Board of Directors

Jamie Melville, Chair - Jamie joined the Board of Directors in 2010 and is currently the Chair of the Board. He is a graduate of the University of Western's Business and Law School. He retired from the firm of Laidlaw, Paciocco, Melville where he had practiced law for the past 16 years. Prior to that, he was employed by Algoma Steel in various positions including Vice President of Finance and Corporate Services. Jamie has been involved with a number of community organizations having recently served as the Chair of the Sault Area Hospital Foundation for 10 years, as a member of the Hospital's Planning Committee, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Divisional Chair of the United Way Campaign and as a Director of the Rotary Club and Economic Development Corporation.

Gregory Peres, 1st Vice Chair and Treasurer - Gregory joined the SAH Board in 2011. He is the Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Resources and Governance Committees. He has more than 20 years of managerial experience within the financial services industry. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds two Bachelor degrees - Commerce and Arts, majoring in Economics. Gregory is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Community First Credit Union Limited and was previously the Chief Financial Officer. He is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Economic Development Corporation and received special recognition for his 15-years contributions to the United Way of Sault Ste. Marie.

Ron Gagnon, President and CEO - Ron holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Laurentian University and is a Certified Management Accountant. He is the Secretary to the Board and is a member of all SAH’s Board committees. A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ron joined SAH in April 2001 as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer accountable for Finance, Information Technology, Logistics, Clinical Support Services and Environmental Services. He also served as Interim President & CEO in 2004 and 2006. Ron brings experience in public service and competitive industry in both administrative and operational leadership capacities. Prior to joining the SAH, he spent six years as a senior executive with the largest water services organization in Canada. Ron is a past Board member of the Innovation Centre and Sault College.

Dr. Heather O'Brien, Chief of Staff and Medical Affairs - Dr. Heather O’Brien was appointed Chief of Staff and Medical Affairs in November 2012 . Dr. O’Brien received her Doctor of Medicine and Master of Education Degrees from the University of Toronto. While working at SAH on a locum basis from 1997 onward, she practiced Anaesthesia and Hyperbaric Medicine at the Ottawa Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.  She moved to Sault Ste. Marie with her family on a full time basis in 2006 to lead the Department of Anaesthesia. Dr. O’Brien has been the recipient of numerous awards. Her academic work has been published and acknowledged in several medical publications. Dr. O’Brien is well known and respected, both at SAH and across the district of Algoma for her clinical work and her physician leadership roles as Vice President and President of the Medical Staff Association and associated memberships on the SAH Board of Directors and the Medical Advisory Committee. 

Johanne Messier-Mann, Chief Nursing Officer and Director Maternal Child Program - Johanne has a Nursing Diploma, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing and Masters degrees in both Education and Business Administration. She has served on the Senior Management Team for over two years. Johanne has over thirty years of experience in the health care field and has held numerous education and management positions in areas including Intensive Care and Surgical Unit, Long Term Care, Psychiatry, Hospital Information Services and Decision Support to name a few. Johanne has also served as the Chief Privacy Officer. She has taught the Masters Diploma Nursing Program Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology. Johanne has been active on several local and provincial organizations and volunteers for the SAH Foundation. She is a Certified Health Executive through the Canadian College of Health Services Executives (CCHSE) and is an evaluator for the CCHSE, marking papers, reviewing papers for publications and interviewing candidates.

Dr. Doug Bignell, President of Medical Staff Association –  Dr. Doug Bignell is an Internist and Gastroenterologist and has been practicing at SAH since 1984. He received his Bachelor of Science and Medical degrees in England and completed his post graduate training at the University of Western Ontario.

Dr. Anna Rogers - Vice President of Medical Staff Association - Dr. Rogers moved to Sault Ste. Marie as a family practitioner in 1996.  In 2001, she attended the University of Toronto to pursue a psychiatry residency. Dr. Rogers and Dr. Henry Leung initiated a unique partnership between the University of Toronto and Sault Area Hospital to train specialists in the North. This allowed her to complete half of her residency training in Sault Ste. Marie. She has been practicing as a hospital-based psychiatrist since 2005. Dr. Rogers is also the Clinical Director of Education for the Psychiatry Department.

Lorne Carter - Lorne joined the SAH Board of Directors in 2006. He holds his Masters degree in Business Administration and has over 30 years of banking experience. Lorne also serves on the Quality and Services Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. He is a currently the Chair of the Resources Committee. Lorne holds a certificate in Alternate Dispute Resolution from the University of Windsor. He also served as the Deputy Mining and Lands Commissioner for the Province of Ontario for a period of ten years.

