Board of Directors
Marilee Harris
Chair
Marilee has championed the cost-effective growth of a variety of businesses within telecommunications, energy, security, retail, educational and communications segments. Her skills involve strategic planning, brand strategy, marketing, and new product development.
During her career she has held executive positions for national and global organizations including VP Marketing TYCO Security International, VP International Marketing & Strategic Planning, Direct Energy, VP Marketing & Field Support, C1 Telecommunications, VP Marketing, Coles Book Stores/Chapters, Executive Director, Marketing, Hallmark Cards, as well as Director Communications, CBC Radio.
Her volunteer commitments included serving as Chair, Board of Governors, Seneca College of Arts & Technology. Ms. Harris has been involved with The Town of Aurora economic development for several years and in 2022 was appointed to the position of Board Chair of Aurora’s Economic Development Corporation.
In 2018, she joined the Southlake Board Quality Committee and in 2020 joined the Southlake Board and became a member of the Finance & Property Committee. Ms. Harris served as the Chair of the Board Quality Committee in 2022 and as of June 21, 2023, she is pleased to take on the role of Chair for the Southlake Regional Hospital Board.
Diana Brouwer
Vice Chair
Diana Brouwer, FCPA, is an assurance partner with Ernst & Young LLP. Diana has spent over 30 years of her career specializing in the government and not-for-profit sector with a specific focus in both health care and education. Diana is currently EY’s Canadian Not-for-Profit Leader and previously had the role of the National Learning Leader. In her career Diana has always been actively involved in initiatives outside of her day job, from involvement with her professional organizations such as CPA Canada and CPA Ontario, through to local initiatives such as her time as the chair of the Town of East Gwillimbury’s Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee (2009 to 2013) and a member of the Southlake Ladies in Philanthropy (2011 to 2016). Diana is also passionate about mentoring others in their own careers – helping people within EY and in her community. In 2020 Diana was awarded the CPA professions Fellow which formally recognizes CPA’s who have rendered exceptional service to the profession and in their communities. Becoming a FCPA is the highest honour a CPA can receive.
Diana joined the Southlake Board in 2018 at the beginning of the fiscal 2019 year for Southlake and has served as previous chair of the Finance and Audit Committee to currently chairing the Board Committee on Quality and as the Vice Chair of the Board. Diana lives in Sharon with her husband, Eric and they have two daughters who live close by.
Andrew Tamlin
Treasurer
Andrew Tamlin, CPA is Chief Financial Officer of TWC Enterprises Limited – a publicly listed company. TWC is owner of ClubLink Corporation (based in King CIty, Ontario) – the largest owner and operator of golf clubs in Canada and is the former owner of White Pass & Yukon Route tourist railway, based out of Alaska. Mr. Tamlin has been with the TWC group of companies in varying roles for approximately 25 years, including as Controller. Mr. Tamlin was also appointed Chief Financial Officer for Morguard REIT in November 2018. Morguard REIT is a diversified real estate publicly listed REIT focusing on office and retail asset classes. Mr. Tamlin has been a local resident in Newmarket for the last 25 years.
Barbara Bellissimo
Chair, Foundation
Barbara is an experienced executive with over 30 years in the insurance and financial services industry. She held several influential senior executive roles in Canada and the USA. As Chief Agent and SVP, she led State Farm Insurance Canada from 2009 to 2015. She was was instrumental in the integration and transition into Desjardins and continued to lead the organization until 2020.
She is a graduate of Western University and a Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional. As an influential advisor in the insurance industry, she was Chair for the Institute for Catastrophic Loss (ICLR) and a past board member of the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC).
Barbara’s expertise extends beyond the boardroom, she’s passionate about mentoring individuals and teams, helping them reach their full potential. Dedicated to the advancement of women in business, she has been a member and global board member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF) and developed and led the State Farm Insurance Women’s network.
As a York Region resident, Barbara actively engages in the community. She has served on the United Way Campaign Cabinet Committee for many years and on the Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation board since 2018. She was awarded The Ontario Volunteer Service Award for her years of dedicated service to the community.
Doug Bannister
Director
Doug Bannister is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Omnivex Corporation. Over a career spanning three decades, Doug has built a reputation for being a visionary in the digital communications space. Doug is passionate about digital transformation and the role it plays in business operations, sales and the customer experience. An experienced speaker, Doug presents regularly at industry events and on webcasts, covering a wide range of topics including the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, integrative technologies, and emerging digital models.
