Leading the way change works by building a thriving change community
Board of Directors
Sharon McLaughlin
President
Sharon McLaughlin is an accomplished human resource and change management professional with a track record leading transformational change in complex and dynamic environments. With a diverse skillset that encompassing HR strategy, talent development, shared services, payroll and leading transformational change, Sharon’s career in municipal government has been marked by her innovative approach to human resources and the employee experience. In past roles, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills driving large-scale technology modernization projects, engaging stakeholders, and driving successful outcomes.​
Sharon’s involvement with the ACMP – Ontario Chapter began as Treasurer of the Board of Directors. Her engagement in the ACMP Board and previous board experience as Associate Director of Education for the International Human Resources Information Management Association (IHRIM) exemplifies her dedication to professional growth and advocacy.
Armed with certification as a Certified Change Management Professional (ACMP), Certified Human Resources Professional (HRPA) and Certified Career Strategist (CPC), Sharon is well-equipped to champion change management initiatives, promote professional development within ACMP Ontario and guide the chapter’s plans for growth. She brings with her a reputation for innovation, dedication, and empathic leadership.
Connect with Sharon: LinkedIn
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Tara-Lee Ainsworth
Vice-President
Tara-Lee is a bilingual executive consultant with over 25 years’ experience in leading and managing people across numerous industries in small, medium, and Fortune 500 companies.
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She is an engaged leader, passionate about people development who believes in providing coaching and training to support leadership development and achieve outstanding results for both individual growth and business objectives. She is a results-driven individual with extensive experience in operations leading initiatives in the areas of people, process, and technology transformation projects.
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Tara-Lee is an active volunteer with ACMP, she was the Secretary in the transformational project in the creation of ACMP Ontario Chapter (2B) and a committee member in the Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Charter.​​
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Connect with Tara-Lee: LinkedIn
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Lisa Snow
Secretary & Treasurer
Lisa Snow is a seasoned change leader dedicated to holistic coaching, facilitation, and consultation with 15 years specializing in Organizational Change Management during her 28-year career in the financial industry. A Prosci-certified Change Enablement expert with a BA in English and Psychology and a Master’s Diploma in Executive Talent Management, she holds certifications as a Change Leadership Accelerator, Co-Active Executive Coach, Accredited Outsourcing Practitioner, and Certified Laughter Yoga Leader.
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Lisa’s impact extends beyond business transformation—she is a founding member and director of Oasis: A Centre for Bereavement and Healing, a not-for-profit supporting individuals navigating bereavement following the loss of a loved one. An award-winning professional and committed community advocate, she has actively contributed to long-term care governance, parent councils, and employee resource groups.
Passionate about driving meaningful change, Lisa empowers individuals and organizations to navigate complexity with resilience and purpose.
​Connect with Lisa Snow: LinkedIn
Joanne Free-Pameli
Director, Membership
Joanne Free-Pameli is a Change Leadership Consultant, Leadership Coach, and Mentor with more than 15 years of experience helping organizations and leaders successfully navigate transformation. She specializes in blending innovative change management practices with impactful coaching, ensuring leaders and teams not only manage change but thrive through it.
Her work spans industries including retail, insurance, banking, utilities, manufacturing, healthcare, and real estate. Joanne has led change initiatives for organizations of all sizes—from entrepreneurial start-ups to global corporations with more than 80,000 employees—designing tailored strategies that balance business outcomes with the human experience of change.
As a certified consultant with Riders & Elephants, Joanne is endorsed to train and certify others in the use of their globally recognized culture and leadership tools. She is also deeply committed to developing the next generation of change professionals, mentoring both those just entering the field and seasoned practitioners seeking to expand their impact.
Joanne’s client portfolio includes senior executives, small business leaders, and entrepreneurs who value her authentic, transparent approach and ability to keep the “human” at the center of transformation. Her passion for people-centric strategy, combined with her reputation for empathy, innovation, and results, makes her a trusted partner for leaders and organizations seeking meaningful, lasting change.
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Connect with Joanne: LinkedIn
Maryam Awan
Director, Partnership & Sponsorship
Maryam Awan is an experienced change management leader who brings a unique people-first approach to organizational transformation. As co-founder of Awan & Associates, a boutique consulting firm based in Ottawa, she specializes in guiding organizations through complex change initiatives while ensuring the human element remains at the center of every transformation. With over 15 years of experience spanning financial services, aviation, healthcare, and public sector organizations, Maryam has successfully led change initiatives across Human Resources, Technology, and Operations.
