To reach our management team, please call 1-866-470-7111 or email info@strongestfamilies.com.
Dr. Patricia Lingley-Pottie
President & CEO
Dr. Patricia Lingley-Pottie is co-founder of the Strongest Families Institute (SFI) and SFI's proprietary digital health platform, IRIS. She is President and CEO of SFI, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University and a Scientist at the IWK Health Centre. Dr. Pottie has more than 30 years of pediatric nursing experience with expertise in research methods, scale development and the conduct of randomized clinical trials. The past 20 years have been focused on psychological research, specifically harnessing the advantages of technology to deliver accessible and timely distance, evidence-based interventions to children, youth, adults and families. Dr. Pottie has published 32 articles and editorials. As the leader of SFI and IRIS, Dr. Pottie has scaled SFI services successfully within Canada and in some regions internationally. She is the recipient of the Digital Health Canada 2020 Women Leaders In Digital Health Award, CAMIMH (Champions of Mental Health Award) 2019, Atlantic Canada Top 50 CEO 2018, and the co-recipient of the 2017 Governor General Innovation Award of Canada and the 2013 Ernest C. Manning Principal Encana Award for Social Innovation. Under her leadership, Strongest Families Institute has also received the 2012 Mental Health Commission of Canada Award for Social Innovation.
Kati LaVigne
VP Operations
Kati joined Strongest Families in 2009. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Psychology as well as an Executive Certificate in Leadership & Innovation from Dalhousie University. Kati oversees SFI’s strategic planning, funder contracts and stakeholder relations while providing daily leadership.
Darcy Comeau
VP Finance
Darcy joined Strongest Families in Feb 2019 and leads the organization's risk and financial processes including strategies, budget, planning and forecasting. She holds a Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada designation.
Elizabeth Hines
Senior Director, Client Services
Elizabeth joined Strongest Families in July 2013 as a Coach. She has a Bachelor of Education from MSVU and in her role as Director, she oversees our Coaches in the delivery of our programs ensuring quality delivery and strong outcomes. She is a proud military spouse and works closely with our military and Veteran family agencies.
Charles MacKenzie
Sr. Director Philanthropy
Charles is a fund development professional with a decade of experience helping non-profits across Canada. He has held senior positions with several major national organizations, including Second Harvest Canada, Diabetes Canada, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Charles is a Cape Breton University graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in History and has also pursued graduate studies in history, completing his MA at the University of Western Ontario. An active community volunteer, he has served on the boards of several organizations across Canada.
Michael Hughes
Director of IT
Mike joined SFI in 2014 and has done an incredible job growing and leading the IT department for the past 7 years. In this role, he will continue to lead the IT team, as well as manage the design and implementation of SFI’s IT infrastructure, and eliminating security risks as it relates to information technology.