Stevenson Memorial Hospital

Board of Directors 2023/2024

Stevenson Memorial Hospital is a fully accredited facility located in the community of Alliston, Ontario, within the Town of New Tecumseth. The Hospital offers a wide scope of medical and surgical services to a catchment area including Adjala-Tosorontio, Canadian Forces Base Borden, Essa, Innisfil and New Tecumseth. 

The Board governs the affairs of the hospital and provides strategic leadership and oversight of operations subject to the Public Hospitals Act, hospital by-laws and other requirements.  
 

Norm Depta Vice Board ChairNorm Depta, Chair
Norm resides in Alliston with his family and for 15 years has owned and operated a small insurance and financial services firm.  He started with a global pharmaceutical company and was part of a management development program where he rotated throughout the organization before being responsible for the Operation’s Personnel/Organizational Development.  Norm’s next role was with a large professional services firm as a consultant for Change Management and Organizational Development.  Norm spent nearly 10 years as a local volunteer firefighter where he also served on the Board of Directors for the association.  He has an Hons. Degree in Psychology, with a focus on Industrial Organizational Psychology, and his post-grad education is in Human Resource Management.


Nishika Jardine DirectorNishika Jardine, Vice-Chair
Nishika Jardine served in the Canadian Armed Forces, Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical & Mechanical Engineers for 36+ years, retiring at the rank of Colonel in May 2019.  A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, she holds both a Bachelor of Science (Math & Physics, 1986) and a Master of Defence Studies (2007).  Most recently, in 2018 she obtained the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation from The Directors College (a collaboration between McMaster University and The Conference Board of Canada). She and her family have lived on CFB Borden since 2008 and expect to move to Alliston in summer 2019.  Her other volunteer activities include: Junior Program Coordinator for the Alliston Curling Club, Governor on the Air Cadet League Ontario Provincial Committee Board of Governors, Director on the National Council of the Order of St. George. She has enjoyed working as an Advisory Member of the Stevenson Memorial Hospital Board Governance and Nominating Committee since September 2018 and is looking forward to continuing to serve the Hospital.  

 

Jeff Stubbs TreasurerJeff Stubbs, Treasurer
Jeff is a newcomer to the area, having moved with his family into the area two years ago to be closer to a successful business they started up in Alliston.  Jeff is currently employed as a Chief Operating Officer at a resort development company.  He has over 25 years experience as a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA-CA) and held senior financial roles in a variety of organizations and industries during that time.  Jeff is an ICD.D as a graduate of the Rotmans school of business's director program and is currently the Board Chair for a large credit union in Ontario. 


Wendy Fairley DirectorWendy Fairley, Director   
Wendy has resided in New Tecumseth since 1973.  Her professional life was spent in education; first as a special education teacher and finally as Principal. As well Wendy has extensive experience in that sector with a focus on Educational Leadership. Currently Wendy teaches for the Faculty of Education at Nipissing University.

Wendy brings extensive experience on Not For Profit Boards.  She was the founding chair for New Path Youth and Family Services, Simcoe County, and served as a director on the Board of Directors of CMHO.

Wendy has served the Stevenson Memorial Hospital Board over the last four years by sitting on several committees, most recently with a focus on community engagement and communications.  As a community member, Wendy is committed to SMH and believes in the ability of the hospital staff to provide excellent health care in a safe caring environment close to home. Stevenson has served the Fairley/Twine family for many years, and Wendy is confident that will continue for the growing population in South Simcoe.

Sheila Kaarlela DirectorSheila Kaarlela, Director
Sheila has lived in the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio for the past nine years.  She is semi-retired after spending over 28 years in the pharmaceutical industry with executive positions in sales and marketing.  Along with her husband she is a partner in a consulting business with a focus on pharmaceuticals and healthcare.  Sheila became a member of the Stevenson Memorial Hospital Foundation in 2012 and served on the Communications Committee.   As well, she Co-chaired the 2012 Stevenson Memorial Hospital Foundation Gala.  For the past four years she has been a member of the Stevenson Memorial Hospital Communication Committee and Quality Committee, reporting directly to the Board of Directors.  She became a member of the hospital Board of Directors in 2017. Sheila spends her free time golfing, horseback riding, gardening, and curling. Dedicating time to causes such as the redevelopment of Stevenson Memorial Hospital is very rewarding to her.
 

