Meet Our Board
Gardner Church, Chair
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.
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. Warren Hollis, Vice 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.
Dr. Tom Morell, Chief of Staff
Information to follow.
Other Board Members – Alphabetical by Surname
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.
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.
Kristine Fair
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.
John Hewitt
John joined the Board in June of 2014. Originally from Northern Manitoba, he spent most of his career in executive management positions in health and long term care services in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Ontario. He was Executive Director of Northern Housing Development which operated nursing homes and seniors housing in the Prince Albert region of Northern Saskatchewan. He was also the Administrator of the Community Health Centre operated by the Health Sciences Center which offered medical and health services within the core area of Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 1987 John joined the Ontario Public Service and served as Administrator of four separate institutions within the Province, the most recent being Rideau Regional Center. For the past fourteen years, John and his wife Barb have lived just outside of Perth.
Bruce Hirst
An experienced financial professional, corporate services
consultant and Executive Coach, Bruce is the former CFO and Assistant
Deputy Minister Corporate Services for a Security Agency of the Federal
Government. Prior to this appointment in 2011, Bruce was Executive Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer for London Health Sciences and St.
Joseph’s Health Care, one of Ontario’s largest health care complexes.
Prior to entering the Health Care industry, Bruce had an
extensive career in the federal public service, where he held a number of
senior level positions.
Before entering the Public Service, Bruce spent a successful
career in the Canadian Navy holding senior level positions in the finance,
procurement and human resource areas.
Bruce holds an honours BA from the University of Windsor, an
MBA from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and
is a graduate of the Canadian Forces Staff College. He is also a
Chartered Professional Accountant and on the Board of Directors of several
organizations. Bruce and his wife Erin recently moved from Perth to
Pender Harbour, B.C.
Dr. Anil Kuchinad, Vice President, Medical Staff
Dr. Kuchinad has been working in Perth since 2014 as a family physician, hospitalist and soon to be returning to the emergency room. He has been running primary care memory clinic since 2015 and involved with MAID consults.
Originally from London, Ontario, he has done a Masters in neuroscience in the field of chronic pain, interned in South Africa for CIDA, and then returned to Canada for medical school at the University of Toronto. Subsequently, he completed his residency at McGill in family medicine. He returned to Ontario with his family in 2014 to pursue rural medicine. He met his wife during his Masters, and they have two young children, living just outside Perth.
Ongoing hospital pursuits include involvement with the Utilization, MAID and order sets committees, respectively. He was elected as Vice President of the Medical Staff Society in 2017 and now participates in medical advisory and board meetings.
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.
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.
Michele Quigg
Michele is the owner of MQ Accounting Professional Corporation a
full-service accounting firm opened in August 2019. Michele is also the
co-founder of Busy Books Inc., a virtual bookkeeping company launched in
October 2020.
Michele attended the University of Ottawa and graduated in 2013 with a
Bachelor of Commerce, specialization in Accounting. She completed the Certified
General Accountant program in November 2015 and was granted the Chartered
Professional Accountant designation as well.
Michele has been involved in coaching girls basketball (Smiths Falls),
teaching Shotokan karate (Tay Valley Recreation Program). She was on the board
directors of YAK Youth Services and held positions of Treasurer and then
Vice-Chair.
In her free time she likes to go hiking with her dog ‘Kiwi’, catch a
football or hockey game, have a friendly game of chess or cards.
Dr. Mark Roberts, President, Medical Staff
Information to follow.
Richard Schooley
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
Kirsti Weekes, CNE
Kirsti Weekes is a transplant from Ottawa, having moved to
Smiths Falls 5 years ago. She has been a nurse for over 35 years, starting
at the Salvation Army Grace Hospital in Ottawa working in medicine, surgery and
obstetrics and then transitioned to specializing in Mental Health at The Ottawa
Hospital when the Grace Hospital closed.
Kirsti is currently the Interim Chief Nursing Executive,
Manager of Professional Practice, COVID-19 Response, Infection Prevention and
Control, Vascular Protection, Palliative Care, Medical Day Unit and Staff
Development at PSFDH, in addition to holding a long-standing position at
Nipissing University as a part-time Professor in the Nursing Program.
Formerly, Kirsti was the Manager of Professional Practice at
the Queensway Carleton Hospital in Ottawa, head of Education and Chair of the
Research Ethics Board at the Winchester Hospital, Manager of Nursing Education
for The Ottawa Hospital and prior to that she was the Advanced Practice Nurse
for the Eating Disorders Program at the Regional Centre for the Treatment of
Eating Disorders at The Ottawa Hospital.
Kirsti holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Law
with a Concentration in Criminology from Carleton University, a Bachelor of
Science and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Ottawa, and a
Doctorate in Health Administration from Arizona.