Current Members

Elected Community Members

Jeffrey Beaton

Jeffrey Beaton is from Whitby and is a member of the Governance Committee.

Jeffrey works for the City of Pickering in Park Operations.

He lends his time to many local organizations including the Town of Whitby where he is the Vice-Chair of the Accessibility Advisory Committee (ACC) and chairs the ACC's Built Environment and Site Plans Subcommittee. He also supports the Program Advisory Committee for Durham College's Horticulture program, and the Durham Youth Justice Committee through the Boys and Girls Club of Durham.

Jeffrey graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an undergraduate degree in biology and the University of Guelph with a graduate degree in Landscape Architecture. He is a licensed Landscape Architect.

Shashi Bhatia

Shashi Bhatia is from Pickering and is a member of the Governance Committee.

Shashi is a leader and a community builder, who is committed to promoting tolerance, understanding and inclusiveness for all. A founding Chair of the Indo-Canadian Cultural Association of Durham (ICCAD), she is a driving force behind the highly successful “Roots and Drum” concerts in support of the Durham West Arts Centre and a member of a multi-faith community of Durham Region.

She is an Exclusivity Advisor to the Chief of Durham Regional Police Service, and a Durham Ambassador (Influencer) of Canadian Armed Forces, Director on Board of the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa and a member of the Advisory Board for Carea Community Health Centre. She is also a member of Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan’s fundraising Committee that raises funds for Ajax Pickering Hospital and various charities in Durham Region and an associate member of Canadian Legion 606, Pickering. She has co-founded various cultural and heritage organizations in Durham Region and created Durham Advisory Committee bringing together various multifaith and multicultural organizations under one banner. .

Shashi has served on many provincial and federal quasi-judicial boards and tribunals, including the Immigration and Refugee Board, the Consent and Capacity Board and the Social Benefits Tribunal.

She appeared as a trail blazer in the East Magazine of Durham Region. She is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions and commendation for her service to the community, including a leadership award from Toronto police service and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. 

Barb Brady

Barb Brady is from Port Perry and is a member of the Governance Committee.

Barb was elected to the Board of Trustees for a three-year term in June of 2019. 

Since 2016 Barb served as an Appointed Member of the Board of Trustees, representing the Auxiliaries/Volunteer Associations for Lakeridge Health.

A graduate of the Nursing Program at Durham College, Barb practised nursing for more than 26 years, specializing in Emergency Nursing at Ajax Pickering Hospital. She expanded her scope in nursing with MedEvac Canada, providing nursing support to patients on dedicated aircrafts during transfers between hospital facilities within Canada and the United States. Barb received numerous certifications including in Cardiac Care and Trauma Care.

Barb has many years of leadership experience in volunteering. She was President of the Auxiliary to Lakeridge Health Port Perry, Chair of the Lakeridge Health Volunteer Council and Director of Business on the Board of the Hospital Auxiliaries Association of Ontario. She also served as a Volunteer Board Member of Personal Attendant Care (a Durham Region health agency focused on home care), was a volunteer member on the Board of the Canterbury Common Resident’s Association and was Vice President of a local Electoral District Association.

Barb received a Provincial Award for Volunteer Leadership and is a two-time recipient of the Auxiliary to Lakeridge Health Port Perry’s “Above and Beyond Award” for her contribution to volunteering.

Cordelia Clarke Julien 

Cordelia Clarke Julien is from Pickering, her home for over 20 years, and is Chair of the Governance Committee.

As a self-professed change agent, Cordelia has held several executive roles in the Ontario Public Service focused on change and transformation including, but not limited to, leading teams as a senior executive in the Ministries of Labour, Finance, Revenue and the Office of the Premier and Cabinet Office.  She is currently the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ontario Growth Secretariat in the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

As a former publicist for CTV, Cordelia has put her communications, policy and strategic planning skills to work for not-for-profit organizations in her community, including a past Director of the United Way of Ajax, Pickering and Uxbridge prior to amalgamation as well as providing supports to organizations promoting mental wellness.

Cordelia has an MA in Political Science and International Relations with specialization in Public Administration and a Double Major Honours BA in Mass Communications and Political Science. She is also a certified project manager, change management specialist and public relations practitioner.

Sharon Cochran (EdD), Chair of the Board

Dr. Sharon Cochran (EdD) is from Whitby and is Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Sharon brings with her extensive experience in the post-secondary system and community corporate boards. She consults in the post-secondary system. She was formerly the Director of Faculty Bargaining Services for the Canadian Association of University Business Officers, which provides support in labour negotiations to Canadian Universities.