Joy Haley - Joy joined the SAH Board in 2006. She has 25 years of experience as a counsellor/social worker/educator at the Children's Aid Society, Sault Area Hospital’s Child and Family Centre, Sexual Assault Care Centre and Crisis Services. She also taught at Sault College and conducted court ordered custody and access assessments. Joy’s community work includes volunteering at the United Way, Algoma Council on Domestic Violence and serving on the executive of the Women in Crisis (Algoma) Board of Directors for 6 years. In 2002, she travelled to Ireland to participate in an International Conference where she presented on Building Community Partnerships. As part of the SAH Board, Joy chaired the Governance Committee for 3 years and was a member of the Policy Development Work Group. Currently, she represents the Board on the Joint SAH/ Group Health Centre Research Ethics Board and is a member of the Quality and Services Committee. She enjoys travel, gardening, music and sharing good times with her grandchildren.

Donna Hilsinger - Donna joined the SAH Board in 2011 and is a member of the Quality and Services Committee. She has 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry in Sault Ste. Marie and is currently the General Manager of Algoma’s Water Tower Inn and Suites. Donna is a 2008 Northern Ontario Business Influential Women Award winner, Chair of Tourism Sault Ste. Marie Management Board, Past President of the Algoma Fall Festival and Chair of the Sault Trails Action Committee.

 

Anthony P. Marrato - Anthony joined the SAH Board in 2006 and is a member of the Resources Committee. He has a law degree from the University of Western Ontario and is currently legal counsel for the Children’s Aid Society of Algoma. Among his many volunteer positions over the years, Anthony is on the Parish Council at St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church, a member of the Algoma Domestic Violence Committee, a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee and a Director for the Algoma District Law Association.

Luisa Martone – Luisa joined the SAH Board in 2005 and is a member of the Resources Committee. She has worked for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming for 17 years and is currently employed as a Human Resources Communication Specialist. Luisa is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and is currently working toward her Human Resources Certificate. She has participated in the CIBC Run for the Cure, raising funds for breast cancer research and awareness. Luisa is a member of OLG Dream Chasers team for CIBC Run for the Cure.
 

Debbie Romani - Debbie joined the SAH Board in 2011. She is currently the Chair of the Resources Committee and a member of the Audit and Governance Committees. She has over 20 years of experience in accounting and auditing and is currently working as a consultant. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a Chartered Accountant. She brings a wealth of financial knowledge to Sault Area Hospital’s Board of Directors, having worked as the Vice President of Finance for Symcor Inc. and as an accountant for Coopers and Lybrand. Debbie has been an Elettra Marconi Society member for more than 25 years and is keen to give back to her community.
 

Pramod Shukla - Pramod joined the Board in 2012 and has been the Chief Operating Officer at Essar Steel Algoma Inc. since 2009. Prior to this, he also worked as the Vice President of Operations for both Essar Steel Algoma and Essar Steel India. Pramod received his formal education training in India and holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering. Among his many accomplishments, Pramod has a wealth of experience in general management with proven success in achieving operational excellence, quality and service improvements and business process re-engineering.

Reg St-Amour - Reg joined the SAH Board in 2011 and is on the Quality and Services Committee. He has worked as a management consultant for since 2001 and has over 25 years of experience in information technology and business leadership. He has a diploma in business and has led many successful projects in the Information Technology sector. Previously, he worked in Information Systems at Laurentian University and more recently, Reg was the Vice President of Information Systems and Chief Information Officer with Ontario Lottery and Gaming.
 

Laurel Young, Volunteer Association Representative - Laurel joined the SAH Board in 2005 and serves on the Quality and Services Committee. Her volunteer contributions to the SAH Board of Directors span over more than ten years. She serves on the Board of Directors as a representative of Sault Area Hospital’s Volunteer Association and was also President of the Association in 1998. She is an active member of the Quality and Service Board Committee. Laurel graduated in 1975 from the Dental Assisting course at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario and received her diploma as a certified dental assistant. She has worked as both a dental assistant and managed a coffee kiosk at Sault Area Hospital (Plummer site cafeteria) as a volunteer when it first opened in 1999. Over the years, Laurel has been very involved with Hospital Auxiliaries Association of Ontario, serving in a number of capacities for 10 years. Laurel is an active member of St. Luke’s Cathedral and has assisted with many special events and fundraisers at Sir James Dunn High School. Laurel received her Provincial Life Membership from the Hospital Auxiliaries Association of Ontario in 2002. She was also recognized by Sault Area Hospital for 25 years of service in 2004 and in 2009, received recognition from the Province of Ontario for 25 years of volunteer service.

Connie Witty - Connie joined the SAH Board in 2010 and is a member of the Resources Committee. She has lived in a rural setting most of her life. With a strong dedication to enhancing health care delivery in the rural setting, Connie has chaired the Matthews Memorial Hospital Association since 1998/99. Connie has served as a volunteer on numerous committees and boards, and most recently was appointed to the Algoma, Cochrane, Manitoulin and Sudbury Grant Review Team for the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Connie is currently a member of the Human Resources Team at Cross Country Automotive Services as a Senior Recruiter with corporate responsibility for all customer service representatives hiring at its Sault Ste, Marie Site. Connie currently holds accreditation with the Association of Professional Recruiters of Canada. Connie has resided on St. Joseph Island with her husband Glen since 1985. She is the mother of 3 children and 3 grandchildren.