Our Key People 

SOS Children's Villages has grown since it's inception in 1969, thanks to our key people who strive to keep our costs low, to fully benefit from the donations we receive, and who help us build families for orphaned and abandoned children.      

Boyd McBride, National Director

Boyd McBride has served as the National Director of SOS Children’s Villages Canada since 2001.

Boyd has worked in the international development community for most of his career, beginning with CUSO (now CUSO/VSO) over 25 years ago.  He gained further experience while in fundraising and in leadership roles at the Canadian Red Cross Society, the Canadian Organization for Development through Education (CODE) and the Canadian Paraplegic Association.  His work and professional consultancies have taken him to South and East Asia, Latin America and Africa. 

For many years Boyd coordinated the National Program in Fundraising Education for Algonquin College.  He has presented numerous workshops and has worked with Boards of Directors and staff groups for organizations across Canada and as far away as Brazil and Guyana. 

Boyd received his BA from the University of Alberta and earned his MA in International Affairs from the Patterson School at Carleton University.  He earned his CFRE (Certified Fundraising Executive) in 1994 and is currently Vice President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Ottawa Chapter. 

He lives in Ottawa with his partner and two children.

Media photo of Boyd McBride 
 

SOS Children’s Villages Staff

Jacques Paquette, Database Manager

Jennifer Plank, Donor Relations

Jennifer assists SOS’ donors with any queries they might have and ensures that SOS keeps in touch with our friends and contributors. Jennifer joined SOS Children’s Villages Canada in 2008. Jennifer has BA from the University of Western Ontario. She has spent many years living and working in Europe, South Asia, and West Africa, most recently in the food security sector in Ghana.

Tammy Peters, Sponsorship Administrator

Tammy administers SOS’ child sponsor program, connecting SOS children with sponsors and assisting sponsors with any concerns they might have. A graduate of Algonquin College, Tammy has worked for SOS Children’s Children’s Villages since 2009, having previously worked in the non-profit and hospitality sectors.  

Shari Amelotte, Donations Administrator

Shari assists with the processing donations and sponsorships. Her experience with Raiser’s Edge software has helped us streamline the sponsorship program and reduce administration costs. Shari has been with SOS Children’s Villages since 2000 and currently splits her time between family and her son Nikolas and SOS.


Kelsey Lemon, Partnership Program Manager
Marc Bonomo, Partnership Coordinator

Kelsey and Marc manage SOS Canada’s relationships with various corporations, foundations, public funders such as CIDA, as well as clubs and associations A native of Victoria BC, Kelsey joined SOS Children’s Villages Canada in 2003. Kelsey has travelled extensively in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America and has completed her Masters degree in International Relations, specializing in Development and Conflict. Marc joined SOS Children’s Villages Canada in the spring of 2010. He is a recent graduate of the School of International Development and Globalization at the University of Ottawa.

Daniel Loftus, Integrated Sponsorship Program Manager

Daniel works with the Mass promotion methods to promote the work we do for orphaned children. Concentration on promotion of sponsorships, Daniel has over 10 years' of internet marketing experience, 4 years in Direct Response TV matched with a background in marketing research. Daniel holds a bachelor of commerce degree.

Jennifer Eksund, Office Manager

Jennifer is responsible for the smooth running of SOS Children’s Villages Canada’s national office and assisting with public inquiries. Jennifer worked for over a decade as an ER nurse before moving into office administration. She joined SOS Children’s Villages in July, 2011.

Graeme Burk, Communications Manager

Graeme keeps the public connected with SOS’ activities through marketing and communications materials such as newsletters, news releases and the website, and also provides media relations support for the organization. Graeme has 15 years of experience in communications in the non-profit sector. He joined SOS Children’s Villages in June 2011.