Sharon is a former Vice President of Special Projects and Vice President of Administration and Finance for the University of Northern British Columbia, Associate Vice President of Human Resources for the University of Saskatchewan and Director of Academic Relations for Simon Fraser University.

She serves on the boards of the Abilities Centre (Vice-Chair) and Kinark Child & Family Services.

Her education includes a Doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of British Columbia and she has achieved the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Thelson Desamour 

Thelson Desamour is from Pickering and is a member of the Governance Committee.

Thelson is a litigation lawyer specializing in commercial and insurance disputes. He was called to the Bar in Ontario in 2006.

He is counsel with Fenchurch General Insurance Company. Previously, he served as in-house counsel at a national insurance company as well as a mediator with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario.

Thelson volunteers with the Advocates Society, serves on the Board of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers and has been published in Lawyers Weekly.

Thelson graduated from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law.

Carion Fenn

Carion Fenn is from Ajax and is a member of the Quality Committee.

Carion has received several recognitions for her community service, including the Ontario Volunteer Service Award, the Ajax Civic Award and the Accessibility Community Award from the Town of Ajax. She was also honoured to be selected as one of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women 2018 by the Honourable Jean Augustine and her co-authors and one of the 35 Courageous Women by The Denise House.

She is a past Accessibility Advisor to the Town of Ajax Council and Vice Chair on the Accessibility Advisory Committee, as well as a former volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada.

Carion is a TV show host at Rogers TV Durham. She is also the Founder and President of the Carion Fenn Foundation, a registered charity established to provide support, education and resources for rare and chronic disease management. 

Ben Gray

Ben Gray is from Port Perry and is a member of the Resources Committee.

Ben began his legal career at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in Ottawa over 20 years ago and he has held successively more senior in-house roles since leaving private practice in 2001.

In 2011, Ben was a finalist for the ZSA General Counsel of the Year Award for Litigation Management and he is the Executive Representative on the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA) and Chair of the Association’s Legal Affairs Committee. He has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 15 years and currently is Vice President and General Counsel of Teva Canada Limited.

Ben has served as a Board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Durham and continues to support various community charities, including the Durham Children’s Aid Foundation, the local hospice, and the Annual Walk for Dog Guides.

Shane Hardy, Vice Chair of the Board

Shane Hardy is from Ajax and is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees

Shane is a Partner at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP and is on his firm's Senior Leadership Team where he also serves as Chair of the business law group.

He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2002 and advanced quickly to partnership at Cassels Brock, where his practice focuses on intellectual property and brand management.

Dr. Judeline Innocent (PhD)

Dr. Judeline Innocent (PhD) is from Newcastle and is Chair of the Quality Committee.

Judeline joined Durham College (DC) in 2014 as Executive Dean of the School of Health & Community Services. Prior to joining DC, she was Vice President, Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Officer with Group Health Centre (GHC) in Sault Ste. Marie. Judeline has more than 25 years of leadership experience with the public and private sectors. She was the Director of Mental Health, Rehab and Complex Continuing Care at Quinte Health Care, and served as Senior Manager for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, with management responsibility for five of the 14 LHINs.

Her academic career includes teaching assignments at several post-secondary institutions across Ontario, including Queen’s University, McMaster University, Trent University and Fleming College.

As an active member of the community, Judeline served as a volunteer member on the Board of Directors for Frontenac Youth Services, a non-profit children’s mental health agency.

Judeline holds a PhD from Queen’s University with a focus on mental health stigma, in addition to numerous certificates in areas such as psychology, clinical risk, negligence and claims in health care. Judeline is Francophone and fluent in two other languages.

Alok Sethi, Treasurer

Alok Sethi is from Brooklin and is Chair of the Resources Committee.

Alok is a seasoned banking professional with over 20 years of progressive experience. He is currently a Director at BMO Capital Markets where he partners with all lines of businesses to provide thought leadership and expertise in the development, client-linkage, governance, risk mitigation and implementation of strategic initiatives within its Global Capital Markets business.

He brings significant experience in financial management, risk management, strategy development, and policy and governance oversight.

Alok has been an active fundraiser for numerous charities, including Kids Help Phone and Canadian Cancer Society and being named the recipient of various awareness awards.

Alok graduated with an MBA from Brunel University (UK) and a BCom from McMaster University. He holds a Chartered Professional Accountant designation.

Nancy Shaw

Nancy Shaw is from Oshawa.

