Kawartha Haliburton Children’s Aid Society (KHCAS) has a new executive director, almost two years after the entire board resigned following a provincial government takeover of the child welfare agency and seven months after a new board was established.
On Monday (June 8), board chair Len Lifchus announced that Amanda Baker-Colacicco will be the organization’s new executive director effective Monday, June 15.
Currently the executive director of Family and Children’s Services of Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, Baker-Colacicco will be taking over from Rosaleen Cutler, who is currently the interim executive director after being appointed as supervisor by the Ontario government in October 2024.
That appointment happened after the previous KHCAS board resigned en mass after learning the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services would be installing a supervisor for up to a year to oversee and manage the child welfare agency in place of the board and executive director.
At the time, Ontario premier Doug Ford suggested that Ontario’s 37 non-Indigenous children’s aid societies were being financially mismanaged, with the province subsequently launching a review to look at issues such as the quality of protection the children’s aid societies provide as well as their finances.
As with other societies across the province, the Kawartha Haliburton Children’s Aid Society — which has its head office in Peterborough and branches in Lindsay and Haliburton — was running a deficit, and had announced plans to reduce its $22 million budget by $7.6 million over three years, including by laying off 24 full-time equivalent positions and closing its Haliburton branch.
After Culter’s appointment as provincial supervisor, she led the KHCAS during the development of a deficit management plan and the implementation of the agency’s operational review. Last November, a new board was established led by former United Way Peterborough & District CEO Len Lifchus, with Cutler continuing to lead the agency until a permanent executive director could be recruited.
Following the formation of the new board, which also includes lawyer Blake Jeffries as treasurer, healthcare professional John Corso as vice-chair, Curve Lake First Nation councillor Arnold Taylor, educator Allison Sadowski, and former Peterborough County warden J. Murray Jones, executive search firm KBRS was hired to lead the search for a new executive director.
According to a media release, KBRS engaged with over 100 potential candidates resulting in 90 candidates being considered for the position. A board-appointed search committee narrowed the search down to three candidates before bringing their recommendation to the board on April 15.
According to Lifchus, Baker-Colacicco is a child welfare executive with extensive statutory, operational, and governance leadership experience across Ontario’s child welfare system, and has “a rare combination of frontline credibility, senior operational oversight, and system-level policy experience.”
“Her leadership is distinguished by a strong ability to drive organizational performance, stabilize operations, and deliver results in high-pressure, resource-constrained environments,” reads the media release.
Baker-Colacicco is a registered social worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers who holds a Master of Social Worker degree from Wilfred Laurier University, an Honours BA, Child and Youth Care from Toronto Metropolitan University, and a Public Sector Executive Leadership Certificate from Queen’s University Smith School of Business. Baker-Colacicco is a member of the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Society Board of Directors.
“The most meaningful change comes from working respectfully alongside communities and partners, with a focus on equitable and accessible supports,” Baker-Colacicco said.
According to the release, after getting to know staff and meeting with partners, stakeholders, and key officials in all areas of the KHCAS service territory, Baker-Colacicco will lead the organization in the development of a new strategic plan and will also be responsible for completing the organization’s deficit management plan and collaborative operational review work plans, which have been underway for the past 18 months.
“Implementation of each is on target, with expectations to reach the goals and completion dates as established with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services,” the release states.