David Knight DirectorDavid Knight, Director
David describes himself as a small town boy at heart, having been born and raised in Meaford.  He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA, FCA). He was a Partner and Vice-Chair of the international accounting firm KPMG for many years and subsequently served with the Ontario Securities Commission as a Commissioner, Adjudicator and Board member for six years. At present, he is mostly retired from compensated professional work, but he does some consulting from time to time.

David’s past volunteer work has included service as: Vice-chair of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (a predecessor to Toronto Rehab); Chair of the Regional Geriatric Program of Metropolitan Toronto; National Chair of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada; member of the Advisory Committee to the Auditor General of Ontario; member of the two Ontario Financial Review Commissions; an officer of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church in Toronto; and a member or chair of committees and task forces of the CPA institutes.
 

Kevin Mullins DirectorKevin Mullins, Director
Kevin Mullins is the Manager of Administration at Honda of Canada Mfg. (HCM) based in Alliston, ON. Kevin began his career at Honda in 1995 in the Material Service Department. He has held numerous roles at HCM; in production, planning and in his most recent assignment leading the Administration team.

In his 20+ years with Honda, Kevin has spearheaded a number of critical projects and supported others, including the development of the Global Production Control System and the launch of the Engine Plant in 2008. Before moving to Administration, Kevin was the Manager of Plant 2 Assembly, where the CR-V is built.

Kevin is passionate about giving back to the community. Raised in Colgan, ON, Kevin attended Trent University in Peterborough. He holds an undergrad degree in Biology and Environmental Science.

Kevin is married with one son and lives just north of Tottenham, ON.


John Murray Board ChairJohn Murray, Director
John is a resident of Rosemont where he and his family are engaged in the extensive rejuvenation of a century farm.  A lawyer by profession, John is President & CEO of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council, and has served as a director and officer of not-for-profit and charitable organizations for over twenty years. 

 

Michael Vear, Director
Michael retired in 2018 as Chief Internal Auditor of Toronto Community Housing Corporation, the second largest social housing provider in North America. After his retirement, he engaged in contract opportunities that gave him the opportunity to work for a Canadian NGO conducting internal audits throughout the world. In mid-2021 Michael retired officially, ending an over 39-year career in corporate and regulatory investigations, forensic accounting, and Internal Audit.

Michael was a board member and Chair of the Municipal Internal Auditors Association of Ontario. He has presented at various professional organization events in both Canada and the US.

Michael is currently the Treasurer of the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Alliston. He also volunteers there several mornings a week.

Michael holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from York University. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and has also passed the exams for Certified Public Accountants (CPA) in Illinois. He has been an Advisory Member of the Board’s Finance, Audit and Property Committee since 2018.

Michael and his spouse reside in beautiful downtown Beeton, Ontario.

Tanja Webster Board memberTanja S. Webster, Director
Tanja is a resident of Alliston where she and her family have been living for the past eight years.  Tanja was appointed as a Board of Director at Stevenson Memorial Hospital in June, 2023. Prior to this she was an Advisory Member on the Governance and Nominating Committee at the Hospital, since 2018.

Tanja works as an Appeals Specialist for Lifeworks Workers’ Compensation Professional Corporation. She holds an LL.B. from the University of Sussex and a B.A.A. in Paralegal Studies from the Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.


Christina Wieder Ruel, Director
Christina Wieder became a member of the Board of Directors in June, 2022, after being an Advisory Member of Stevenson Memorial Hospital Board Governance and Nominating Committee for over a year.

