FPSO Chief Executive Officer (4 years) · Chief Communications Officer (since 2015) · Governance & Policy Chair (since 2010)
Vanessa Milley is the incumbent FPSO Chief Executive Officer (4 years), Chief Communications Officer since 2015, and Governance & Policy Chairperson since 2010, serving on the FPSO Board for 15 years. She has presented on behalf of FPSO and collaborated with partners including OACAS, the Ombudsman’s Office, and MCCSS. Beyond FPSO, Vanessa brings nearly 43 years of board experience.
Vanessa fostered with a local CAS for 20 years, caring for 150 children while raising five children (three biological and two adopted). She volunteered on her local FPA for 17 years—13 as President—and eight as a regional FPSO Director. Since 2018, she has fostered in the private sector.
An experienced advocate with 24 years supporting foster parents, Vanessa has been privileged to train FPSO Advocacy One for the past eight years.
My husband and I began fostering 25 years ago, most of that time as a treatment home. We have cared for children of all ages, including many with health issues and neurodivergence. Maurice and I have four adult children and eight grandchildren, and we are proud to be a farming family.
Prior to fostering, I worked in various areas of child care — running family resource centres and nursery schools in rural areas across three countries and two provinces. I have served as FPA President for Toronto CAS for 14 years, representing CAST on the FPSO Board, where I currently serve as Chief Operations Officer (4 years) and Training Coordinator.
I am also the Ontario Director and Vice-President for the Canadian Foster Families Association, continuing to advocate for families and caregivers across the province and beyond.
Having been elected to the Office of “FPSO Corporate Secretary” (2015) under Bylaw #5, I began managing communications, minutes, and all key correspondence for FPSO. In 2017, I was additionally appointed to the role of Executive Director of FPSO, and the Head Office was officially registered to reside within my home.
All of FPSO’s archives and active documents are stored and managed at Head Office. As FPSO transitioned to Bylaw #6 (2020), the role of Corporate Secretary was “grandfathered” into the new title of Chief Communications Officer.
I have faithfully fulfilled both of these roles while also serving as Governance and Policy Chairperson, ensuring FPSO’s communications, operations, and governance remain transparent and effective.
My husband and I will be celebrating 43 years of fostering this coming May. We began as the founders and live-in group home parents, focusing on young adults with developmental delays, before transitioning to traditional foster care when we started our own family in 1984.
We have fostered in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Northern Ontario and have been with WECAS for 34 years. I currently serve as 1st Vice President of our local FPA, where I’ve proudly supported caregivers for several years. Our home specializes in caring for children with complex medical and behavioural diagnoses, and we consider it a privilege to serve in the fostering community.
For the past 15 years, our home has operated as a Therapeutic Foster Home within our agency. Beyond fostering, I am deeply involved in athletics as the Head Coach for Rhythmic Gymnastics and Track & Field with the local chapter of Special Olympics Ontario. I have been coaching with Special Olympics since I was 17 years old and have a true passion for coaching and cheering on my athletes.
Delia Kennedy is a foster parent with the Toronto Children’s Aid Society and an active member of the FPA team for Toronto. She also serves as a Director on the FPSO Board, bringing years of lived experience and compassion to her leadership role.
Over the past 24 years, Delia and her family have fostered more than 60 children and youth through CAS. She has three biological children who grew up as foster siblings to many, and while fostering, her family adopted a baby who is now a 20-year-old adult. Their home is full of energy, currently with four teenage girls.
Delia extends her care beyond fostering by supporting young women who have aged out of the system—offering mentorship, connection, and emotional support. She often receives phone and video calls from former youth across provinces and even other countries, just to share life updates, milestones, and special moments.
In addition to her family work, Delia is a valued support to foster parents seeking guidance or advice on handling difficult situations, always providing empathy, wisdom, and encouragement.
Hi, my name is Kim Serre. My husband Keith and I began our fostering journey 23 years ago with Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions when it seemed like having a child together was not in the cards for us. We started by offering respite care and later received our first placement — a 12-year-old girl. Shortly after, I became pregnant.
Our daughter was born with a genetic condition called Williams Syndrome. Her medical appointments and therapies made returning to work unrealistic, but fostering allowed me to stay home, support our community, and care for others. During our 18 years with SMFC, we cared for countless infants and teen girls, and I served on several committees, including revising Annual Review Documents, the Foster Parent Recruitment Committee, and coordinating the Mentoring Program. I also served as 2nd Vice President of the Foster Family Association.
Our world changed again when we received a call one night to take in three Indigenous siblings. What was meant to be a short-term placement has turned into a lifelong journey — seven years later, we are still caring for them, and the sibling group has grown to six. Wanting to ensure the siblings could remain together as a family unit, we transitioned to Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child and Family Services (DBCFS), where we are now Customary Care Parents.
My husband is half Indigenous, and we felt it was important for the children to explore and connect with that part of their culture. As part of DBCFS, I co-facilitate the monthly Care Provider Support meetings, serve as Regional Liaison Officer, and act as a Director on the FPSO Board. I am honoured to take on the role of Chief Indigenous Relationship Officer and continue supporting meaningful relationships with Indigenous families and communities.