Meet Our Board

Dr. Warren Hollis, Chair 

Dr. Hollis joined the board in June 2013. He brings with him a sincere sense of community as seen through his involvement with various committees with the Town of Perth, Lanark Health & Community Services and Perth and District Community Foundation.

He is married to Elaine and they live with their four children on a hobby farm in Lombardy. In partnership with his wife, they are the principle chiropractors of Perth Chiropractic and own and operate Perth Family Health Centre.

 

 

Michael Cohen, President & CEO

Michael joined PSFDH in November 2021. With over 25 years of health care experience, Michael came to us from the Glengarry Memorial Hospital where, as the CEO, he worked to strengthen patient centred care and also led numerous projects resulting in significant improvements in the hospital’s culture, infrastructure and reach within the community.  Michael also spent 16 years at the Queensway Carleton Hospital as a Vice President and Director.  He got his start in health care working as a financial analyst with the regional health authorities in Alberta.

 

Michael and his wife Deb spent 21 years raising their family in Barrhaven (Ottawa) but now reside outside Oxford Station. Michael has a Masters Degree from the University of Calgary and an Undergraduate Degree from Queens University.

 

Dr. Tom Morell, Chief of Staff

Information to follow.

 

 

Richard Schooley, Vice Chair

Richard grew up in Ottawa and lived there through grade 10, then a move to Perth.
Except for a 4-year stint in the GTA, Lanark County has been home.

His life partner is Karen, who was born and raised in Lanark Village, a retired RN, graduating from Toronto General Hospital School of Nursing. She enjoyed a varied nursing career, the most exciting, an OR nurse; the most satisfying, her time in community nursing, with the VON in Lanark County.

They have three children and six grandchildren, all living within 40 minutes of them.

Richard was 47 years as an Insurance Broker and Risk Management Consultant.
Their firm operated from offices in Carleton Place, Perth, Smiths Falls, Kemptville and West Ottawa, with over 60 employees including a daughter and son.

 

While the brokerage was multi-faceted, his personal practice focused on insurance and risk management services to the municipal, healthcare and not for profit sector. Immensely curious, he grew up needing to understand how things worked. After many years in the insurance business the focus became, why things do not work or are challenged. Hence the affinity to Risk Management as a tool, enabling dynamic sustainable community.

Keenly dedicated in community engagement he has contributed as a municipal councillor, a Business Improvement Area, Tennis Club and Church Council, inaugural chairs; Provincial Broker Association Director and recently 8 years on the board of PSFDH; followed by two years as a board member to a community health centres and developmental services organization, now rejoining the board.

 

Other Board Members – Alphabetical by Surname

 

Scott Anderson

Scott Anderson is Executive Director, Marketing, Communications and Donor Relations at the Office of Advancement, Queen’s University. Scott joined Queen’s in 2019 from Algonquin College, where he was Executive Director, Communications, Marketing and External Relations and part of the executive team. Prior to joining Algonquin, Scott worked in the Prime Minister’s Office, where he served as a senior advisor responsible for Government of Canada advertising and marketing. Prior to his role at the PMO, Scott served in a number of senior management roles within Postmedia Network Inc. and Canwest Publications Inc., including Senior Vice President, Digital Content Strategy, Managing Director of canada.com and Senior Vice-President, Content. Scott was the Editor-in-Chief of the Ottawa Citizen between 2000 and 2007. Scott holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in communication management from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Scott and his family have been cottagers on Otty Lake since the early 1990s. When the pandemic hit, Scott converted the cottage to a year-round residence and now works remotely from there.

 

 

Isobel Boyle 

Isobel is a retired Nurse Administrator, with over 40 years of health care experience. She received her BScN from the University of Ottawa and Masters degree from Dalhousie University. She has worked in hospitals across Canada spending 15 years in Winnipeg as the Director, Pediatric Patient Care.

She retired as Child Health Director for the Child Health Program at the Grand River hospital in Kitchener-Waterloo. Upon her retirement she spent 2 years in Cairo, Egypt leading the set up of the Nursing Department at the new Children’s Cancer Hospital of Egypt. She has been an active volunteer with Hospice Wellington and spent the last 6 years on their Board, chairing the Quality Committee for the past 3 years.

