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RVH Board Of Directors Recruitment

RVH 2023/2024 Board of Directors

Click on a profile to read bio.

Doug joined Barrie’s Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre’s Board of Directors in June 2013.  Doug is a retired tax partner from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) in Toronto where he led the firm’s national mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) tax advisory group from 2002 until 2012.  Doug’s professional qualifications include a BA (Hons Econ) from the University of Waterloo and both Chartered Accountant and Chartered Business Valuator designations. Doug’s past charitable activities include Treasurer, Kerry’s Place, an Ontario government funded charity operating residential and educational facilities to autistic children and adults; Treasurer, Autism Society Canada, a national charity focused on public awareness, fundraising, education and assistance to provincial autism charities; and the Finance Committee, Trinity Anglican Church, Aurora. He is currently a board member of the Orillia Museum of Art and History and the Huronia Woodland Owners’ Association.

Jason joined Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre’s Board of Directors in 2017.  He is Vice President Business Banking at Meridian Credit Union where he leads a team of Small Business and Commercial Banking professionals across the province.  Jason holds a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University and a Master of Business Administration from McMaster University.  His past volunteerism includes being a Board Member of the Downtown Barrie Business Association and a Steering Committee Member for the Barrie Business Ambassadors.

Kimberly is a Senior Director in New Vaccine Strategy and Execution at Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the Sanofi Group. She leads global, multi-functional teams in the development of new vaccines to address unmet medical needs. Her positive influence has been realized in multiple areas of vaccine development such as clinical supplies, alliance management, internal/external stakeholder engagement, compliance and risk mitigation. Kimberly is passionate about empowering life and she inspires people to play full-out. She co-chairs Women Inspiring Sanofi Excellence (WISE) in Canada to empower leaders at all levels through mentoring, networking and leadership development, is a past Board member with Barrie Toastmasters, and has mentored Special Olympians to be advocates for their Sport. She has been a Director on the RVH board since 2017. She holds a Master of Science in Molecular Biology from University of Toronto and certification as a Lean, Six-Sigma Black Belt.

A leader ‘of firsts’ Frank enjoys the thrill and challenges of new ventures. As the inaugural GM and Chief Operating Officer of the Ontario College Student Alliance, he represented over 110,000 college students at 16 Ontario Colleges. Moving to York University from CSA, Frank was the first Director of the Centre for Student Community and Leadership Development (SCLD). At York, Frank was directly engaged in SCLDs physical relocation and reconfiguration dynamically improving its relationship with York’s 19 student unions and 392 student clubs. From York, Frank went on to Lakehead University’s Orillia Campus becoming its first Associate Dean of Student Affairs. He ended his 12½ years at Lakehead Orillia as its first Associate Vice-President of Administration and Community Engagement having launched its Athletics, Wellness, Lifelong-Learning, and Indigenous Initiatives offices.
In his current position as Dean of Humber College’s Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) operations, Frank’s taken on his sixth inaugural role. Tasked with building Humber’s new CPL ecosystem, Frank works with all six Faculty Senior Deans, CPL Associate-Deans, and dozens of external partners to deliver the 500+ professional courses CPL offers each term.

Known to be a solutions-focused, mission-driven leader, Frank’s spent the last 30 years trying to improve the quality of full-time, part-time, and continuing education student, staff, and faculty life. given the 12 executive positions he’s held at Ryerson (TMU), York, Lakehead and now Humber, Frank has one of the widest sets of professional lenses in Ontario’s postsecondary sector.

Bridge-builder, co-creator and change maker, Frank is proud of his humble beginnings and remains strongly committed to several community-based organizations like Victim Services, World Vision, and the Terry Fox Foundation.

Appointed to the Board in 2017, Linda brings a background of farming and teaching. Of her 34 years with the Simcoe County District School Board, the last 16 were as principal. Her Springwater Municipal experience is 11 years, serving as Mayor from 2010-2014 when she also served on the Barrie & Area Physician Recruitment Committee. Linda’s formal education is a M. Ed (University of Toronto) and a B.A. (Economics & Psychology) from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Linda has always been heavily involved in community, having just completed 2 terms as Director on the Barrie Police Services Board, and currently on the Church Council as Ministry & Personnel chair. She is just finishing a 5 year term on the Simcoe-Muskoka Family Connexions Board of Directors. Her skillset and varied leadership training are positive assets for the job.

Karen is a local businesswoman in the property development and condominium construction industry. Pratt Homes and Development has been building homes in Barrie for 6 generations. They are an award winning community homebuilder with deep roots in Barrie. Karen believes in balanced communities and knows that supporting hospital programs and infrastructure is an integral part of community stewardship.

