Melissa Jennings is our Director of Operations and Support Services.

Melissa holds a master’s degree in child studies and a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Early in her career, she was involved in a range of program evaluation and community-based research initiatives in the areas of school-age childcare, early years, social-emotional learning, violence against women, and programming for seniors. Melissa joined the Knowledge Institute’s leadership team in 2012 and has led the evaluation support program, the knowledge broker team, and most recently key internal planning- and performance-related activities.

Melissa oversees the Knowledge Institute’s operations.

Nicholas Watters is our Executive Director.

Nicholas holds bachelor degrees in Political Science and Communication Studies from the University of Windsor, a Master of Business Administration from the Australian Institute of Business, and a Certified Health Executive designation from the Canadian College of Health Leaders.

In 2022, Nicholas received eMHIC’s Lifetime Achievement Award for e-mental health development, implementation, and forward-thinking leadership. In 2018, he won the Great Canadian Healthcare debate, moderated by André Picard at the Canadian College of Health Leaders Conference. His winning topic was universal mental health care for all.

Dr. Amy Porath (PhD, CHE) is our Director of Research and Knowledge Mobilization.

She also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa and as an Investigator at the CHEO Research Institute. 

An alumna of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, Amy is an internationally recognized expert in substance use health research and knowledge mobilization. With more than 22 years of experience, government officials, NGOs, top-tier media, and communities regularly seek her expertise. Her strategic leadership in providing evidence to help Canadians make informed decisions about cannabis earned her a spot on Canada’s Top 100 Health Influencers list in 2019 and 2020. 

Committed to advancing high-quality care, Amy advises on system transformation across child and youth mental health, addictions, and substance use health services.