Nancy is the CEO for the The Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce.  She was the former Executive Assistant to the late Honourable Jim Flaherty, M.P., Minister of Finance for Canada.

Born and raised in Durham, Nancy has always maintained a close connection to the community.  She was an active member of ProAction Cops & Kids, Tribute to our Troops and the Abilities Centre. She is the past President of the Foundation Board for Parkwood National Historic Estate in Oshawa and is a Director on the Police Appreciation Dinner and Awards Committee. Most recently, she became the Honorary Lieutant Colonel of the Ontario Regiment. 

Nancy is a proud graduate of Durham College, as a Registered Nurses Assistant.

Bill Sims

Bill Sims is the president and owner of Durham Medical, located in central Oshawa and has been President of Durham Mental Health Services, Board of Directors since 2009.

His experiences with both have given him a working knowledge of the Community Health Care and Mental Health Care systems and exposed him to the Accreditation, Governance and Strategic Planning processes. Bill graduated from McMaster University with a Mechanical Engineering degree.

He started his work career with Johnson Controls, a large multi-national company involved in commercial, industrial and institutional buildings. This gave him experience in large building construction, maintenance and operations while providing him with a solid business foundation to run and grow Durham Medical.

He and his wife contribute to many community organizations including Grandview Children’s Treatment Centre, Community Foundation, Parkwood Foundation, Bowmanville Hospital Foundation, UOIT and believe in a strong community.

Jeff Somerville

Jeff Somerville is from Whitby and is a member of the Resources Committee.

Jeff is an international sales and marketing professional with more than 25 years of experience in biotechnology, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. He has held senior executive positions in the U.S., Canada and internationally.

Jeff is active in the community, having coached hockey, sailing and baseball and served as Chair of the Ontario Operating Room Nurses Advisory Committee, Commodore of the Stony Lake Yacht Club and member of the Alpha-1 Foundation Advisory Committee.

He has a BSc from Wilfred Laurier University and completed numerous executive programs including at the Tuck, Ashridge, and Melbourne business schools.

Marek Ulanicki

Marek Ulanicki is from Whitby and is a member of the Quality Committee.

Marek is Managing Director and Deputy, Wholesale Credit in Group Risk Management at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). He began his career in 1986 with RBC in Toronto where he worked in Business Banking, Corporate Banking and Financial Institutions & Trade. In 1997, he transferred to New York to join the relationship management team covering insurance companies, returning to Toronto in 1999 to work at RBC Dominion Securities. In 2000, he joined Group Risk Management as Director in the Global Markets & Non-Bank Financial Institutions team. In 2011, he was appointed Managing Director and, in 2016, was also made Deputy.

Marek is a member of the Capital Market’s New Business Committee, Derivatives Portfolio Review Committee, Non-Bank Financial Institutions Industry Operating Committee, and the Financial Markets Infrastructure Industry Operating Committee.

Marek is a member of the Board of Directors of Lakeridge Health Foundation. He is a former member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of Central East Community Care Access Centre Foundation and a former member of the Board of Directors of Durham Access to Care, a not-for-profit organization.

Marek has a BA Honours (Economics) and MBA, both from Queen's University.

Appointed Members

Susan deRyk

Susan deRyk was named Interim President and CEO in February 2020 and brings more than 30 years experience in health care leadership, strategic planning and government relations.

Susan joined Lakeridge Health in 2017 as Executive Vice President & Chief Transformation Officer. In that role, she was responsible for Corporate Strategy Development, Capital Development and Planning, Regional Planning, Information Technology and Clinical Information System implementation, Strategic Communications and Community Development teams with a focus on leading the strategic transformation of the organization.

Prior to Lakeridge Health, Susan held the Joint Vice President, Service Quality & Community Relations position at William Osler Health System, Headwaters Health Care Centre & Central West CCAC – an innovative partnership to bring acute and home and community care organizations under one management team.  She was also cross appointed to the William Osler Health System Foundation as Vice President of Marketing and Communications.

Susan also brings a wealth of experience from roles at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, the Ontario Association of Radiologists and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs where she was Chief of Staff to two Ministers.  

Leslie Motz

Leslie Motz is the Chief Nursing Executive and Vice President Clinical Services at Lakeridge Health.

Leslie has worked at Lakeridge Health since 2010. She brings over 20 years of nursing and operational leadership experience in hospitals with a strong commitment to an excellent patient experience.

