OSAID: Board of Directors

Our Board Of Directors

The Board of Directors are a group of dedicated individuals committed to the education of Ontario`s youth with respect to the dangers of impaired driving. We are honoured to have such an amazing crew working tirelessly towards our cause.

Brenda McEwin

OSAID Past Chair

- OSAID affiliated since 1995

- OSAID Board of Directors 2004-

present

- OSAID Staff Advisor Goderich District Collegiate since 1993

- OSAID Staff Advisor of the Year 2004

- Key Contribution to Education Award 2007

- Ontario Volunteer Award 2012

- Council for Exceptional Children Award Huron-Perth 1999

- Peter Wong Award Excellence in Education Award 1995, 1998

- In addition to being a committed member of the OSAID team, Brenda has also worked as an Educational Assistant for the Avon Maitland District School Board for 26 years.

Patricia Beck

OSAID Vice-Chair

- OSAID Board of Directors 2006-

present

- OSAID Staff Advisor for over 15 years

- 2005 OSAID Staff Advisor Award
- 2008 Award in Recognition of Commitment to Safety and Responsibility
- 2009 Peter Wong OCCID Award for Arrive Alive/Drive Sober Program in Ontario
- OSAID 2012 Excellence in Education Award
- 2012 Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration’s Volunteer Service Award for 15 years of service (Port Colbourne Wainfleet Healthy Lifestyles Coalition & Niagara Drug Awareness Committees)

Teresa Di Felice

OSAID Secretary

Teresa is Director of Government & Community Relations for the CAA Club Group of companies, Canada's largest CAA club. She has been with CAA since 2005.

She is responsible for the overall direction and execution of the organization’s advocacy strategies and programs, including road safety campaigns on:

Distracted driving
Stranded driver
Cycling safety
Pedestrian safety
Impaired driving

Teresa’s breadth and range of knowledge on infrastructure, transportation, road safety, automotive and industry issues related to CAA’s work has resulted in many contributions to the development and execution of sound public policy. These include input into the province’s cycling strategy, being a member of the Premier’s panel on the Transit Investment Strategy, tow industry reform and on the transition team of the Mayor of Toronto.

Teresa is currently a member of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety Committee; Beginner Driver Education Stakeholder Advisory Committee, CAA’s National Public Affairs Task Force and other industry associations.

Melissa Brabant

OSAID Director

Melissa has been with the Ministry of Transportation and promoting road safety for over 20 years.

Throughout the years, Melissa has worked with drivers with unfavorable driving records, developing action plans and counselling them to make lasting behaviour changes on our roads.

Working in the Ministry’s Road Safety Policy Office, she worked with internal and external stakeholders including law enforcement agencies and municipal road safety representatives on a variety of projects such as the Collision Report Information Review Project, the Telematics and Automated Speed Enforcement files.

In her current role as a Regional Marketing Planner with the Public Outreach and Education Office, she continues to be an advocate for all road users.

She delivers presentations on the Ministry’s top road safety priorities and programs to a variety of audiences such as children, young and novice drivers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, senior drivers and the general public.

She establishes and supports committees that address road safety issues in support of the Ministry’s identified priorities and social marketing campaigns and represents the Ministry on a variety of committees such as RoadWatch, York Region Traffic Safety Strategy Committee, Durham and Peel Regions Vision Zero Strategies etc.

Melissa is passionate about reducing impaired and distracted related incidences on Ontario roads, and is excited to be joining the OSAID team.

Cindy Steele

OSAID Treasurer

- OSAID affiliated since 1994,

- Board of Directors for OSAID Inc. 2007-present

- Graduate of the University of Ottawa, holds a Bachelor of Education degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree

- OSAID staff advisor since 1994

- Teacher at an Eastern Ontario high school and professionally esteemed, she has been nominated for the Premier’s Award for Teaching Excellence: Excellence in Leadership 2007 – 2008 and the Premier’s Award for Teaching Excellence: Teacher of the Year 2008 – 2009.

- Awarded Volunteer Service Award in 2013.