She moved to Perth in 2022, and was anxious to integrate into her new community. She is an active member of Perth and District CFUW (Canadian Federation of University Women) and serves on Local, Provincial and National Advocacy committees.

Isobel is an avid hiker and has hiked the 900km Bruce Trail!

 

 

Judy Brown, Municipal Representative, Town of Perth  

Judy has lived in the Perth area for over forty years and has been on the Perth Council for over 17 years with recently being elected as the Mayor of Perth in October 2022. Judy earned Bachelor and Masters Degrees at Western University and worked in the newspaper Industry at The Lanark Era and Perth Courier for over twenty years.

During the last Council term, Judy was Chair of the Downtown Perth Business Improvement Area (BIA) and Chair of the Community Improvement Plan Advisory Panel.

Judy has great interest in providing more attainable housing in Perth and is currently on a working committee that is working on brining busing services to Perth. She is Chair of the Community Services Committee on County Council, which has oversight for Ontario Works, Housing, and Lanark Lodge.

 

Judy joined the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital Board of Directors as the municipal representative. 

 

 

Gardner Church

Gardner, a native of the Rideau Tay area, spent 25 years as a senior public servant with the Ontario Government including periods as deputy minister in two portfolios. He specialized in local governance and urban policy, teaching and researching urban issues at the graduate level at the Faculties of Environmental Studies at York and Waterloo Universities. He served two terms as Planner in Residence at the University of Waterloo. As a public policy consultant, he executed several projects in Canada and overseas including guiding several urban amalgamations. He was the first CAO of the amalgamated City of Kingston. In retirement, Gardner was active in start-up firms in the fields of food aid, small scale building systems, small cap commercial mortgages and mental health. He now lives at Otty Lake with his wife Linda.

 

Jamie Church  

Jamie Church has spent over 20 years in community health care in senior leadership positions in the manufacturing and home medical equipment provider industry.  Has held senior management positions with Invacare Canada LP, Katz Group Canada, and McKesson Canada. Enjoys investing time on various healthcare and community boards and foundations. Throughout his career, Jamie has been known as a builder and collaborator.

 

Jamie Church is the Chief Executive Officer of Ability Members Group - One of Canada's largest home medical equipment networks. Jamie holds an HBA from York University. Jamie lives in Oakville ON with his wife Nicole and two children.

 

 

Kenneth (Ken) Clupp, CD, P.Eng., C.Tech., PSP

Ken was a civilian member of the RCMP for 10 years, providing advice and guidance on physical security to the federal departments and agencies. He was a technical committee member for several CSA security standards and has presented at national and international security forums.

 

In recognition of his services to the RCMP and Canada, Ken was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal in 2012.

 

Prior to the RCMP, Ken served for 27 years in the Construction Engineering Branch of the Canadian Forces with postings across Canada. He reached the rank of Master Warrant Officer and was selected to attend the Royal Military College of Canada, graduating in 1996 as a commissioned officer with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Since arriving in Smiths Falls, Ken has been an active volunteer. He has served on the Montague Police Services Board and volunteered with the Red Cross (Disaster Management) and Rideau Ground Search and Rescue.

 

Ken is now happily retired. He and his wife Angie live just outside Smiths Falls in Montague Township.

   

 

Rob Dyke

Rob, a native of Perth with deeply rooted connections to the town, finds inspiration for volunteering from his mother's devoted nursing career at the GWM Hospital.

 

As a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), Rob brings a wealth of financial expertise, gained through extensive experience in his public practice and as a former CFO in a major logistics company. Beyond the boardroom, Rob enjoys family time and the tranquility of his home on Otty Lake and is an avid golfer. He has also dedicated 19 years to volunteering with Valley Heartland CFDC, demonstrating a

steadfast commitment to the community's development.

 

 

Kristine Fair, Chair, PSFDH Foundation

Kristine joined the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital (PSFDH) Foundation as a board member in 2021 during the amalgamation of the previously two separate Foundations, and the Chair in 2022.

