Executive staff members

(She/her/elle)
President and CEO

Ms. Page brings a wealth of legal and executive leadership experience to her role. After graduating from the University of Toronto, she earned her Juris Doctor from Georgia State University and is a member of the bar in Ontario and Georgia. She began her legal career in the United States in 1996, first as an Assistant District Attorney, trying felony cases in both rural and urban jurisdictions, and then as a civil litigator in state and federal courts. Ms. Page also served as a magistrate judge, presiding over criminal and civil matters, including bail and preliminary hearings. Upon returning to Ontario, she served as a Senior Policy Advisor to two Attorneys General.

Ms. Page joined LAO in 2012 as Senior Counsel in the General Counsel Office. She went on to become Director of Litigation and Regulatory Affairs, leading the creation of LAO’s first self-promulgated regulatory regime that supports the Legal Aid Services Act, 2020. Since 2022, Ms. Page has served as Vice President of Strategy and Public Affairs and Chief Risk Officer, leading stakeholder and government relations, policy, business intelligence, communications and corporate planning and reporting.

(she/her/elle)
Vice President, General Counsel and Compliance

Janet has worked at Legal Aid Ontario for over 20 years, developing her skills in a number of roles including staff lawyer with the Quality Assurance program, team lead of the Clinic Services Office, regional business manager of Central and Eastern Region and vice president of Southwest Region and Specialty Clinics. Before joining the organization she worked as a staff lawyer at the ARCH Disability Law Centre. She studied at Princeton University and earned her LLB at Queens University.

(She/her/elle)

Vice President, Corporate Services & Chief Administrative Officer

Abby joined LAO in 2023 after many years in a variety of leadership roles with the Ontario public service, including positions at the Ministries of Transportation and Education. She most recently served as Director of the Funding and Programs Branch with the Ministry of Long Term Care. In this role, Abby provided oversight of billions in operating dollars for critical funding programs to long-term care homes and the broader sector. She brings to LAO extensive experience working in complex political environments, building collaborative relationships to achieve results, and championing mentorship, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto.

(he/him/il)
Acting vice president, Operations

Vadim joined LAO in 2015 as Director of the Audit and Compliance Services Branch with extensive experience in the Ontario Public Service. He has worked in various managerial roles across several ministries in the areas of finance and corporate services, strategic policy, information technology and program oversight. At LAO, Vadim oversees the Central Operations and Client Experience department, the Centralized Services department, the Roster Management department, the Clinic Resource Office, the Multiple Languages Services department and LAO LAW. Leading the Operations division, he provides oversight of several key LAO strategic initiatives with a keen focus on client service and staff engagement. .

Vadim holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Stockholm.

(he/him/il)
Vice President, Clinic Law Services

Rod has spent most of his career at Legal Aid Ontario, serving in a variety of roles over the past 27 years. As manager of Business Analysis, he helped develop detailed business cases to secure funding in support of the delivery of legal aid services across the province. During his tenure as director of Policy, he worked on LAO’s vulnerable client strategies and led the restructuring of the board advisory committees to engage external stakeholders in providing expert advice to LAO’s board of directors. He was director of Business Intelligence and Statistics from 2012 to 2016 and served as acting vice president of Strategic Planning and Compliance from 2016 to 2018, establishing enterprise risk management processes and building relationships with LAO’s external partners.