Access Team
Portfolio Managers
Jennifer Black
BSED, FMA, CFP, CIM, FEA
As President and Chief Operating Officer of Access Family Office Corp. & Access Private Wealth Corp., Jennifer drives the firm’s operations, infrastructure, and governance – ensuring the Access Team delivers a high quality client experience with consistency and discipline.
Jennifer is known for creating technology‑driven processes that keep the firm’s operations efficient, coordinated, and scalable. She also provides the compliance platform that underpins every client relationship, ensuring the firm operates with rigor and accountability. Her focus is on precision and coordination, making sure complex planning, investment, and advisory work moves smoothly and nothing slips through the cracks.
With deep experience as a Private Wealth Manager, Portfolio Manager, and specially trained Family Enterprise Advisor, Jennifer brings a practitioner’s lens to firm leadership. She understands both the technical and human dimensions of wealth, shaping how Access is structured, governed, and continuously improved.
Although she no longer works directly with clients, Jennifer’s influence is central to the client experience. Her operational discipline, oversight, and continuity empower the Access Team to focus on what matters most – advice, relationships, and long‑term outcomes.
Jennifer’s commitment to thoughtful planning extends beyond her professional role. After supporting a friend through the emotional and financial challenges of widowhood, she recognized the lack of practical, accessible resources available to families navigating major life transitions. This experience led Jennifer to create a free online resource for widows, widowers, and their loved ones, and later to author the book Managing Alone. The book is designed to help couples prepare well-structured estate plans and navigate financial responsibilities with greater clarity – ensuring continuity and confidence if one partner is no longer able to manage affairs independently.
Jennifer has also been actively involved in her community, including as a past member of 100 Women Who Care, and through years of volunteer involvement supporting youth sports as her children were growing up.
Jennifer lives in Port Credit, Mississauga with her husband, Kevin, and their two daughters. She enjoys spending time with family and watching her daughters find their passions and work toward their own goals.
Doug Beck
BA, CFP, CIM, FCSI
With more than 25 years of experience in financial services, Doug brings an independent, planning-led approach to wealth management – one grounded in fiduciary responsibility, rigorous investment discipline, and long-term thinking.
As a Portfolio Manager, Doug is held to the highest fiduciary standard on behalf of clients. He is responsible for meeting with clients and communicating our research, portfolio construction, and investment decision-making process across the Access portfolios.
While Doug works from our Ancaster, Ontario office, he serves clients across Canada and the United States as part of the broader Access team. He works closely with clients and their professional advisors to develop integrated solutions that align investment strategy with tax, estate, and long-term planning considerations.
Honesty, professionalism, and accessibility are central to Doug’s approach – and to the relationships he builds with clients over time.
Outside the office, family is central to Doug’s life. He is the proud father of three children and has spent many years balancing professional life with time in hockey and lacrosse arenas, dance recitals, and family activities.
With all three working or attending university, Doug spends much of his free time outdoors – running, cycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, and golfing. Being active outside provides balance and perspective in an otherwise demanding profession.
Doug is also deeply committed to his local community. Alongside his wife, he has helped organize the Dundas Terry Fox Run for several years, a cause that has become a meaningful family tradition. He also volunteers with the local Meals on Wheels program, reflecting a long-standing commitment to giving back.
Riley Phillipson
HBA, CFA
Riley will be involved in every aspect of the investment, research, and due diligence process going forward. He will conduct modelling, evaluate potential investment opportunities, make recommendations, and monitor portfolio performance in addition to providing communication to clients around what we’re doing, what we’re thinking and what we expect from markets and the economy.
Prior to joining Access, Riley worked in the Family Office of Reddick Wellington where he managed a quality-focused public equity portfolio and led the primary due diligence efforts across the firm’s private equity, private credit and real estate investments.
Riley graduated with distinction from the Ivey Business School at Western University with an Honours in Business Administration. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and is pursuing his Chartered Business Valuator (CBV) designation.
Riley is currently residing in Toronto, he enjoys hockey, golf, travelling and is a voracious reader in his spare time.
Team Members
Janet Baccarani
BSc, MBA, CPA, CA, CFP, CEA
Janet is a tax-savvy financial planner dedicated to helping families preserve wealth and confidently transition it to the next generation. A Chartered Accountant with executive-level business experience, Janet brings a deep understanding of the complex planning needs of time-constrained corporate executives and business owners.
Her background includes product development for a leading tax-preparation software company, providing tax support to the products and services team at a major trust company, and serving as a director at one of Canada’s foremost publishers of taxation information for legal and accounting professionals.
Janet has over 25 years experience as a Certified Financial Planner, giving our clients the reassurance that their planning is grounded in deep technical expertise and real-world insight.
Community Involvement
- Current Volunteer at The Compass Food Bank, Mississauga
- Former Board Member, Women’s Leadership Council – United Way Peel
- Former Treasurer, Trillium Board
- Former treasurer for the Board of Directors, Renascent (a non-profit alcohol and drug addiction treatment centre)
- Former Treasurer, Renascent Foundation
Family & Interests
Janet and her husband, Zito, are the parents of two grown children and have 5 grandchildren. They live in Port Credit next door to their daughter, Jennifer, and her family. In her spare time, Janet enjoys reading, golf, and travel, and especially loves travel with the whole family.
