Board of Directors

John MacKenzie was a Director and Director General for over 15 years with Public Works and Government Services (PWGSC) working in the IT Branch.  He was responsible for leading an IT team, as well as supporting, maintaining and enhancing the government pay system when it went live in 2016.  Prior to that, Mr. MacKenzie was responsible for leading teams, supporting, maintaining and enhancing 400+ computer applications used by PWGSC and other government departments. John managed over 400 employees and consultants within a portfolio budget of over $50M.

Mr. MacKenzie has a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, specializing in Computer Science.  He has a high degree of experience managing people and budgets, as well as developing and managing computer applications.  In addition, John has management-level business knowledge of pay, pension, human resourcing, purchasing, and financial systems.

In 2018, John joined Carefor Health & Community Services as an Associate member, serving on the Finance and Risk Management Committee.  In 2019 he joined the Board of Directors and now serves as Chair of the Finance and Risk Management Committee. He continues to serve as Board Treasurer, and a member of the Governance and Executive Committees and the Pension and Benefits Sub-Committee.

Mrs. Nancy O’Dea practiced as a registered nurse in critical care for 30 years before pursuing a successful career as a realtor in luxury real estate in 2005.

She earned a master’s degree in counselling psychology, which led her into a career in supporting individuals living with mental health and addictions. She is now the Past Chair of Women for Mental Health at the Royal Hospital, where she played a vital role in engaging women around events focused on the Royal Ottawa Hospital and the hospital’s critical campaign to raise awareness regarding mental illness, reduce stigma, educate, and raise much-needed dollars for research as well as for programs in the community.

Mrs. O’Dea joined Carefor as an Associate Member of the Ottawa Regional Council in August 2020, and joined the Carefor Board of Directors in June 2021. Nancy currently chairs the Ottawa Regional Council and also sits on the Governance Committee.

Samir Shandal has over 12 years of experience in the financial industry providing management and oversight of the finance functions within a leading asset management firm, public technology company, and auditing experience with a Big 4 accounting firm.

Samir is currently a partner with KPMG, a global leader in delivering audit, tax, and financial advisory services. Designated as a Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Accountant, Samir also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Ottawa.

Joining as a Carefor Associate Member in 2021 serving on the Finance & Risk Management (FinRM) Committee, Samir became a Board Director in 2022 and continues to serve on the FinRM Committee.

Ruth Pollock BScN, MScN spent her nursing career in Critical Care, Nursing Education and as Professional Practice Leader for nursing in both Cornwall hospitals. She also taught nursing in the BScN program at St. Lawrence College in Cornwall.

Ruth has served as president of the local chapter of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO), and has represented this area on RNAO’s Board of Directors.

Ruth became a Carefor Associate Member in 2007 and has been an active Board Director since 2013 serving as Secretary and a member of the corporate and regional Quality Committees. Ruth also serves on Carefor’s Eastern Counties Regional Council and Talent Management Committee.

Ms. Pollock is also actively involved as a volunteer with Morewood Presbyterian Church, and with the Youth Justice Committee of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties.

Maury Hill has over 40 years of experience with the Canadian military, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and a variety of public and industry sectors in the fields of human factors, human factors design and systems evaluations, occurrence investigations, quality and safety management systems and risk assessment.  

He provides authoritative consulting services to senior management in the areas of organizational development, risk and quality management and safety investigations, with a particular focus on human factors. He has extensive experience providing training (e.g. workshops, including train-the-trainer sessions) on quality and risk management, human factors, safety management, accident investigation, fatigue management and organizational and management factors.

Maury has an Honours BA degree in Psychology from Carleton University, and a Masters of Science degree in Ergonomics from the Loughborough University, UK.

As well as serving on the Board of Directors, Maury also chairs the Governance Committee and sits on the Ottawa Regional Council and the Finance and Risk Management Committee.

Sheldon Gunn joined the firm of KPMG LLP in 1993 and was promoted to Partner in 2006 in the Audit Practice.  Over the last 26 years, he has provided financial statement audit and technical accounting services to a number of large public, private, and not-for-profit organizations.

Sheldon graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Carleton University in 1993 and joined KPMG Ottawa immediately thereafter.  Sheldon qualified as a Chartered Accountant (CA) in 1996.  Sheldon has also completed a two-year assignment with KPMG’ Department of Professional Practice in Toronto and continues as part of the firm’s Professional Practice Group. 

Mr. Gunn previously served as the Treasurer and Vice Chair on the Carefor Board of Directors and Chair of the Finance, HR & Risk Management Committee and was an active member on the Governance Committee.  He currently chairs the Pension & Benefits Committee and is Board Secretary. 

Mary Jane Randlett was born and raised in New Brunswick completing her undergraduate degree at the University of New Brunswick and her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at Kingston’s Queen’s University. Mary Jane continued her studies completing her medical degree in 1983 at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

After practicing general medicine in Germany for two years, Mary Jane returned to Canada practicing in the greater Toronto area for seven years before moving to eastern Ontario. Mary Jane practiced the bulk of her 30-year Family Medicine career in Cornwall and the surrounding Eastern Counties. For eight years until her retirement in 2017, Mary Jane was the Medical Director of Carefor’s Cornwall Hospice.

