Our Team

Lorne Bernstein is an active volunteer, having participated with a diverse range of not-for-profit organizations in a variety of roles from committee member to board chair and president. Celebrating 50 years with his life partner Barbara, together they have two children and have been blessed with two grandchildren. Lorne comes to NIED through lived family experience and understands the challenges posed by society, from the lack of public awareness and support at all levels to the personal impact on the family and caregivers alike. Lorne has also experienced the joy that comes from commitment and hope in breaking through these same barriers.

Natasha Zanolin is a professional keynote speaker and the author of How to Make Life Your Gym. She speaks at HR conferences, executive off-sites, and leadership programs across Canada on workplace mental health, leading while struggling, and what caregivers teach us about management. Natasha's path to NIED is deeply personal. She lived with an eating disorder for thirty-four years, and for most of those years, she had no community and no one who understood what she was carrying. Stepping into NIED has felt less like a new beginning and more like picking up a thread she was never quite ready to put down. In parallel with her speaking and her work at NIED, Natasha is a Consult Partner with a global consulting firm, where she advises senior leaders on enterprise transformation and modernization. Two decades of executive experience inside organizations ground the speaking work and shape how she shows up at NIED. The three roles all draw from the same place: the conviction that organizations and the people running them are better off when the truth about mental health stops being kept quiet.

Morris is a registered life member of The Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario. A career businessman and previous owner of one of Canada’s largest jewellery manufacturing companies. He was elected Chairman of the Canadian Jewellery Association after heading up its Government Affairs committee, which lobbied for and oversaw the elimination of the federal excise tax on jewellery. As well, he has served as a board member of other associations and was a founding director and the first treasurer of The Diamond Bourse of Canada. Morris is a devoted husband, father of three sons and grandfather of nine. He is excited to be given the opportunity to use his professional skills and experience to assist NIED in meeting its worthy objectives.

Arielle is a passionate advocate and public policy professional. She is dedicated to raising awareness and creating a community of care and support for those suffering from eating disorders and their families. As a long-time volunteer with NIED, Arielle is eager to cultivate and support a strong and active network of volunteers and advocates across the country.

Erica Bradbury is a Registered Pharmacy Technician in hospital pharmacy in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with extensive experience in healthcare, nonprofit governance, and international volunteerism. She currently serves as a Director and past Secretary with the Canada Africa Community Health Alliance and has participated in multiple medical missions to Tanzania. A passionate advocate for eating disorder awareness and improved access to care, Erica combines professional expertise with lived experience to help drive meaningful system change. After surviving severe anorexia nervosa and overcoming significant barriers to accessing specialized treatment, she has become a respected voice for reducing stigma and improving care. Through public advocacy, she shares her recovery journey to inspire hope while advancing conversations around equitable, evidence-based treatment. Joining the NIED Board of Directors is a deeply meaningful full-circle moment, allowing Erica to transform her experience into action. She is committed to helping build a future where timely, compassionate, evidence-based care is accessible to everyone affected by eating disorders and where no individual or family has to face their journey alone.

Jennifer recently completed her Master of Public Health and is passionate about health promotion and advancing health equity. She strongly believes that everyone deserves equal access to care, support, and reliable information. Through her years volunteering with NIED, Jennifer has become passionate about expanding the conversation around eating disorders, ensuring that both those affected and the caregivers who support them feel seen and included. She’s excited to continue working toward a future where everyone impacted by eating disorders can find the support and understanding they deserve.

Rebekah Gold is a PhD Candidate in Child and Youth Studies at Brock University. Her research explores care work, mental health, and participatory, arts-based approaches to research with young carers and their families. Drawing on her own lived experience as a young carer, Rebekah’s community-based research is informed by critical theory and centres the stories and wisdom of young carers. Her current work focuses on young carers who are supporting parents or elder kin living with mental distress through mental health system access and responses. Rebekah is a Research Affiliate with the Young Caregivers Association and the Co-founder and National Lead of the Young Caregivers Collective of Canada, an advocacy community of young carers and an initiative of the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence.