Jonathan Mullett
Director of Risk Management
Since entering the financial services industry in 2002, Jonathan Mullett has been passionate about providing independent, client-centric advice, focused on insurance and estate planning. In previous roles, he’s had the opportunity to work alongside some of the best insurance minds in the industry, supporting them as they serve their clients and honing his skills. This ongoing commitment to personal development is an asset Jonathan brings to the boardroom and kitchen table alike, adding value to the lives of those he works with.
Jonathan’s experience as an insurance professional has taught him to hear conversations a little differently – not only gleaning the facts of every unique situation but ensuring an intimate understanding of the emotional elements as well. This helps formulate effective solutions and guides an informed decision-making process. He is a gifted communicator who can make very complex concepts easy to understand. Jonathan oversees all aspects of the Access Formula for clients. His expertise includes all aspects of both corporate and personal financial planning.
When not at work, Jonathan Mullett stays plenty busy with family. He and his wife Michelle have 4 amazing little ones to share their lives with. Aside from taxiing them between hockey, volleyball and soccer, they cherish time spent outside exploring the local conservation areas. There’s always lots on the go, but they love it. Jonathan enjoys mountain biking in all the great trails near their home and playing hockey with the guys in the winter.
Everything Jonathan does is guided by his personal mission statement, which is to ‘consider others more significant than myself.’ Not always easy, but definitely rewarding.
Cherryl Twiss
Family Wealth Administrator
Cherryl has been active in client service, tracking investments and responding to client enquiries since joining in 2013. Her duties include processing client applications, transfers and market orders, and responding to enquiries. She tracks daily transactions and communicates information to the clients about client reviews.
A graduate of Sheridan College with Honors in Business Administration (Co-op), Cherryl completed her CSI Canadian Securities Course and is a Licensed Investment Representative. She has also completed her Insurance License.
Cherryl’s extensive community involvement centers around her role as a Girl Guide Leader since 2000, where she has been involved in a number of activities, including, Program implementation, Camp facilitator, fundraising, and she is the First Aider for the unit.
Cherryl lives in Milton with her Husband, Steven, a dog and a cat. She has a married Step-Daughter and a Step-Granddaughter, a son at University and daughter living in Windsor. When at home, Cherryl enjoys doing crafts and swimming in her pool.
Catherine de Almeida
Client Service Specialist
Catherine is the first smiling face to greet you when you visit Access Private Wealth. She has a full range of general office administrative duties and is a personal assistant to Access Private Wealth co-owners Jennifer Black and Janet Baccarani.
A graduate of University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science, Catherine has a keen eye for detail coupled with a thoughtful customer service focus. As a co-owner and operator of her own small marketing business, Catherine has acquired a number of business skills from bookkeeping to project management.
Catherine lives in Mississauga with her husband and two children. Previously having run an in home daycare while her children were young she is very familiar with fast paced high pressure environments.
Heather Adams
Insurance Administrator
Heather joined Access in 2020 during our expansion. Heather had come from a very individual role working as a sole assistant to an advisor prior to joining our team. Heather has fit in perfectly and taking initiative to fill in any gaps we have. Focusing on investment administration and now taking on the insurance administration role as well. Heather enjoys talking to clients and helping to answer any questions they have.
Heather lives in the Ancaster area with her son. She enjoys spending time with family and always has side projects on t he go with her parents who like to stay busy.
Michelle Houghton
Client Success Specialist
Michelle Houghton enjoys meeting new people every day. She feels like everyone has a unique story and experiences to share, and she is always honored when they share them with her.
Michelle’s career in the investment industry started at Investors Group 20 years ago as her first job out of University. She also spent some time at the full-service brokerage firm TD Waterhouse before honing her passion as a special events and fundraising specialist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare and Hamilton Health Sciences Foundations. This was a very rewarding environment, which afforded her the opportunity to meet not only many incredible community leaders but also the patients that benefitted from and were the source of inspiration for her work.
With a career back in the investment industry for over 7 years, Michelle Houghton is thrilled to be working at Access. She enjoys meeting clients and prospects and thrives on creating an outstanding experience for every one of them. Access is a firm that prides itself on being different. At Access, they all share the passion to deliver an unparalleled client experience, and Michelle enjoys being a big part of that process.
Outside the office, Michelle is a busy mom of 4 children – 2 boys and 2 girls. She and her husband Will spend a lot of time at hockey, basketball, dancing, and gymnastics. They love to travel and create exciting experiences for the kids that will hopefully last a lifetime.
Myra Mariano
Financial Administrator
Myra joined Access in 2023 during tax season. Myra had just finished receiving her Degree in HR Services. While she had not worked in the financial industry previously it was clear that her attention to detail, inquisitive nature, and focus were allowing her to quickly learn much more than just the tasks she was originally hired for. She has become a key member of the team and is an integral part of supporting clients to ensure their requests are completed quickly.
Myra came to Canada at the suggestion of her Aunt when there was an opportunity for international students. She lives with her spouse in Mississauga.