Board Members
Katherine Berg
Katherine Berg, is Chair of the Physical Therapy Department and the Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. She is also Adjunct Scientist for the St. John’s Rehab Research Program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems, at Waterloo University. Her previous academic experience includes teaching positions at McGill University in Montreal, and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where she completed her post-doctoral fellowship. Katherine is Past Chair, Canadian Universities Physical Therapy Academic Council (CUPAC), and a former Board member of St. John's Rehab Hospital. Throughout her career, Katherine has worked to advance the field of rehabilitation science, including through her participation on dozens of committees, scientific and expert panels. Katherine has a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University in Montreal and is a licensed physiotherapist with clinical expertise in geriatrics. Her research has a core theme of improving health outcomes and quality of care. She has been co-investigator on projects developing quality indicators for long term care, and as a fellow of interRAI, she has worked on the development of a suite of assessments for integrated health systems which are used in Canada and internationally.
Eugene Cawthray
Eugene Cawthray is President of Cawthray & Associates, a management consulting company. Eugene has 35+ years as a business executive with IBM, Hewlett Packard, CIBC and other multinational corporations. He has 10 years of Board experience with CNIB including investments, finance, fund-raising, audit and Board Chair in Ontario. He is a former member of the Board of Trustees of York Central Hospital and has five years of experience on the Ontario Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care Board for the Central Local Health Integration Network.
Dennis Darby
Dennis Darby is a senior level executive with over 27 years’ experience in the private and not-for-profit sectors. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Pharmacists' Association, which represents over 12,000 pharmacists in the province. Previously Dennis led external and government relations for Procter & Gamble, both in North America and abroad. An accomplished public speaker and experienced business leader, Dennis has a strong record of service as a board member and Chair to trade associations, hospitals, charities and arts organizations such as the Juravinski Cancer Foundation, Junior Achievement of Central Ontario, Opera Ontario/Opera Hamilton and St. John’s Rehab Hospital. He was the first chair of the Board of Stewardship Ontario, which established the Blue Box as the foundation for the provincial waste diversion strategy. He is the current co-chair of Ontario’s Pharmacy Council. Dennis is a professional engineer (P.Eng.) and has also earned an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Nevzat Gurmen
Nevzat Gurmen is a financial executive with extensive experience in both public and private sector organizations. Since 2008 he has been Vice-President Finance and Chief Financial Officer for Durham College in Oshawa. Prior to that he worked in the private sector until joining Centennial College in 2000 where he worked in progressively responsible positions, culminating in his appointment as Associate Vice President Corporate Planning and Finance in 2006. Before becoming a Certified Management Accountant in Ontario, Mr. Gurmen received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Middle East Technical University and has extensive international experience. He has in-depth knowledge of the Ontario college system, government funding and revenue generation. His strengths are in the areas of financial operations and financial reporting, strategic and business planning, operational and capital budgeting and business and partnership development. He is also familiar with Information Technology planning and project management.
Sue Kwolek
Susan Kwolek is the Vice President of Patient Services at the Niagara Health System. Previously she held a number of senior management positions including, Senior Vice President Patient Care Services and Programs at Credit Valley Hospital ,Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive, Vice President, Quality – Corporate Performance, and Program Director, Maternal Newborn and Pediatrics at North York General Hospital. Susan is a Certified Health Executive with a Masters of Health Science from the University of Toronto and is a member of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, National Association for Health Care Quality and Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
David Y.Y. Lai
David Y.Y. Lai is Manager, Service Management, Hydro One, a senior role accountable for the management and governance of multiple large scale enterprise IT and Telecom outsource service contracts. Prior to joining Hydro One, David provided management/consulting services to clients in Canada and the U.S. David is a Certified Management Accountant (C.M.A.) with a M.B.A. from Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario. David brings extensive Board experience, having been a Trustee of the Board of York Central Hospital for over seven years. David had served on multiple Board Committees at York Central Hospital including the Governance Committee, Quality & Performance Committee, Strategic Directions Committee, Audit Committee, and the Nominating Committee. As a member of the Board at York Central Hospital, David also participated in providing governance oversight and stewardship in the successful completion of the Phase 1 Redevelopment / Renewal project, a multi-year capital intensive hospital-wide strategic initiative. David was also nominated for a community service award and was invited as key speaker at the AGM of the Asian Employee Network Association of a financial institution.
Teddene Long (Chair)
Teddene Long was a member of the Board of York Central Hospital, serving as an Executive Member of the Board and as Chair of both the Strategic Directions and the Governance committees. She has recently been asked to return to the Hospital Board as an Honorary Director to chair a Steering Committee for governance renewal. A retired health care executive, Teddene held positions with the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Ministry of Health as a Consultant and the Home Care Program for Metro Toronto. Other volunteer positions include President of the Board of Directors, Palliative Care Services for York Region, and Chair of the Board of the Council on Aging in York Region and Past President of the Bayview Golf and Country Club. Teddene served on Region 3 of the Ontario Hospital Association’s Regional Council Executive Committee and is the Past Chair. She also chaired the OHA Board Governance Committee for two years and was Chair of the 2007 OHA Convention Planning Committee.
Al Luciani
Al Luciani is the President of Quad Strategic Resources, a consulting firm engaged in the provision of strategic planning, coaching & mentoring to business executives at all levels of organizations. Al has over 35 years of experience in senior management with Spalding, TopFlite & Callaway Golf where he earned an excellent reputation as a corporate problem solver. Al has traveled extensively both in Canada and internationally in a professional capacity where his responsibilities included sourcing new products, setting up quality systems, consulting subsidiaries, establishing off-shore supply chains needs, relocating & overseeing the building of new plants, mergers & acquisitions.
Joe Parker
Joe is a financial and business advisor with extensive experience guiding boards, supporting clients in the development of strategic alliances, and advising on mergers, acquisitions and financing. For over 10 years, Joe was an Advisory Practice Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, working with public and private sector clients in healthcare, energy and transportation. Prior to that, Joe held various positions at The Molson Companies Limited, including Vice President, Finance, Marketing & Technology where he supported the development, marketing and financial implications of global product development. He is a former board member at the Mississauga YMCA and the Hamilton Philharmonic.
Michael (Mike) Dibden
Mike Dibden is a senior executive with more than twenty years of experience in the technology and financial sectors. As Senior Vice-President, Technology Operations and Wealth Management Technology at CIBC, Mike is responsible for leading all aspects of the bank’s technology infrastructure environment and the application development group that supports its Wealth Management business. Mike’s previous experience includes senior operations and technology roles at Hewlett Packard (HP), EDS Canada and Fidelity Investments, and as a management consultant role with Deloitte. This experience shapes Mike’s pragmatic leadership style and in-depth management insight, which serve as significant assets in setting the direction for the Technology Operations and Wealth Management Technology teams. Mike holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Toronto.
Mike’s community involvement started more than a decade ago; pursuing his passion for the game of hockey by coaching and managing minor hockey teams. More recently in the corporate sector, he is executive sponsor of CIBC’s Workability Network, a group of persons with disabilities and their allies who are interested in creating fully accessible and inclusive work environments through the removal of attitudinal, systemic, technological, physical and other barriers.