Leslie volunteers her time at WindReach Farms in Ashburne as a member of the Board of Directors. She also sits on the Canadian College of Health Leaders nursing leadership committee.

Leslie is a registered nurse, holds a Master of Business Administration from Athabasca University and is a Certified Healthcare Executive (CHE).

Tom McCulloch

Tom McCulloch is from Pickering and is a Member of the Resources Committee. Tom is also Chair of the Ajax Pickering Hospital Foundation. 

He has been active in the commercial real estate industry in Canada for over 30 years. Currently, Tom is head of Real Estate Investments at the Canada Post Corporation Pension Plan and has been building Canada Post’s Pension real estate portfolio for the past several years. The portfolio currently has $2.6 B in commercial real estate assets throughout Canada, the U.S., and Western Europe.

Previously, Tom worked in the investment divisions of Crown Life and Aetna Life, and at Real Fund REIT and Morguard REIT, both publically traded entities.  

Tom is a graduate of Sir George Williams University (now Concordia) with a BComm degree in Finance.  

Dr. Jean-Placide Rubabaza

Dr. Rubabaza has been a practicing Obstetrician and Gynecologist at Lakeridge Health since 2011. He is the leader of minimally invasive gynecologic surgeries at Ajax Pickering Hospital and Vice President of Lakeridge Health’s Medical Staff Association. Dr. Rubabaza sees his work as an opportunity to strengthen women’s health, both in Canada and in the developing world. He has been involved with projects in Burundi, where he is from, and in Benin, helping to promote maternal and child health.

Dr. Rubabaza has a keen interest in fostering a close relationship between Primary Health Care Providers and Specialists in an Integrated Health Care System. By working as a team, primary care providers and specialists can provide comprehensive continuity of care to patients.

Dr. Rubabaza earned his medical degree at the University of Ottawa Medical School and completed his specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at McMaster University. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry at the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Tony Stone

Dr. Tony Stone is Chief of Staff at Lakeridge Health.

He is a family physician who has delivered care to patients at Lakeridge Health since 1992. His activities have included emergency medicine, inpatient care, palliative care and low risk obstetrics. His community practice is located in Bowmanville.

He is active in the community and has taken on numerous health care leadership roles, including posts as President of the Durham Medical Society and President of the Medical Staff Association of Lakeridge Health. Prior to the formation of Lakeridge Health, Tony also served as Chief of Staff at Memorial Hospital Bowmanville.

Dr. Stone is a graduate of the University of Toronto, completing a BSc Honours (human biology) in 1986 and medical school in 1990. Dr. Stone received his certification from the College of Family Physicians of Canada in 1992. 

Dr. Randy Wax

Dr. Randy Wax is an attending Critical Care physician and physician lead for the Critical Care Response Team at Lakeridge Health Oshawa. He also serves as the Regional Director for Clinical Education/Medical Director of Academic Affairs jointly with Queen’s University and Lakeridge Health. He is the Critical Care Physician Lead for the Central East Local Health Integration Network.

Dr. Wax supports clinical care throughout Ontario as a Transport Medicine/EMS Physician with Ornge and a Virtual Critical Care Physician using telemedicine in conjunction with Health Sciences North.

Dr. Wax completed medical school and Internal Medicine residency at the University of Toronto and a fellowship in Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed a MEd in Higher Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto. His academic faculty appointments include Associate Professor at Queen’s University, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

He has received numerous awards for his contributions to medical education, critical care and disaster medicine from the Society of Critical Care Medicine, Queen’s University, University of Toronto and the Canadian Association for Medical Education.

Janice Wye-Baker

Janice Wye-Baker is from Whitby and was appointed to the Lakeridge Health Board of Trustees in 2019, representing the Auxiliaries/Volunteer Associations for Lakeridge Health. Janice is a member of the Quality Committee.

Janice is a former teacher who moved to the Durham Region in 1999. She taught Social Sciences at Henry Street High School in Whitby for 14 years and served as the Department Head for the last eight years of her career.

Janice joined the Association of Volunteers Bowmanville Hospital four years ago. She has been president of the Association since October 2018. Previous to that, she spent three years as Vice President. Janice is also Chair of Lakeridge Health Volunteer Council. Previous volunteer commitments include serving on the Board of the Kincardine Big Brothers Big Sisters Association while also delivering the sexual assault awareness program to little brothers and sisters, and helping at the Whitby Humane Society and Second Chance Wildlife Sanctuary.

Janice has a BA in Consumer Nutrition and Family Studies from Ryerson University and her BEd from the University of Calgary.