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.

Leslie Drynan, Vice Chair

Leslie joined the Board in June of 2017. Born and raised in Smiths Falls, Leslie is proud to be back in the community she calls home. With a strong sense of community pride, appreciation for the vital role the hospital plays in our community, interest in giving back and a deep understanding of the various challenges of our region along with a perpetual optimism about the potential that awaits us, she feels privileged to serve on the Board.

Leslie has been working for almost 20 years in the field of municipal administration, governance, and council and committee support services. She is currently employed as the Municipal Clerk/Deputy CAO for the Municipality of South Dundas. Prior to joining South Dundas in January 2022, she held the position of County Clerk/Deputy CAO for Lanark County.

Leslie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Trent University, an executive Diploma and Master’s in Municipal/Public Management from the University of Western Ontario, and holds a Certified Municipal Officer (CMO) designation from the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks, and Treasurers of Ontario, where she’s also actively participated as a Director and Secretary-Treasurer on the Zone Executive for over fifteen years.

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 Barhaven (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

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

Ken and his wife Angie live just outside Smiths Falls in Montague Township. Ken previously served for five years on the Montague Police Services Board (PSB).

Ken was a civilian member of the RCMP for 10 years, providing advice and guidance on physical security to the federal departments and agencies. Ken was a technical committee member for several CSA security standards and has presented at national and international security forums. Ken is semi-retired but runs a security consulting company and takes on periodic short-term projects.

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. In addition to serving on the Montague PSB, Ken has also volunteered with the Red Cross (Disaster Management) and with Rideau Ground Search and Rescue. Ken was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal in 2012.

  

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.

 

Ed McPherson, Municipal Representative, Town of Perth

Ed McPherson was employed as an Ontario Land Ambulance Paramedic for over 38 years. He retired from the position(s) of both the Chief of the Lanark County Paramedic Service as well as the Regional Director of the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs in March of 2019. During his career, he served on numerous committees and organizations responsible for Pre-Hospital Emergency Care. He was active in pre-hospital emergency education having worked on a part-time basis for 20 years as an Education Facilitator for both the Ministry of Health (Emergency Health Services Branch) and the Ontario Base Hospital Programs. He is the recipient of both the Governor General's Emergency Medical Services Exemplary Service Medal (30 years) as well as the Major-General Richard Rhomer Commendation Award recognizing, “actions that have brought significant and meritorious credit to the profession of paramedicine in the Province of Ontario.”

Ed has served on the Municipal Council of the Town of Perth for the past 28 years and currently holds the position of Deputy Mayor. He is married to Kim a retired ICU-CC RN. Together they have three children and one new granddaughter. In his spare time Ed can be found riding his road bike.

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.

 

Nancy Shaw, Vice President, Patient Care Services/Chief HR Officer, CNE

Nancy Shaw is the Vice President of Clinical Services, Chief Nursing Executive and Chief Human Resource Officer for the Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital, with over 25 years of nursing and healthcare experience. Nancy joined the Senior Leadership Executive Team in 2013 and her professional portfolio includes Professional Practice, Critical Care, Emergency, Medical Surgical, Operative, Obstetrical, Palliative Care and Ambulatory Care programs. She also has accountability for Human Resources, Occupational Health, Pharmacy, Laboratory, Diagnostic Imaging and Allied Health programs.

Nancy has a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree, a Masters of Health Administration, an Advanced System Leadership Certificate from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management Executive Programs. She also has her Canadian Nurse’s Association National Certification in Emergency Nursing as well as a diploma in Critical Care and Emergency Nursing. She also has a black belt certification in Lean methodology and is an Associate Professor with the Laurentian University/ St. Lawrence College Bachelor of Nursing program.

Nancy is an active member of the College of Nurses, Canadian Nurse’s Association, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and the Canadian College of Health Leaders.

Nancy has a strong sense of community and is proud to serve the area in which she calls home. Her experience and long standing established community partnerships locally and regionally continue to enhance the quality of service that the PSFDH provides to our communities.

 

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. Annie currently works as the communications lead at The Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County, a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to making sure no one faces dementia alone.

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.