Maryam holds an MBA from the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa and is certified in Prosci ADKAR® change management methodology and as an Integral® Associate Coach. This combination of academic rigor and practical certification enables her to deliver both strategic vision and hands-on implementation support.
Maryam’s dual perspective as both an internal change leader and a consultant allows her to understand the challenges organizations face from multiple angles, whether leading cross-functional teams as an employee or advising C-suite executives as a trusted consultant. She excels at building bridges between strategy and execution, ensuring that transformation initiatives achieve business objectives while maintaining employee engagement throughout the process.
Currently serving as a senior manager at NAV CANADA, Maryam is actively working to strengthen the change management community. She focuses on creating meaningful partnerships between public and private sector organizations, fostering collaboration that elevates the practice of change management across the globe.
Connect with Maryam: LinkedIn
Emeline Forbes
Director, Professional Development
Emeline Forbes is an accomplished change and business transformation consultant with a passion that lies at the intersection of strategy, innovation and human centric change, fueled by her desire to tackle complex problems. Emeline has a track record of guiding leaders to reimagine organizations so that it can better respond to internal and external forces. Her professional practice spans strategic transformation, change management and organizational leadership with a deep-rooted passion and focus on people; driving social change and enabling leadership grappling with high-stakes business issues, with the skills that achieves desired business outcomes, with clarity and confidence.
Her career journey working across private and public sectors began over 15 years ago starting in the technology sector, she has worked in organizations of all sizes. She excels at bringing balance and industry diverse perspectives and has developed a disciplined, strategically led practice which enables her to partner with stakeholders, fostering an environment of continuous improvement and agility. The value Emeline brings to her clients is two-fold; ensuring leaders are equipped with the capabilities and the confidence to perform, with clarity.
In her spare time, Emeline, alongside her husband, donates time serving their local church community ministering to marginalized communities.
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Connect with Emeline: LinkedIn
Andrew Ourique
Director Events
Andrew Ourique is a recognized expert in people strategy and organizational change management with over a decade of experience guiding organizations through complex transformations. He is the Principal Consultant and Founder of Reroute Consulting Inc., a consultancy specializing in change management and dedicated to helping organizations manage the complexity of change with confidence.
Andrew’s experience spans several industries including pharmaceuticals, financial services, and not-for-profits, and has experience working on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations, mergers and acquisitions (M&As), operating model redesign, performance management, talent strategy development and more.
He is also a proud dog dad to a 2 year old husky-lab mix and has 2 black cats at home for that added layer of chaos!
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Connect with Andrew: LinkedIn
Kindness Onyeka-Dike
Director, Communications and Marketing
Kindness is a passionate change manager with a background in communications and digital marketing. With a focus on helping organizations navigate transformation with clarity and purpose, she excels at fostering meaningful connections and driving engagement through strategic storytelling and communication.
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Collaboration and the power of partnerships are at the heart of Kindness’s approach, creating opportunities for lasting impact. Whether supporting change initiatives or amplifying a message, she is dedicated to making a real difference in every project.
Throughout her career journey, Kindness has contributed to projects that have expanded market reach and built strong industry relationships. Outside of work, she enjoys connecting with the change management community, making music and spending quality time with family.
Connect with Kindness: LinkedIn
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Arif Naghar
Director at Large
Arif is an experienced Change Management professional that brings both real world experience and methodology to the table. Arif has extensive experience in various industries ranging from manufacturing, automotive and engineering sectors, where he helped shape change management within fast-paced environments. Currently, in the public sector, he adds value by bringing positive, transformational changes within the education ecosystem.
A strong believer in ACMP and its vision, Arif is a Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP™) and is one of the first professionals to achieve the Master in Change Management Professional Certification (MCMP™) through ACMP and continues to support the growth of the organization into the future. He is also a credential holder of Prosci’s Change Practitioner® and Prosci Certified Advanced Change Practitioner (PCACP®) certifications.
A lifelong learner, Arif is looking forward to using his skillset to help elevate the field of Change Management and ACMP Ontario to new heights.
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Connect with Arif: LinkedIn
Jennifer Ferguson
Director at Large
Jennifer is an advocate of change management and a certified project manager. She has over 20 years experience in the financial services industry in various roles within call centres, compliance, marketing operations, project office, and marketing execution. She currently facilitates and oversees change management activities related to the execution and ongoing maintenance of bank marketing campaigns.
Jennifer has a First Class Honours degree from Brock University with a double major in psychology and sociology. She has a passion for leading initiatives and guiding and influencing people.
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Connect with Jennifer: LinkedIn