 

She is originally from Oshawa, Ontario, best known as the Canadian headquarters of General Motors, and moved to Lombardy in 2005, along with her two children, to partner with her father, Mike, at their dealership Mike Fair Chevrolet Buick GMC Cadillac in Smiths Falls.

 

Kristine’s first passion was biology and she earned a Bachelor of Biological Science degree from the University of Guelph in 1986. She has worked in the automotive industry since 1980, and officially retired in December 2020 when she sold her business.  She has sat on boards over the years as a director, including Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) for 6 years, and the Smiths Falls and District Chamber of Commerce for 10 years. She also has supported many community events financially as well as volunteering her time. Currently she also is a director with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Lanark County. 

 

A strong believer of always giving back to your community and paying your good fortunes forward, Kristine resolved to do this upon retirement. Kristine is greatly appreciative of her position with the PSFDH Foundation and the opportunity to educate residents of our growing communities as to the need to provide whatever financial support within their means to ensure that our hospitals can continue to provide high quality services and expand upon those services.

 

 

Steve Gauthier

Steve is dedicated to serving the Perth-Smiths Falls District Hospital community as a Board Member, bringing over 30 years of experience in business and high technology, complemented by an MBA from the Telfer School of Management. With a steadfast commitment to healthcare excellence, Steve leverages his background in technology and his extensive involvement with non-profit organizations to champion patient-centered care. As a long-time resident of Perth and Smiths Falls, raising their family of 3 children in the community, Steve intimately understands the importance of accessible and high-quality healthcare services. His tenure as a board member of the South-East Local Integration Network and his involvement with the Patient Advisory Committee for PSFDH underscore his dedication to improving healthcare outcomes. Currently serving on the board for Ottawa Foyer Partage, a non-profit organization that provide services and programs for differently abled adults, Steve remains deeply invested in advocating for initiatives that prioritize the well-being and satisfaction of both patients and staff in the community, ensuring a brighter and healthier future for all.

With a strategic vision and a collaborative approach, Steve contributes his expertise to the hospital's mission of providing exceptional healthcare services to the local community. His experience and leadership empower the board to make informed decisions that align with the hospital's goals, fostering innovation and efficiency in healthcare delivery. Steve's passion for serving the community, coupled with his background in technology and business, uniquely positions him to drive positive change within the Perth-Smiths Falls District Hospital. Steve looks forward to playing a vital role in shaping the hospital's future trajectory, ensuring that it continues to thrive as a cornerstone of healthcare excellence in the region.

With a goal to continue to be as active as possible, Steve can often be found playing hockey in Smiths Falls in the winter, or golf or cycling in the summer.

 

Dr. Alistair MacDonald, Vice President, Medical Staff

Dr. Alistair MacDonald is from Guelph, Ontario, and completed an Honours in Biomedical Science from the University of Guelph and a Master’s degree in Health Science at McMaster University. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Ottawa and completed his residency with Queen’s. He and his family moved to Perth in 2021 and thoroughly enjoy the wonderful rural aspects that the community has to offer.

 

Medically, his interests include emergency medicine, inpatient medicine, palliative care, mental health, and preventative medicine.

 

Outside of medicine he enjoys playing hockey and soccer, mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking, yoga, mindfulness meditation, and hanging out with friends and family.

  

 

 

Cait Maloney

Cait joined the PSFDH Board in early 2023. She has enjoyed a 30-year career as a federal civil servant in Canada and Australia, specialising in radiation safety and emergency preparedness. She has been an active volunteer her entire adult life.

When Cait and her husband Rob raised their family and retired to Nova Scotia in 2008, she joined the Board of Habitat for Humanity Nova Scotia and served as its chair for two years. She also served on the board of a long-term care home in rural Nova Scotia.

After moving to greater Westport in 2014, Cait continued her association with Habitat for Humanity Canada. She also served on the boards of Country Roads Community Health Centre and Lanark, Leeds Grenville Addictions and Mental Health. For several years she co-chaired the LLG Collaborative Governance Forum and served on the SELHIN Strengthening Collaborative Governance Committee. She is excited to be a member of the PSFDH board. As well as serving on this Board, Cait currently volunteers with Quilts of Valour Canada and several local volunteer groups in North Crosby area.