Mary Jane continues to have a keen interest in community service having served on the Boards for the Alzheimer Society and Saint Joseph’s Complex Continuing and Long-Term Care facility in Cornwall. 

A Carefor Associate Member since 2018 serving on the Eastern Counties Regional Council (ECRC), Mary Jane became a Board Director in 2020 while continuing to serve on the ECRC and Carefor’s Quality Committee. She now serves as ECRC Chair.

Monika MacLaren leads the Office of Marketing and Communications at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa.

Previous to this role, she was the Associate Director of Affiliates at the Canadian Medical Association. There she acted as a relationship manager through the strategic identification, development, implementation and evaluation of engagement plans, to maintain, build and strengthen relationships with other national medical associations.  She has managed national initiatives related to improving quality and access in the health care system.

Ms. MacLaren received her Master of Business Administration with a concentration on International Business from McGill University in 2004. She is also a Certified Developmental Coach – Associate Level, through Integral Coaching Canada.

As well as serving on the Board of Directors, Ms. MacLaren is the Chair of the Talent Management Committee.

Gerry Morris was a principal of the firm, Morris Thuemen, Architects, practicing architecture throughout Ottawa, the Ottawa Valley and across Canada.  Now retired after 40 years, Gerry was involved in the design, renovations and updating of many residence and care facilities for seniors and people with special needs, including: Carefor Civic Complex in Pembroke, Marianhill Home for the Aged, Supples Landing, Miramichi Lodge, PDACL and several non-profit apartments such as St Josephs, Petawawa, Killaloe, etc.

Mr. Morris has a Bachelor of Architecture degree, was a member of the Ontario Association of Architects, OAA Practice Committee, and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. 

Gerry joined the Carefor Board of Directors in 2018. He now serves as Chair of the Quality Committee and continues as a member of the Pembroke-Renfrew County Regional Council.

Stewart Ray was born in Woodbridge, just north of Toronto, where he studied Business at York University. Additionally, he is also an Associate of the Insurance Institute of Canada. 

Mr. Ray spent the first half of his career in product development working for two of Canada’s largest fine paper manufacturers, where he specialized in security & currency products. 

Returning to his wife’s (of 30 years) roots in Pembroke, he left the fine paper industry in the mid-90s, to start their family, and a small insurance agency where he has represented State Farm for the past 25 years. Through merger, that affinity has continued with the Desjardins group. Stewart and his wife enjoy some of their recreational time, at their, recently acquired, craft wine shop.

As well as serving on the Carefor Board, Mr. Ray is Chair of the local Pembroke-Renfrew County Regional Council and a member the Governance Committee.

Krystal Kehoe MacLeod PhD is a Research Fellow with the Centre for Research in Integrated Care at the University of New Brunswick. 

Krystal is a health policy and health care services researcher with a focus on equity and social justice. Her current research studies are looking at barriers to care for older adults from historically marginalized groups with high emergency department use and exploring care transitions for adults with complex care needs. Krystal’s recent publications include articles on the use of equitable integrated care programs to reduce fragmentation in home care and the implications of independent contracting arrangements on the home care workforce.

Krystal’s research and teaching are informed by her experience as a health policy analyst with the Ontario Government and the Government of New South Wales, Australia.

Krystal serves as a member on the Ottawa Regional Council.

Etienne O’Connor is currently the Director of Operations at Accreditation Canada for Health Systems, Hospitals, Government Relations and other specialty programs. He shares his passion for quality, safety and systems improvement, and along with his team and external stakeholders plays a vital role across Canadian health systems to collaborate on raising the bar to achieving safer care and a healthier world.

He holds over 24 years of leadership experience that span across acute care, community, EMS, global medical devices, and digital health organizations. Etienne holds an executive MBA from the University of Fredericton, a Masters in Nursing /Acute Care Nurse Practitioner from the University of Toronto and is a certified PROSCI© change practitioner. He is currently a registered member of the College of Nurses of Ontario and the Canadian College of Health Leaders where he is working to complete his Certified Health Executive certification.

Etienne has past volunteer non-for-profit board experience in the hospital and municipal community sectors. He joined the Carefor board of directors in June 2023.

When not volunteering or working, you may see Etienne enjoy the outdoors with his wife and two sons. He is passionate about Ironman triathlons, telemark skiing and connecting with nature.

Dennis Garvin has an extensive leadership background in the health care sector.  He graduated from the University of Ottawa Biomedical Sciences Program, completed a Masters in Business Administration and has had a successful career in both the private and public healthcare sectors ever since. 

Dennis is the Vice President of Operations at the Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association, leading medical laboratory operations across sixteen hospitals in Eastern Ontario.  Prior to this, he served as the Executive Director of Clinical Operations at The Ottawa Hospital.  This included senior operations leadership within a large academic health sciences centre across multiple clinical portfolios as well as home and community care, clinical risk management, patient relations, and organizational development experience.  Dennis’ experience includes supporting health care partners and leading the integration of clinical services across the Champlain region.  Dennis was an instrumental clinical operations leader within the hospital setting while the system faced unprecedented pressure responding to COVID-19 pandemic.