to optimize the value we deliver to donors and the community.

Prior to joining United Way Greater Toronto in 2014, Kyla held technology leadership roles at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario and The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, where she implemented cutting-edge technologies and led multiple award-winning transformation projects.

Kyla is a respected leader, navigating complex changes by emphasizing the human aspect to ensure smooth transitions and sustainable growth.  Her work has earned multiple accolades, including back-to-back CIO Canada innovation awards and marquee pilot partnerships in the non-profit space with Microsoft and Salesforce. 

Nicole McVan

Vice President Philanthropy & Marketing

Nicole McVan (they/them) is an accomplished executive leader with over 20 years of expertise in philanthropy, marketing, and social impact across Canada and internationally. As Vice President of Philanthropy & Marketing at United Way Greater Toronto, Nicole has led the organization’s transformation into a center of excellence in both philanthropy and marketing, building sustainable funding streams that empower lasting community impact.

Under their leadership, United Way raises over $100 million annually, has launched its largest brand campaign to date, and developed a transformational philanthropy program designed to secure significant gifts that will have a lasting impact on the region. Their work has positioned United Way as a central force for positive change in the Greater Toronto Area, uniting communities and supporters to address critical local issues.

Beyond their role at United Way, Nicole is a frequent speaker and published writer on philanthropy, equity, and social impact. They have volunteered with several organizations, contributing their expertise to help drive positive change. Nicole holds a master’s degree in Non-profit Marketing and Fundraising from City University of London and is completing a certificate in Community Engagement, Leadership, and Development at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Agatha De Santis

Vice President, People & Culture

With over 25 years of progressive Human Resources experience across diverse industries such as financial services, government, and retail, Agatha is a seasoned leader dedicated to fostering engaging and impactful people and culture environments. She has a proven track record of defining, developing, and implementing strategic people initiatives that align with organizational goals, particularly within Fortune 500 companies.

Agatha is highly regarded as a strategic advisor in people and culture, leveraging her deep organizational knowledge to drive talent management practices, succession planning, and proactive talent gap analysis. Known for her business-centric approach to optimizing people strategies, Agatha excels in synthesizing complex ideas to achieve tangible results. She is also recognized as a trusted business advisor and coach, committed to empowering teams and enhancing organizational effectiveness.

Passionate about helping employees understand their contributions within the broader organizational context, Agatha believes in the power of collaboration and collective achievement.

Agatha holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, a Human Resource Management with Honours Certificate from Humber College, and Adult Learning certification from OISE at the University of Toronto.

Anita Stellinga

Vice President, Corporate Communications & Public Policy and Corporate Secretary

Anita Stellinga is an accomplished professional with over 30 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector with a focus on leadership, strategic planning, governance, communications, public policy, and community development.

Anita has enjoyed a progressive career with United Way beginning with United Way of Peel Region in 1995. As Vice President, Community Investments, she led the development of new investment models focused on poverty reduction, equity and inclusion, public policy, research, multi-sectoral partnerships and evaluation. In 2017, Anita was appointed the Interim President and CEO of United Way of Peel Region, and she oversaw the organization’s fundraising campaign, governance, advocacy, stakeholder engagement and community development initiatives.  During this time, she also led the organization through a successful merger with United Way Toronto and York Region to form United Way Greater Toronto, in partnership with a talented team of staff, board members and volunteers dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals and families across the GTA.

Following the merger, she held the roles of Regional Executive, GTA Integration, Corporate Secretary, and Chief of Staff at United Way Greater Toronto to ensure a smooth transition with a change management plan focussed on a fiercely local mandate across Peel, Toronto and York Region.

Currently, as the Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Policy, and Corporate Secretary, Anita leads a dynamic team that drives long term change to improve social conditions across the GTA. 

Before joining United Way, Anita was a member of the management team of Poly-Cultural Immigrant & Community Services where she had responsibility for community-based programming and planning focussed on supports for newcomer and immigrant families, women, persons with disabilities, youth and seniors.

Anita holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Toronto at Mississauga. She actively participates in her community and is presently on the Board of Partners Community Health and is the Chair of the Governance Committee. She has a rich bi-racial background of Polish and South Asian heritage and is fluent in Polish and Hindi. Her early experiences and life journey have shaped her belief in the strength of community and the power of hope to make a difference in people’s lives.