Peter Rymkiewicz is Founder and CEO of Sage Health Analytics Ltd., a Calgary-based consultancy specializing in health system strategy, analytics, and program accountability. With over 25 years in Alberta's health system, including senior operational leadership at Mosaic Primary Care Network, where he oversaw information management, privacy, and organizational performance. Peter has dedicated his career to strengthening how health systems measure, govern, and deliver care. His current work spans primary care reform and accountability frameworks with provincial health ministries in Alberta and British Columbia. Peter is drawn to NIED's mission because eating disorders sit at the intersection of the system gaps he has spent his career addressing: fragmented care pathways, under-resourced mental health services, and the absence of meaningful accountability for outcomes. An experienced volunteer board leader, he currently serves as Board Chair of the Nose Creek Swim Association.

Sarah Costantini is a PhD Candidate at the University of Guelph. Her research draws on arts-based and storytelling methods to critically explore how care operates and is experienced within the eating disorder treatment from the perspective of those with lived/living experience of an eating disorder, as well as clinicians. Sarah's lived experience of an eating disorder drives her dedication to exploring and creating alternative pathways that facilitate relational, accessible, and equitable care. Sarah joined NIED in 2023 as a volunteer with the Education Committee, drawn to NIED's unwavering commitment to supporting caregivers through their loved one's journey. She is eager to continue working with NIED to support individuals and families in finding the care they need.

A dedicated mental health advocate and community leader, Joshua brings a wealth of knowledge and personal lived experience to the mental health sector and to various national and local projects, boards, and organizations. Passionate about mental health and suicide prevention, Joshua has worked tirelessly to raise awareness around mental health and suicide prevention efforts, educate on the types of resources available, and push for key policy changes to improve the mental health of Canadians. This includes his advocacy for the National 988, a national suicide prevention strategy, a national mental health transfer, and much more. Between 2020 and 2024, Joshua started and operated a youth mental health advocacy organization in the Hamilton region. Joshua currently serves as the National Co-Chair of the National Advisory Council of the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, Chair of the National Advisory Council of the National Initiative for Eating Disorders, and a Community Champion with Unsinkable. Joshua is also a Member in good standing of the Eating Disorders Association of Canada, the Global Mental Health Action Network, and a Member of the 988 Community Member Advisor Network. In early 2025, Joshua was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal by the Governor General's Office on behalf of the King for his significant contributions to Canada for his mental health and suicide prevention work.

Olivia Pillai Quinney is a writer, speaker, educator, and advocate dedicated to supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. Drawing on her lived experience, she brings authenticity and compassion to her advocacy, education, and writing. She is the author of the middle-grade novel Catch, Drive, Release, Recover, inspired by her own recovery journey. Olivia has served on both the Education and Communications Committees for the National Initiative for Eating Disorders (NIED). She also serves on the Board of Directors for Equilaw, a Canadian non-profit organization committed to advancing and protecting the legal rights of people with disabilities. An elementary school teacher and accomplished public speaker, Olivia is passionate about empowering others through storytelling, education, and advocacy.

Pamela brings deeply personal experience and commitment to NIED after a difficult and daunting journey where she and her family struggled to support her daughter through anorexia. This personal experience fuels her passion for advocacy and fundraising to improve guidance, awareness, and resources for caregivers, and ultimately outcomes of those suffering from eating disorders. As a Property Director with over 25 years of commercial real estate property management expertise, Pamela leverages her leadership in strategic planning, financial oversight, and collaborative management to directly support NIED's mission. Her commitment to community service extends beyond NIED through her role as Co-Chair of the Yonge North York BIA, representing 1,600 businesses, Demonstrating her dedication to creating meaningful impact in both mental health advocacy and broader community initiatives.

Maria Nicula is a PhD student at McMaster University studying Health Research Methodology, with a focus on improving treatment and healthcare services for individuals living with and families impacted by eating disorders. Her research explores how to make care more effective, accessible, and grounded in the real needs of individuals with eating disorders and their caregivers. Maria is passionate about prevention, early intervention, and translating research into practical change. She is especially interested in supporting caregivers and ensuring that their voices and lived experience are central to shaping services. In addition to her academic work, Maria serves on the Board of Directors for the National Initiative for Eating Disorders (NIED), driven by her commitment to advocacy, collaboration, and systems-level change in eating disorder care.