Christina has been employed by local Public Health Units for more than twenty years. Christina completed a Master of Public Health and has a Bachelor of Applied Science from the Toronto Metropolitan University. She is skilled in leadership, governance, and continuous quality improvement processes. Throughout her career, she has participated on provincial and national committees, and working groups.

Christina is looking forward to continuing to serve Stevenson Memorial Hospital.

 

The President and CEO; Vice-President/Chief Nursing Executive; Chief of Staff, Chief Financial & Information Officer, President of the Medical Staff; President of the Auxiliary and Board Chair of the Foundation are ex- officio members of the Board.

Jody Levac President and CEOJody Joseph Levac, President & CEO
Jody has been the President and CEO of Stevenson Memorial Hospital since January 2014. Jody is recognized for his energetic and transformational leadership style, overseeing the strategic and operational planning of the hospital.

He previously worked at Southlake Regional Health Center holding numerous leadership positions in Mental Health, and winning the award of Leadership Excellence in 2010. Jody has worked across both private and public sectors, starting his career in Northern Ontario hospitals. He was a recipient of the Northern Bursary after completing his Undergraduate degree from Laurentian University, and then attending the University of Toronto for a Master’s degree. In 2013 he completed a Doctoral Degree in Health Administration. Jody is a member of the College of Social Work, and holds the designation Certified Healthcare Executive (CHE) from the Canadian College of Health Care Leaders.  

He has lead Stevenson Memorial Hospital through the redevelopment stages, and under his tenure, the hospital has achieved Accreditation with Exemplary standing. 

 

Julia Sek VP Clinical and Chief Nursing ExecutiveJulia Mullen, VP Clinical Services & Chief Nursing Executive  
Julia, a Registered Nurse, joined SMH in 2022, having held positions at Hamilton Health Sciences, St. Michael’s Hospital, West Parry Sound Health Centre and Georgian Bay General Hospital. She has over 30 years of experience providing extensive hands-on clinical, strategic and operational expertise in academic and community hospitals. Julia has been in progressive leadership roles over the past 20 years, which includes working for the Ministry of Health to establish standards and care pathways. She supports and demonstrates that leadership and success is built on strong relationships, embracing and empowering change; while also working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to serve patients, families and communities with quality care. Julia has also participated in not-for-profit Boards (President of the Hemophilia Ontario and was an invited member to the Ontario Blood Advisory Committee –Blood Provincial Coordinating Office). She believes “we are the change we want to see in the world”.

Julia is responsible in providing leadership by establishing and monitoring criteria for clinical excellence and best practice in clinical services. She will contribute to our vision and guide the organization in the creation of a collaborative inter-professional practice environment that maximizes professional scope of practice and shared governance.

Julia has her degree in Health Sciences from Charles Sturt University, Australia, a Leadership Development certificate and a Master’s Certificate in Health Management from York University in Toronto, as well as certification in Clinical Risk, Negligence and Claims Management in Healthcare.  She is also a certified Yoga and Ayurveda practitioner.


Dr. Barry Nathanson, Interim Chief of Staff                                                 Doctor Nathanson Chief of StaffIn 1982, Dr. Barry Nathanson earned a BA (English Lit.) from Yeshiva University in New York City and graduated in 1990 from the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine where he also completed his internal medicine training. In 1995, he began practicing internal medicine and critical care medicine at York County Hospital in Newmarket which, in 2000, became Southlake Regional Health Centre. Early on, Dr. Nathanson served as Medical Director of the inpatient Palliative Care Unit and later founded the Southlake Heart Function Program. He was President of the Southlake Medical Staff Association for four years. He then helped develop Southlake’s Clinical Resource Utilization Management Program.  Dr. Nathanson held the role of Southlake’s Physician Leader, Acute Medicine Programs from 2008-2017 and Medical Director, Critical Care Services from 2018-2022. In 2010 Dr. Nathanson completed a Master of Science degree in Health Care Management at the Harvard School of Public Health. He has served on two provincial task forces, the ER/ALC Advisory Committee and the ALC Action Team. 