Doug lives in Aurora, holds a degree in Engineering from Queen’s University and is a member of Mensa Canada.
Avanthi Goddard
Director
In a career of over 35 years of experience in the health care industry Avanthi Goddard developed a specialization in the areas of Performance Management, Risk Management, Accreditation and Governance leadership.
In a Board governance career Avanthi has served on many boards since 1991, where she chaired 3 Boards, and chaired Governance, Strategic Planning, Quality and CEO Recruitment and Evaluation Committees of Boards. In her leadership roles on Boards she has served as Board Chair for the following organizations: Community Home Assistance to Seniors, York Region Children’s Aide Society and the Ontario Association of Children’s Aide Societies. In her Board experience is instrumental in leading change for system integration, developing strategic partnership alliances, advocating for collaborative governance to enable better outcomes for services provided and advocating for diversity and inclusion on Boards. Presently Avanthi is a Board member of Southlake Regional Health Centre; the Blue Mountain Village Association, an Executive member of the Ontario Chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors and chairs the Not for Profit Program Committee which provides governance development and education, and serves on the Department Audit Committee of Correctional Services Canada which acts as advisor to the Commissioner.
In her health care career, Avanthi worked across the hospital sector in leadership and consultant roles in performance management and risk management. For latter half of her career Avanthi operated her consulting practice which focused on organizational system improvement, Accreditation assistance, mergers and acquisitions and Governance leadership. Her accomplishments include appointments as an Accreditation surveyor with both Accreditation Canada and CARF International, and being the past president and co-founder of the Utilization Managers Network of Ontario for Ontario hospitals.
Avanthi holds a Honours degree in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, a diploma in Adult Training & Development from the University of Toronto, a Certificate in Heath Services Management from the Canadian Hospital Association, a certification in Quality Management from the Juran Institute, a certification of Distinction from the Governance Centre of Excellence (Ontario Hospital Association) and a graduate of the Director Education Program from Rotman School of Management. She achieved her designation as a professional director with the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Patrick K. Horgan
Director
Pat’s career spanned many transitions in the IT industry and within IBM – and was instrumental in leading numerous transformational efforts both in Canada and Globally over his 35 years.
In Pat’s final role he led a wide range of business operations for IBM Canada from CIO, Procurement, Supply Chain to Government Relations. As head of Innovation he led IBM Canada’s SW Lab and IBM Microelectronics Plant in Bromont, Quebec – both the largest in the country. Pat was the Chair of the IBM Canada Board.
In June 2020 Pat was announced Chair of the Board of the Southlake Regional Health Centre.
He also holds a Thompson Industrial Fellow position at Western University focusing on AI and its implications to the university. He is a member Newmarket Economic Advisory Committee.
Pat participated on many external Boards, including being 2013/14 Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce; the Ontario Brain Institute; the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business and Social Science & Humanities Research Council.
Pat is an Ivey Business School graduate and holds a CPA designation.
Dieter Jentsch
Director
Dieter Jentsch is a former Senior Executive at Scotiabank and 35-year career banker in Corporate Banking, Capital Markets, Commercial & Retail Banking in Canadian and International markets. While being part of the Bank’s Operating Committee, he served as Group Head of Global Banking and Markets and prior, as Group Head of International Banking.
He presently serves as a Corporate Director on various public and non -public boards including the Jim Pattison Group, Canfor Corp. Canfor Pulp Products Limited, Mineros S.A, the Ontario Securities Commission and the Vineland Research & Innovation Centre.
Dieter holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture and a Master of Business Administration degree, both from the University of British Columbia. He also holds a diploma from the Advanced Management Program from the European Institute of Business (INSEAD) and a diploma from the University of Toronto’s Rotman – ICD Directors Education program.
Dieter and his wife, Dr. Angela Ganstal (Chiropractor) live in King Township and have four sons who no longer live at home. They enjoy horses and outdoor activities such as skiing and gardening.
Carol Jardine
Director
Carol Jardine retired from her role as President of Wawanesa’s Canadian Property & Casualty Operations and Executive Vice President of Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company in early 2023. As President, Carol was accountable for the profitable performance of $3.3B in underwriting premium, meeting the needs of members in communities across Canada. Joining Wawanesa in the role of Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer in 2016, Carol has enjoyed a multi-decade career that included President and COO of Canadian Northern Shield Insurance prior to its sale to RSA; President of CUMIS General Insurance, prior to its sale to the Co-operators; Vice President TD Bank, responsible for insurance Claim Services; as well as the Vice President of Personal Insurance and Vice President of Claims at RSA Canada.