Karen also has a family legacy at Royal Victoria Hospital. Her father, Don Pratt, served on the RVH board for many years including terms as president. Don also served for many years on the RVH Foundation board. The legacy of passion for RVH runs deep in the Pratt-Hansen family roots. Karen and her husband Heljar are also active philanthropists in Barrie. They have been strong supporters of various fundraising initiatives at RVH.

Not only has Karen, her business and her family been long-time advocates for RVH, Karen has also been a patient on multiple occasions and has experienced the MY CARE program, first hand. As a long time Barrie resident, Karen was born at RVH at the former High Street location in 1977. Karen’s 2 children were also born at RVH and her daughter spent time in the neonatal care unit along with other trips to RVH for care over her lifetime.

Doug joined the RVH Board in June 2015. After graduating from York University with a degree in political science, Douglas joined the Ontario government where he held progressively responsible management positions in the economic development ministry including Ontario’s senior investment and trade representative in Japan.

In 1992, having completed 20 years of service with the Ontario government, Doug joined Advance Planning and Communications, a Toronto-based corporate communications and government affairs consulting firm, as a Vice President. In 1995 he established his own consulting company, Douglas Jure & Associates. Doug’s client list includes major corporations in the transportation and technology sectors, academic institutions, municipalities, and local business organizations in Toronto and Windsor.

Doug has served on the boards of community organizations in Toronto and Barrie including Past Chair of the Board of Management of the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area and Director of the Board of Management of the Bloor Street Business Improvement Area responsible for the $25 million Bloor Street Transformation Project where he played a lead role in directing the revitalization of the Bloor-Yorkville community. He served as Chair of the Board, Barrie Police Services Board for six of his seven years. Doug was a member of the Board of Directors of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation for six years, and was a member of the Customer Service and Information and Communications standards development committees established by the Ontario government to design the regulations for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. He currently serves as an independent director on the Board of Call2Recycle, Canada’s largest battery recycler. Doug and his wife, Susan, reside in Barrie.

A nurse for over 35 years, Dr. Sara Lankshear obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) degree from Niagara University in 1982, Master of Education (M.Ed.) from Brock University in 1996 and PhD in Nursing from Western University in 2011. She has been an educator for over 20 years, teaching in undergraduate and graduate programs – sharing her knowledge and passion for nursing. Sara joined the nursing faculty at Georgian in 2014 and became the Associate Dean – Nursing programs in July 2020. Sara’s areas of research includes professional practice structures and roles, scope of practice, role clarity, and collaborative practice. She has extensive experience partnering with a wide variety of health-care organizations who seek out her expertise and passion for creating systems-processes-practices that enable optimal professional practice and quality patient outcomes.

Barbara joined the RVH Board of Directors in June 2014. Barbara is a retired Professor from McMaster University, Faculty of Health Science, School of Nursing where she taught within the undergraduate and graduate programs and ran an international program in paediatric and adult oncology nursing for nurses transitioning into degree level practice. Her national and international presentations and publications have been in the areas of paediatric oncology, standards of care, resilience, hope, and competency. She has been a member and Board Chair of Wellwood Resource Centre (a cancer support program in Hamilton). She has been awarded the POGO Companion Award by the Paediatric Oncology Group of Ontario and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology. Since retiring, she has consulted in Trinidad and Tobago, Egypt, and the United Kingdom.

A resident of Innisfil, Barbara has successfully co-chaired the movement to have Lake Simcoe declared Canada’s first Heritage Lake. As previous Co-Chair of the Innisfil Community Health Committee she participated in research with York University and Georgian College to examine social determinants of health and health needs of the residents of Innisfil. She worked with the Town of Innisfil on the development of the Rizzardo Health and Wellness Centre, serving as Honourary Chair of Fundraising.

Barbara has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Toronto and Masters in Health Science from McMaster University. She is certified as a Canadian Oncology Nurse and has completed the Clinical Behaviour Science Program through McMaster University’s Department of Psychiatry.

Wendy Miller joined the RVH Board of Directors in June 2017. Wendy is a partner at HGR Graham Partners LLP. She has practiced law in Barrie since 1981 primarily in the areas of Wills and Estate Administration, Real Estate and Family Law. She attended the University of Western Ontario and obtained her LLB at the University of Windsor.

Wendy is a past Director of the Advocates Society, Past President of the Simcoe County Law Association, and Past President of the Simcoe County Family Law Lawyers Association. She serves as a Deputy Judge of the Small Claims Court branch of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and is a past panel member of the Ontario Review Board.

Wendy is a member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Barrie Huronia and has served on the Board of Directors of the Barrie YMCA and Theatre by the Bay.

