With more than 23 years of nursing experience, Mychele brings extensive clinical expertise and leadership to her role as Director of Nursing & Allied Health. Her career spans oncology, PICC nursing, post-anesthesia care, perioperative services, and progressive healthcare leadership.

Holding a Bachelor’s in Nursing and currently pursuing an MBA, Mychele is also Healthcare Lean Green Belt certified and trained in the Studer approach to performance excellence. She is committed to advancing high standards of care through evidence-informed practice, innovation, and continuous quality improvement.

Guided by Carefor’s values of Respect, Innovation, Partnership, Excellence, and Responsiveness, Mychele is passionate about fostering collaborative interdisciplinary teams that deliver safe, compassionate, and client-centred care. She is dedicated to building strong partnerships, supporting staff to achieve their full potential, and ensuring services remain responsive to the evolving needs of clients, families, and communities.

“I am honoured to lead our Nursing and Allied Health teams as we work together to advance excellence in care, strengthen partnerships, and deliver responsive, compassionate services that improve the lives of those we serve.”

Nicole Melnyk, is a Registered Nurse with 15+ years’ experience, bringing extensive experience across acute care, women’s health, education, and clinical settings in Canada and internationally. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology & European Studies (Hons), Bachelor of Sciences in Nursing (Hons) both from York University, and a Master of Education with a Health Professions Concentration from the University of Ottawa.

She is a strategic healthcare leader focused on advancing quality, safety, and patient experience through evidence-informed practice and system-level improvement.

Nicole has contributed to health professions education through her work at Fanshawe College, and Accreditation Canada (EQual Program). She is committed to strengthening clinical practice, policy development, and organizational excellence. Nicole is also currently serving on the Board of Directors for the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), including work on the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee, supporting regulatory oversight and public protection.

Dianne Kuipers is the Interim Director of Community Support Services, providing leadership and oversight for programs that support individuals and families to age well in their communities. With extensive experience in health and social services, Dianne is dedicated to fostering excellence in service delivery, strengthening community partnerships, and ensuring client-centered care.

In her leadership role, Dianne works closely with teams, community agencies, and stakeholders to advance strategic priorities, enhance service quality, and support the well-being of those who rely on community-based programs.

From the world of politics to community support, her expertise includes program management, labour relations, advocacy, fund development, organizational leadership, quality improvement, and collaborative community engagement. As a teacher of adults, she taught courses such as Program Planning and Evaluation, Project Management, and Organizational Behaviour at the Cornwall Campus of St-Lawrence College.

Dianne holds a bachelor’s degree in law and sociology from Carleton University and certification in Non-Profit and Voluntary Sector Governance and Management from Carleton Universtity’s School of Public Policy and Administration. She successfully completed the Senior Leadership Program from the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management and is a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner. She is passionate about building strong, responsive services that meet evolving community needs. She believes in leading with integrity, collaboration, and compassion, and is committed to empowering staff and promoting positive outcomes for clients and families.

Sara Olivier is currently the Advanced Practice Nurse and Program Manager for the Champlain Regional MAiD Network based out of The Ottawa Hospital. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Université de Montréal and a Master of Nursing Degree from Athabasca University. She has been at TOH since 2016 and led various programs including chronic pain, substance use, palliative care, and medical assistance in dying.

Over the years, she spearheaded a variety of quality improvement initiatives, supported her teams through the implementation of a new EMR and through the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a strong nursing advocate and values teamwork and staff empowerment.

Originally from Montreal, Sara is fully bilingual and has been calling Ottawa home since 2016.

Dr. Paul Hacker is a community-based Palliative Medicine physician in Ottawa. A graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, he has practiced in General Practice, Anaesthesia, and Hospitalist Medicine in diverse Ontario communities, and since 2010 has devoted his practice exclusively to Palliative Medicine in Ottawa. He also holds a faculty appointment with the University of Ottawa, Department of Family Medicine.

Dr. Hacker has extensive leadership and governance experience. He has served as a hospital department chair and program director and currently serves as Lead Physician of Community Palliative Medicine Associates. At the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), after serving in various representative roles, he was elected to the Board of Directors, where he is Vice-Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, and also serves as a Director of OMA Insurance. In 2025, he joined the Carefor Board of Directors, where he contributes to the Finance and Risk Management Committee and the Quality Committee.