As an active Board member, Carol is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Tarion, Vice Chair of the Audit Committee, as well as a member of the Investment and Stakeholder Committees. Most recently she was the Chair of the Board of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction; on the Board of the Insurance Bureau of Canada and its Audit Committee; a founding Board member of Équité and past Vice Chair of CANATICS; as well as a Director of Western Financial Group a subsidiary of Wawanesa Mutual. In the last two decades she has enjoyed serving on not-for-profit and corporate boards.
In 2022 Carol was honoured with the National Established Leader award by the Insurance Institute of Canada and in 2023 with the Lew Dunn award by the Women Insurance Cancer Crusade. She has been named to the Insurance Business Global 100 in 2021, and the Insurance Business Canada’s Elite Women in 2020. A Fellow of Distinction was awarded to her by the Insurance Institute of Ontario, as well as the Centennial Award by the Insurance Institute of Canada. A graduate from Rotman School of Management she holds the Institute of Corporate Directors designation, a Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional and a Canadian Risk Management designation. She attended Queen’s University Executive Development Program and is a graduate in Chemical Engineering Technology from Seneca College in Toronto. Carol lives on a farm near Schomberg, Ontario and is an active equestrian.
John Simmons
Director
John Simmons is a seasoned global healthcare executive with experience in both global leadership and country level general management roles. John was most recently the CEO of AceAge Inc, a Canadian based healthcare technology firm which was successfully sold to Norwegian private equity. Prior to AceAge, Mr. Simmons was the Canadian General Manager with Abbott Diagnostics. His career spans senior roles with Becton Dickinson USA and Canada, Philips Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson and KCI Medical and has been highlighted by a proven ability to build strong relationships with customers, industry groups, stakeholders, external partners and international affiliates.
Mr. Simmons has served on a number of Boards and was most recently Chair of the Board of Directors at Medtech Canada, a national association supporting Canada’s innovative medical technology industry. Previous board roles include serving on the Executive Committee and as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Northern New Jersey. He holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours from Queen’s University and an MBA from Simon Fraser University.
He and his wife Sandy have lived in Newmarket for over 25 years where they raised their 3 children. In the past he was a busy volunteer with the Newmarket Minor Hockey Association and with Newmarket Minor Baseball.
Sean Sprogis
Director
Sean Sprogis was born and raised in Toronto. After graduating from Silverthorne Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke he went to Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) in Waterloo where he majored in Business Administration with a minor in Economics and also played for two years on Wilfrid Laurier’s Varsity Baseball team. After graduating from WLU, he went to work at IBM in their Finance organization. While holding progressive roles at IBM, Sean completed his Certified Public Accounting (CPA) designation in the State of Delaware, Certified Management Accounting (CMA) designation in Ontario, and his Masters of Business Administration Degree at York University’s Schulich School of Business.
In his final role at IBM, he and his family moved to Vancouver, BC, where he was the Vice President and Delivery Leader for IBM’s Province of BC and Health Shared Services clients. Upon moving back to Ontario, he joined TD and is currently the Vice President of Business Operations in TD’s Platform & Technology Division. Sean lives in Sharon, Ontario, is married to Sharlene who is a Special Education teacher in the York Catholic District School Board and has three children.
Derek Watchorn
Director
Derek Watchorn has a legal and business background. He was for many years a partner of Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg in Toronto. Following this, he held senior executive positions with Canary Wharf plc. and TrizecHahn plc. located in London, England. Thereafter, for five years, he was the President and CEO of Revera Inc, a retirement and nursing home business based in Mississauga.
Currently, Derek is a director of two publicly traded companies listed on the TSX, a member of the Management Committee responsible for the development of the Buttonville airport in Markham, a member of the Advisory Committee for Graywood Developments Limited, a Toronto based real estate developer and the Chair of Polo For Heart, an annual charitable event held in Aurora.
Suzanne Wolfe
Director
Suzanne Wolfe is an experienced executive who recently retired as the Vice President of Organizational Development at Danaher Corporation, a global science and technology innovator headquartered in Washington D.C. During her 30-year tenure at Danaher, Suzanne held several leadership positions. As Vice President of Human Resources & Communications for the SCIEX business, a leading provider of mass spectrometry solutions, she pioneered the establishment of a Human Resources and Development function that spanned three continents: North America, Europe, and Asia. She facilitated the complex transfer of the manufacturing operations from Concord, Ontario, to Singapore and Shanghai, China, expanding SCIEX’s functional footprint. Suzanne led the acquisition and integration of three businesses in the US, the acquisition of two carve-outs from sister companies in the US and India, and the divestiture of a business in the US, as well as the closure of a product line globally. She successfully led the ISO 2000 certification for the quality management system (QMS). Under her leadership, SCIEX was ranked number 22 in the Globe and Mail’s Top 100 companies in 2002, a testament to her dedication to fostering a performance-driven and supportive workplace culture.