In 2017, Dr. Nathanson completed a two-year term as co-chair of Southlake’s Quality, Utilization and Resource Management committee and he was named Chief of Staff at Stevenson Memorial Hospital, a role that he held for five years. He returned to Stevenson in August 2023 as Interim Chief of Staff.

Dr. Nathanson’s additional professional interests are in: Medical Bioethics and Health Law; Health Policy and Health Economics including the impact of different payor systems on clinical systems design and on clinical decision making; the role of Physician Leadership and Engagement in driving system change toward improved clinical safety, efficiency, and effectiveness; and physician health and wellness. His many personal interests include travelling, especially riding his Indian Springfield, together with his wife, Genny, all over Ontario, Canada, the US, and beyond.

 

William Bye Chief Financial and Information OfficerWilliam Bye,
VP Corporate Services and Chief Financial & Information Officer

William has 30 years of extensive professional experience as a senior health care finance and operations professional. William is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), a graduate of the Public Sector Leadership and Development Program at Memorial University, has Professional Certificates in Leadership and Strategic Management from Harvard University, a Diploma in Business Administration and is Project Management Certified.

William is a former Director of Finance/Administration and Regional Finance Controller with international and domestic experience in both the public and private sector. William comes to us with experience in all aspects of hospital business operations with strong motivational, communication and collaborative skills.  He also has a wide variety of experience in forensic accounting, law, human resources and informatics.  William’s previous roles included Provincial Manager, Management Information System Standards, and Health Analytics and Evaluations Services for the Province of Newfoundland, Regional Financial Controller of the Government of Manitoba – Burntwood Regional Health Authority where his main focus was to develop and control a budget in excess of $100 million for multiple locations in the northern half of Manitoba.

William has also directed a number of provincial health care sector committees and was a member of the National Financial Standards and Information Technical Working Group at the Canadian Institute for Health Information in Ottawa, a group responsible for providing expert technical advice on the development, maintenance and effective implementation of the national financial and statistical reporting standards for health care organizations in Canada. He also has extensive experience implementing and using large scale electronic health care software and business intelligence programs.

In August 2018, William became The Chief Financial and Information Officer (CFIO) and Vice President of Corporate Services. He is responsible for all financial aspects of the organization as well as Human Resources, Information Technology, Facilities, Environment Services, Food Services, Registration, Bookings and Health Information Services.
 

Dr. Modar Safar - President of the Professional Staff Association



President of Auxiliary – Carla Beckett
Carla Beckett moved to Alliston from Victoria, BC in 2002.  She has four sons and two grandchildren – one in Alliston and the other in Victoria. 

Her background is with the Government of BC in the Ministries of Energy and Mines; and Women’s Equality, in the capacities of Office Manager and Ministerial Correspondence Coordinator.  Carla worked in Human Resources at Stevenson Memorial Hospital from 2002 to 2007, then in HR at the Town of East Gwillimbury until her retirement in 2015.

Carla has been involved in many volunteering roles over the years. Since arriving in Alliston, she has served as President at the Catholic Women’s League locally and at the Northern Region level.  At the church she served on the Pastoral Council and Cemetery Board, and was a lector and Volunteer Screening Coordinator.  She was a Board member for Focus Community Development, and has been a member of Tec-We-Gwill Women’s Institute since 2019.  She also provides meals to SHIFT (the shelter).

Carla joined the Hospital Auxiliary in 2012 serving in various roles on the Executive committee, currently as the President, because she absolutely loves the Hospital and respects everyone who works and volunteers there.
 

David Green Board Chair of the FoundationDavid Green – Board Chair of the Foundation
Dave is a retired, environmental educator and community development facilitator who has lived in the greater Alliston area for 15 years. He is an active member of the Rotary Club of Alliston and volunteers with S.H.I.F.T. in Alliston.

Dave believes that a local hospital is a cornerstone of the community and we must all work together to ensure the ongoing success of Stevenson Memorial Hospital.