Michael joined the RVH Board of Directors in June 2014 serving as Board Chair from 2017-2019. Michael has been involved in Ontario education for forty years starting as a classroom teacher then moving to roles as Vice- Principal, Curriculum Coordinator, Principal and Supervisory Officer. He has recently retired from the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board where he served for 7 years as the Director of Education.

He has also played a role in provincial education leadership as a member of Ministry advisory committees, the Board of Directors of the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) and the executive committee of the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE). He has served on several community initiatives, most recently as chair of the Coalition for Children Youth and Families of Simcoe County.

Michael has been involved in several projects and programs since his retirement including serving as a regional manager for the Ministry of Education and advising corporate education partners. For several years, he coordinated the mentorship program for newly appointed Catholic Directors of Education in Ontario and is a Program Leader for the CODE Consortium for Leadership and Innovation.

Shelley joins the board in 2022. She retired back into Simcoe County after a long career at Nestle Canada, culminating as CEO for her final five years there.

Shelley has her ICD designation and is an active board member serving on the Advisory boards of Moosehead Brewery and Crosby Molasses and director on the public companies of MediPharm Labs and Lantic Sugar.  Past board experiences include Chair of Food and Consumer Products of Canada, member of Grocery Foundation and Kids Help Phone.  She is an active volunteer with Dress for Success and mentoring women in business.

Ex-Officio Directors

Gail Hunt has been the President and CEO of the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) in Barrie since July 4, 2022 and is an experienced, high-performing hospital executive and team-builder.

Gail has more than 20 years’ experience as a healthcare CEO and has earned a reputation for achieving results and inspiring others. She is a decisive, approachable, collaborative leader who is passionate about building strong partnerships and high-performing teams.

Prior to her current posting, Gail spent five years as the President & CEO of Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) in Midland, and 16 years as the CEO of Chapleau Health Services in Northern Ontario. While in those leadership positions she managed all aspects of healthcare delivery, including primary, acute and long-term care.

Gail holds a Master’s in Business Administration and an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Laurentian University.

Dr Nadarajah Dr. Jayanthini Nadarajah President, Professional Staff Executive
Dr. Babak Maghdoori Vice President, Professional Staff Executive

Leanne brings a unique portfolio of healthcare leadership spanning over 10 years, including six years in acute care at RVH and the last four years as the Operations Director, Surgery and Maternal, Newborn, Child and Youth programs. She has a strong track record in leading successful change and quality improvement of clinical programs. Leanne has had opportunities to participate and lead several committees and regional initiatives. Highlights of that collaborative work include:

• Securing Ontario Health funding for the Regional Hospital Led Nurse Education Program, for which she served as regional lead representing RVH as the lead agency.

• Co-chair for the RBC Race for the Kids 2021, which successfully fundraised to open RVH’s low-risk mental health Emergency department waiting area.

• Secured close to $1 million for the expansion and implementation of Eating Disorders Services with funding sources that included Ontario Health and TD Bank partnerships and served as the regional lead representing RVH.

• Peer Elected Co-chair of the multi-sectoral Provincial Special Needs Strategy Project, which facilitated an entire system redesign for children with complex special needs. This project scope included the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Community and Social Services and Ministry of Children and Youth Services with provincial recognition of the system’s success.

Leanne’s academic background includes a Master of Nursing with Leadership Focus from Athabasca University (in progress), and a Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSCN) from the University of Windsor.

Dr. Tyberg joined RVH as Chief of Staff and Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee in September 2016. He completed his undergraduate medical training at McGill University in Montreal followed by specialty training in Emergency Medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York City and a fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto in 2016.

After completing medical training Dr. Tyberg worked as a general practitioner in the First Nation community of Chisasibi, Quebec where he served as Director of Professional Services for the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay.

He then went on to practice as staff emergency physician and Trauma Team Leader at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and also served as a toxicology consultant to the Ontario Poison Information Centre. He then took the role of Chief of the Department of Emergency Medicine and Program Medical Director of Emergency Services at Toronto East General Hospital. His immediate previous position was Chief of the Department of Emergency Services at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Dr. Tyberg is appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and has served as its acting director. He participates in undergraduate, postgraduate and international medical graduate education and has served on the Examination Board of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Emergency Medicine. His academic interests include patient safety/quality assurance, pharmacology & toxicology, clinical informatics and health policy. He is former Chair of the Ontario Medical Association Working Group on Patient Safety and served on the Committee on Drugs and Pharmacotherapy, the Executive of the Section of Emergency Medicine and as Vice-President of the Sunnybrook Branch Medical Society. He was a member of the Ministry of Health and Long- Term Care Emergency Department Task Force. He has recently been appointed to the the Ontario Hospital Association’s Physician Provincial Leadership Council.