In 2010, Danaher formed a new entity through the merger of SCIEX and Applied Biosystems Corporation, and Suzanne led the due diligence and integration of HR functions across the new global footprint, requiring the acquisition of over 300 new associates in Sales, Service, and Marketing while exceeding the financial revenue and profit targets in the first year.
Suzanne moved to a corporate role within Organizational Development in 2015, leading major global initiatives. These include designing, implementing, and managing a global selection and development assessment framework, instituting a global coaching model and training curriculum, and installing a change management framework, including a model complete with training and certification processes. In 2022, she created and launched a new competency model tailored across all levels to support the company’s core values and performance-oriented culture.
Suzanne’s academic background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Waterloo and a Master’s degree in Adult Education from the University of Toronto. She is trained as an executive coach and is a certified change practitioner.
Non-Director Members
Susan Beamish
Community Member
Susan Beamish is President of Aluminum Mold & Pattern and has been an automotive industry business owner and entrepreneur for over 25 years. She brings leadership experience in many areas including strategic planning, employee development, capital planning, technology adoption, and financial management. Sue is active as an angel investor and advisor to growing businesses in the GTA.
Along with her commitment to Southlake, Ms. Beamish is also a mentor in the York Region Big Sisters program and sits as a board member of JDRF Canada. She is a Professional Engineer from Queen’s University, with an MBA from the Rotman School of Management.
Corey MacEachern
Community Member
Corey MacEachern is a former Managing Director for CC&L Private Capital (Toronto) and former CEO of Natwest Stockbrokers (Scotland, UK). An experienced executive with a demonstrated history of setting the stage to enable and support growth of companies while increasing the bottom line. Expertise includes operational management, intensive analytical skills, proven sales management and leadership, and a strong compliance background, with Chief Compliance Officer and Ultimate Designated Person roles.
Trish Nixon
Community Member
Trish Nixon is a Human Resources and Organization Development leader with significant experience in the healthcare sector. She is currently the Senior Director of Learning and Development at Equitable Bank where she leads the strategy and execution of Enterprise Learning & Development and Talent Management. Prior to joining Equitable Bank, Trish led Talent and Organization Development including Recruitment, HRIS and Total Rewards at Trillium Health Partners (THP), where she was an advisor to the executive team and Board of Directors on human resources and change management matters, including organization performance and executive compensation. Trish was also THP’s Acting Chief Human Resources Office in 2019. During her tenure with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), she led People & Organization Consulting at PwC in the Caribbean, based in Bermuda, working with Governments, Healthcare Systems, and Financial Institutions and served on the Board of Directors of the Bermuda Human Resources Association.
Trish received her Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Queen’s University and Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Wilfrid Laurier University. She completed her post-graduate certificate in Human Resources and received her HR Certification in 2010. Trish is also a Prosci-certified Change Management Practitioner and GALLUP-certified Leadership Strengths Coach. She has over 15 years of healthcare experience having started her Human Resources career in Employee and Labour Relations at Hamilton Health Sciences, followed by St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, and a secondment with St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener. Trish also served on the Ontario Hospitals Association’s Human Capital Benchmarking Committee as an HR Analytics Subject Matter Expert. Trish chaired St. Joseph Healthcare Hamilton’s Enterprise Accessibility Committee and became the organization’s policy expert on AODA and the Broader Public Sector Accountability Act (BPSAA).
In 2021, Trish moved from Toronto to Newmarket with her spouse Ally and their 2-year-old son Max. They enjoy spending their free time at Riverwalk Commons, Fairy Lake, and going on road trips.
Southlake Staff Members
Paul Woods, MD
President & CEO
Secretary of the Board
Dr. Paul Woods is a senior health care leader with a wide range of clinical and executive experience in both Canada and the United States, highly regarded for his proven ability to lead positive change in complex environments.
Prior to joining Southlake, Paul served as the President & CEO of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), one of Canada’s leading academic hospitals, where he led the organization to achieve Exemplary Standing with Accreditation Canada for the first time in 12 years. Under his leadership, LHSC opened Ontario’s first publicly owned ambulatory surgery centre, as well as an Office of Health Equity through a new Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategy.
