Our People - Southlake Regional Health Centre

Senior Team

Jennifer Ritter

President & CEO

Jennifer Ritter is the President & CEO of Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation in Newmarket, Ontario. She brings her vast legal and business experience to the Southlake Foundation, specifically in strategic and business planning, cultivating corporate alliances, individual philanthropy, and government funding.

Prior to her arrival at Southlake Foundation, Jennifer was President and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Canada (MAWC) for over ten years, where she led collaborative strategic visioning and planning initiatives that created transformative growth within the foundation. In addition to her work with MAWC, Jennifer has previously served as executive director of two holocaust and human rights education organizations.

Jennifer started her career as a practicing lawyer in Toronto, Calgary, and Ottawa, focusing on employment and labour law. She has a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and a Bachelor of Arts from Western University. Additionally, she holds executive leadership and management certificates from both the Ivey Business School at Western University and Harvard Business School.

Lesley Ring

Vice President, Major Gifts and Campaign

A seasoned yet curious fundraising executive with 25 years progressive experience with diverse regional, provincial, national and international organizations, Lesley Ring is Chief Development Officer at the Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation, following five years of service as Vice President, Major Gifts and Campaigns. Lesley leads a dedicated team of fundraisers and works in partnership with distinguished leadership volunteers and a world class clinical team to inspire investment in Southlake.

Previously, Lesley had the privilege of working in the fight against cancer for 17 years in progressive positions at the Canadian Cancer Society, National Office and Ontario Division. As Vice President, Development and Marketing for the Ontario Division, Lesley led a comprehensive and diverse development portfolio from annual and community giving to major and planned gifts while advancing the Society’s brand and mission reach.

Lesley has also enjoyed additional experiences in the public and private sectors but firmly set her sights on a career in the charity sector following her first fundraising role as a Sponsorship Officer with the British Council in London, UK, managing sponsorship campaigns for international projects. The opportunity to make a real difference every day proved galvanizing then and prevails to this day.

Lesley is proud to support the next generation of fundraisers as a member of the Program Advisory Committee for the Fundraising Management at Humber College.

She holds an Honours BA from Queen’s University and an MA in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.

Barbara Bellissimo

Chair of the Board

Consultant

David Greenwood

Vice Chair

Stephen Elmer

Treasurer | Chair, Audit and Finance Committee

Brian Bigras

Director

Deputy Chief, York Regional Police

Susan Bishop, FCPA, FCA

Director

Partner, Ernst & Young, National Leader SR&ED, Business Tax

Geoff Dawe

Director

Public Policy & Government Relations

Janice Dawes

Director | Chair, Development Committee

Executive Consultant

Diane Gajewczyk

Director | Chair, Governance & HR Committee

VP, Scientific & Medical Affairs, Cipher Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Kelly Harbridge

Director

VP, People, & Associate General Counsel, Magna International

Tatiana Hermanns

Director

Licensed Real Estate Broker, RE/MAX Hallmark York Group Realty Ltd.

Ajit Khanna

Director

Consultant

Diane Mason

Director

Partner, Affinity

Dr. Sara Temple

Director | Chair, Physician’s Council

Peter van Schaik

Director | Co-Chair, Philanthropy Cabinet

Ex officio

Marilee Harris

Chair, Southlake Regional Health Centre Board of Directors

Paul Woods

President & CEO, Southlake Regional Health Centre

Secretary

Jennifer Klotz-Ritter

President & CEO, Southlake Regional Health Centre Foundation

Working together with their community networks, the Philanthropy Cabinet is a group of ambassadors committed to helping Southlake improve the health of our communities and keep pace with advancements in technology so the patients we serve can trust they will receive the best possible care at our hospital, when they need it most.

Steve Hinder

Co-Chair
Senior Advisor to the Chairman, CEO & President
The Stronach Group

Peter van Schaik

Co-Chair
Chairman, Van-Rob Realty

(Vice-Chair, Southlake Foundation Board)

Paul Bailey

President, Bazil Developments Inc.

Joanne Barnett

Vice President, Planning and Development Kerbel Group Inc.

Brian Bigras

Managing Partner, Sotera Investigative Group

Deputy Chief, York Region Police (retired)

Michael Croxon

President and CEO, NewRoads Automotive

Jonathan Goodyear

Director, Food and Beverage, Magna Golf Club

Tatiana Hermanns

Broker, Chestnut Park Real Estate Ltd.

Eric Jolliffe

York Region Chief of Police (Retired)

Nima Khadem-Mohtaram

CEO and Co-Founder at Trillium Meditec

Keith Loo

Founder and CEO, Skinopathy

Louanne McGrory

Chief Commercial Officer, Shiseido Americas

Tracy Noseworthy

Real Estate Representative, Trinihill Realty

Owner, Trayvino Wine Company

Kyle Peterson

Senior Lawyer, RAR Litigation

Chris Pfaff

CEO, Pfaff Automotive Partners

Richard Reininger

Lead Volunteer, Men’s Health Initiative

Dolly Shao

Managing Director

GLOW Communications Inc.

Cliff Sifton

Owner, Armadale Company Limited

Neil Stratton

Director and Portfolio Manager, Scotia Wealth Management

Our Physicians’ Council is a group of Southlake’s medical staff who generously volunteer their time to offer valuable insight into our hospital’s needs, challenges, opportunities and impact on health care in our communities. Providing first-hand accounts of the impact that directly affects them and their colleagues every day, these ambassadors and advocates are instrumental in inspiring our donors to invest in the future of Southlake.

Dr. Sara Temple

Chair, Physicians Council,

Chief of Surgery and Surgical Oncologist

Dr. Charmaine van Schaik

Chief of Staff

Dr. David Makary

Vice President, Medical Affairs, Executive Office

Maternal Child

Dr. Peter Watt

Interim, Physician Lead Maternal Child Program

Surgery

Dr. John Randle

Physician Leader Surgical Program,

Orthopaedic Surgeon

Dr. Julius Toth

Thoracic Surgeon

Dr. Steven Beatty

Plastic Surgeon & Surgical Assistant

Dr. Lucasz Boba

Vascular and Endovascular Surgery

Dr. Mark Nyland

Orthopedic Surgeon

Dr. Crystal Kavanagh

Division Head, Thoracic Surgery , Thoracic Surgeon

Emergency

Dr. Eddie Chan

President, Medical Staff Association,
Physician Leader, Emergency Medicine Program