Prior to joining Carefor, Emma served as CEO of The Glebe Centre Long-Term Care Home. She has also held a range of senior leadership roles across the healthcare sector, including in pharmaceuticals, hospitals, homecare, community health, and diagnostic testing organizations. Her career success is driven by her strong communication, facilitation, and problem-solving skills, as well as her ability to build trust and secure buy-in from stakeholders at all levels.

Emma holds an undergraduate degree in Applied Science, a postgraduate degree in Forensic Science, and an MBA in Strategic Planning in Healthcare. She is a qualified Crime Scene Analyst, a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and a Risk Management Professional.

Outside of her professional achievements, Emma is also an avid runner. Emma has been married for 30 years and is a proud mother to a pilot, a Border Collie, and a cat with no name.

Don Breedon joined Carefor in 2025 as Director, People & Culture, bringing HR leadership experience from health care, post-secondary education, municipal government, and private sector engineering. He provides strategic and operational leadership for all aspects of human resources, with a focus on aligning people practices to support Carefor’s mission and enhance the employee experience.

Don approaches human resource management as an integrated system (spanning recruitment through retirement) and is driven by a commitment to continuous improvement. His work is grounded in understanding the unique goals and challenges of each organization he supports, ensuring that HR initiatives are practical, purposeful, and responsive.  He is a Certified Human Resources Professional and Leader (CHRP, CHRL), designations that reflect his ongoing commitment to professional excellence and continuous learning.

Don is passionate about building strong, supportive workplaces where individuals and teams can thrive. He brings a collaborative mindset and a systems-thinking approach to his work and views his role as one of enabling the success of others, by supporting leaders, empowering employees, and aligning people strategies with organizational goals

Josée Ravary is a bilingual registered nurse with nearly 24 years of experience. She obtained her Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Ottawa in 2012. She has her yellow belt certification within the LEAN and Six Sigma program. In her role, she will oversee the Personal Support Services of our Home and Clinical Care Programs and Ottawa Inner City Health.

Throughout her career, Josée has built a diverse background in acute care settings, including inpatient medical and surgical units, outpatient services, and home and community care programs. She has always been passionate about delivering high-quality client care and adapting to the evolving landscape of healthcare. Her experience also includes teaching at the university level, where she has contributed to the training and education of new healthcare professionals, helping to shape best practices and clinical expertise.

More recently, Josée played a key role in developing a newly funded program designed to support the neurodivergent population—an initiative that has just completed its second year as a proof of concept. This collaborative effort between three organizations has helped bridge a critical gap in care for individuals whose needs would otherwise go unmet. Leading teams through change and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration with key partners from hospital to community-based programs and the education system, all of which have been central to the program’s success.

Nawriz Al-Ali began his career at Carefor – in April 2022 – as a IT Manager, then within two years he was promoted to Director of IT. He started in the IT field over 20 years ago, with progression from technical roles to managerial roles. His career included working internationally, in the United States and the United Arab Emirates. He currently leading the digital transformation of Carefor, along with enhancing its Cyber Security posture. Since he joined, he took on initiatives that helped save tens of thousands of dollar.

Nawriz graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Electrical Engineering degree; at later stage, he graduated from University of Ottawa with an MBA. These degrees go along with the many IT industry related certifications, such as: CEH, CISM, CISSP, CCNP, etc.

Nawriz is very focused on building a strong IT team, through training, supervision, mentoring, and guidance. He is always involving his team with career building projects. He is very involved in handling complex IT issues along with his team. In addition, he works very diligently building strong relation with other departments across Carefor.

Judie Leach Bennett is Vice-President, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer for Canadian Blood Services leading a team of professionals who provide pan-Canadian legal, governance, and risk guidance to the organization and its subsidiaries.

Previously, Judie has held both business and legal roles with Canadian Blood Services, advancing initiatives in innovation, risk management, ethics, compliance, process improvement, and international collaboration. Judie began her career as a lawyer with a Toronto law firm, acting in product liability litigation and class action proceedings.

Having received her law degree from the University of Western Ontario and Master of Laws from the University of Ottawa, Judie is accredited by the Law Society as a Certified Specialist in Health Law and holds certifications in risk management, healthcare ethics, and governance.

Judie joined the Carefor Health and Community Services board in 2024 and previously served as board chair of the Queensway Carleton Hospital in Ottawa.