- OSAID Teacher/Mentor Award 2007

Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Volunteer Service Award – 2011: Cindy’s OSAID chapter earned 3 National Awards from Student Life Education Company for their work in raising awareness of the dangers of impaired driving – 1999 -2000, 2004 – 2005, 2006 – 2007: Awarded the CAA North & East Ontario

- MJ Quilty Award for Traffic Safety Excellence 2005

- 2013 Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Volunteer Service Award recipient.

Michael Stewart

OSAID Chair

“Michael Stewart has been involved in the preventing impaired driving since 2006 when he began volunteering with Arrive Alive DRIVE SOBER. After 10 years of being involved, Michael now oversees Arrive Alive’s operation and campaigns as their Program Director. He brings his determination & dedication to preventing impaired driving to community events, projects and partnerships across Ontario.

Michael holds degrees from Dalhousie University (English, Political Science & Popular Culture Studies) and University of Ottawa (Communications). He is passionate about youth initiatives & leadership that help make communities a better & safer place to live. In addition to his efforts to help keep roads safe, Michael also dedicates time to supporting animal rescues and is the father to two senior-rescue pugs”

Mark Andrews

OSAID Director

Mark Andrews is a retired 32-year veteran member of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). Mark began his career in policing October 1983 rising to the rank of Inspector in 2002. Mark spent the last 12 years of his career as the Traffic Manager for the North East Region of the OPP. In that capacity Mark oversaw all Traffic and Marine related investigations, enforcement, incident prevention and training.

The Ministries and organizations that Mark has collaborated with include but are not limited to; Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Ministry of Environment, Ontario Ministry of Labour, Federal Ministry of Transportation, MADD, TIRF, Arrive Alive Drive Sober, PARACHUTE, and many others. He currently is working as a Casual Instructor for Nipissing University North Bay Ontario, with the Criminal Justice Program. He is teaching Communications Skills – in Criminal Justice.

Mark is also an active member of the Canadian Coalition on Distracted Driving – Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) working with professional across the country to resolve the issue of distracted driving and collisions. As well Mark is a co-presenter for the TIRF Drop It and Drive (DIAD) Program.

Mark is the recipient of the Queens Jubilee Gold Medal for his contributions to fellow citizens and communities, the Police Exemplary Service Medal for 20 years of dedicated service to the people of Ontario, the Ontario Amethyst Award for Traffic Safety and Innovation,

the OPP Commissioner’s Accolade Award of Excellence – Valuing and Supporting People, the Police Exemplary Service medal for 30 years of dedicated service to the people of Ontario, and the OPP Commissioner’s Accolade Award of Merit for Partnerships.

Avery Bassett

OSAID Director

Avery grew up in Toronto, graduated from Branksome Hall, and then attended Acadia University in Wolfville Nova Scotia where she graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor or Recreation Management degree. Following graduation she returned to Toronto and worked as a recreation director at a condominium. Soon after, she applied to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and was hired in January of 1995. Avery started her career at the Midland OPP general duties detachment, then spent several years as a Detective Constable in the crime unit. Avery then worked in the Intelligence Bureau and Security Bureau until 2014 when she was promoted to Sergeant in Community Safety Services (CSS).

She is currently working in Community Mobilization – Operations. This role manages community safety and crime prevention programs and ensures that the OPP’s Community Safety Officers have the tools they need to deliver the programs into their communities. Avery works with various community stakeholders and represents the OPP with these partnerships. Some of these include the Committee of Youth Officers of Ontario (COYO), Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED Ontario), Central Ontario Crime Prevention Association (COCPA), Ontario and Canadian Association of CrimeStoppers, Ontario Injury Prevention Practioners Network (OIPPN), Parachute’s Weed out the Risk advisory board, The OPP’s Youth Foundation and most recently as an ad-hoc member of Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving (OSAID).

In her spare time Avery volunteers in the community with local provincial and federal political Simcoe North riding associations, she served two years as a director on the local hospital foundation. Avery is currently a 25 year member of the OPP and she and her husband Andrew, live in the town of Midland in the beautiful area of Georgian Bay where they enjoy extra-curricular activities such as cycling, hiking, swimming, tennis and skiing.