She believes that volunteer work is the rent she pays for being part of a great community.

 

 

Homayra Mostamandi, Chief Nursing Executive  

More information to come.  

 

 

Mayor Shawn Pankow, Municipal Representative, Town of Smiths Falls

Shawn was born at the Smiths Falls site of the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital back when it was known at St. Francis Hospital.  He was appointed the hospital board’s municipal representative for Smiths Falls Council in 2017.  Shawn has been very supportive of the hospital having served on the Board of Directors for the Smiths Falls Community Hospital Foundation for over 10 years, including four years as chairperson.  He also served on the major gifts committee during the hospital’s redevelopment capital campaign.

 

Shawn was elected to Smiths Falls Town Council in 2010 and he served on various board and committee during that four-year term.  Motivated by a desire to guide and develop his community further, he ran successfully for mayor in 2014.  He strongly values the foundational role our hospital serves to the people of the broader community.

 

In his professional life, Shawn is a Certified Financial Planner and President of Pankow Financial Solutions Ltd. in Smiths Falls.  He has been a financial services professional for over 28 years.  He is married to Tracey and together they have seven children, including three still at home.

 

 

Johanna (Annie) Thomlinson

The Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital is an integral part of our community and Annie Thomlinson is honoured to be part of the Board of Directors. Annie is new to the Board, starting in January 2020. Born and raised in Smiths Falls, she is excited to start contributing to the community that she was raised in, serving the hospital that she was born in and the hospital that she and her husband welcomed both their children.

Graduating from the Advertising program at Algonquin College as well as receiving her advanced diploma in Business Administration, major in Marketing from Algonquin, Annie specializes in marketing and communications. Bringing to the board 17 years of marketing, advertising, and communications experience, 15 of those years leading a team. 

During her free time, Annie is working part-time towards the completion of her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology through Queens University, sits on the Family Selection Committee for Habitat for Humanity and volunteers with Project Tembo, a grassroots organization that works towards sending girls to school in Tanzania. When she is not busy with school, work, volunteering, Annie enjoys spending time with her family, journaling or curling up with a good book.

 

 

Dorothy Thomson, Chair, Patient & Family Advisory Council

Dorothy has been involved in health care for almost 50 years.
She has lived in many parts of Ontario including Hornepayne, Orillia, Pakenham, Ottawa, Toronto and Cochrane. Graduating from the Wellesley School of Nursing, Dorothy worked in Toronto before moving to Cochrane in Northern Ontario where she worked for over thirty years. In 2008, Dorothy and her husband, Richard retired to Perth to be closer to their aging parents and two sons.

Dorothy worked for fifteen years as a Patient Care Supervisor at The Lady Minto Hospital and served as the Accreditation coordinator for the MICs Group of Health Services, a partnership of three hospitals and three long-term care facilities within 80 km. of each other. For the last twelve years in Cochrane, Dorothy was the Director of Care and Assistant Administrator of Villa Minto, a long-term care center, that she helped develop and relocate within The Lady Minto Hospital. Once she settled in Perth, she worked in an Ottawa physicians’ office till the middle of Covid.

Dorothy has always given back to her community through active volunteering. During her time in Cochrane, she was a member and chair person of the Cochrane District, District Health Council and sat on mental health, executive and long-term care committees as well as representing the District Health Council regionally and provincially. As a community/hospital representative, she served on the Town of Cochrane’s Accessibility Committee and the local Children’s Aid Abuse Review Team. Over the years to present time, she has volunteered on committees with her local churches.

Currently, she is chair of the PSFDH Patient and Family Advisory Council and a member of several hospital committees. She is also a member of the Rideau Community Health Services Board, vice chair of the Finance Team and member of the Capital Committee. Dorothy is also a member of the Lanark Lodge Council of Families and Friends and represents the Council on several committees at Lanark Lodge.

Her goal is good holistic health care for all of her community.

 

 

Dr. Leigh Wahay, President, Medical Staff

Information to follow.