While working state-side as Senior Vice President at the not-for-profit system Trinity Health in Michigan, Paul led strategies that improved quality of care as well as enhanced patient and provider experience. Through strong engagement with physicians, nurses and other clinicians, he implemented successful initiatives at Trinity to serve more patients and improve health outcomes while promoting sustainability.
Paul has also held various other leadership roles in the health system including at Alberta Health Services, the University of Calgary’s Department of Family Medicine, and the Michigan Center for Clinical Systems Improvement.
His insights have been sought through Board appointments, most recently as President of the Board of Directors for Trinity Health Coordinated Care, a four state Accountable Care Organization. He has also served as a Board member of Chicago Mercy Hospital, the first chartered hospital in Chicago which focuses on serving disadvantaged populations.
Originally from Ontario, Paul obtained his medical degree from Western University after attending high school in Newmarket. He received his Master of Science degree from the Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the world-renowned Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
A father of four adult children, Paul is married to Dr. Kristen Woods, a physician executive and business coach. He enjoys staying active with his two German Shepherds, cycling, playing hockey and golf.
Charmaine van Schaik, MD
Chief of Staff
Dr. Charmaine van Schaik trained in Paediatrics at McMaster University, after completing a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology and Master’s of Science in Kinesiology. Since joining Southlake in 2004, Charmaine has acted as a Physician Leader at Southlake in multiple capacities, as well as the previous Chief of Paediatrics and Medical Director of the Paediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) Satellite Clinic when it launched at Southlake in 2009. More recently, Charmaine served on the Southlake’s COVID-19 Clinical Advisory Panel (CCAP) and is the Co-Medical Lead for Southlake’s COVID-19 Vaccination Committee, where she was instrumental in promoting community awareness through regular appearances in local media.
Dr. van Schaik advises Ontario’s Ministry of Health on pediatric cancer care as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at POGO and is a Lecturer with the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto.
Charmaine is also a very proud mother of five children.
Karyn Popovich
Executive Vice President, Quality, Professional Practice and Patient Experience and Chief Nursing Executive
Karyn Popovich is a Registered Nurse who has worked more than 35 years in healthcare. She has held a range of clinical leadership and executive positions, including Vice President, Chief Nurse, Executive Vice President and most recently, CEO of North York General Hospital, which she led during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Karyn is a passionate champion of patient and family-centred care and the pursuit of excellence in quality and operational performance.
She holds an undergraduate degree from York University, a Master of Health Studies from Athabasca University in Alberta and a Master Certificate in Risk Management and Business Performance from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Karyn has also completed the Advanced Health Leadership Program at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. She is a certified Health Services Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL).
In addition to her work as healthcare executive, Karyn has served an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto’s Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing since 2009 and an Accreditation Canada surveyor since 2011.
Medical Staff Association
Edward Chan, MD
President, Medical Staff Association
Dr. Edward Chan joined the Southlake Department of Emergency Medicine as a Courtesy Staff member in 2008 and then joined the Active Staff in 2010. Dr. Chan has been the Vice President of the Medical Staff Association since July 2012 and is currently the Physician Leader of the Emergency Program.
He completed his medical degree at the University of Ottawa and Family Medicine Residency at the University of Toronto. He holds a certification in Emergency Medicine through the Canadian College of Family Physicians. Dr. Chan has held positions in Kirkland Lake, Orillia Soldier’s Memorial and Royal Victoria Hospital, and St. Joseph’s Health Centre.
Kira Tone, MD
Vice President, Medical Staff Association
Dr. Kira Tone joined Southlake Regional Health Centre in 2017 as a full time Anesthesiologist in the Department of Anesthesiology. She is the lead of the pre-operative clinic lead and has a special interest in perioperative medicine. She is joining the Medical Staff Association as Vice president in 2022.
Dr. Tone attended medical school at the University of Sydney and went on to complete her residency in Anesthesiology at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Tone grew up in Newmarket and had always intended to return to Southlake after her years of training to serve her community.
Calendar
Policies
2023 Meeting Summaries
2022 Meeting Summaries
2021 Meeting Summaries
2020 Meeting Summaries
As with many hospitals dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, our Board opted to suspend open board meetings, effective March 2020.
2019 Meeting Summaries
2018 Meeting Summaries
2017 Meeting Summaries
2016 Meeting Summaries
2015 Meeting Summaries