Senior Management Team

Ron Gagnon, President & 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.

Marie Paluzzi, Vice President & COO - Marie has worked at SAH since 1994 in a number of roles and has been a member of the Senior Management Team for more than five years. After serving on an interim basis for a number of months during a nation-wide search, she was appointed as Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer in October 2010. Prior to this, Marie was the Chief Allied Health Professional and Director Clinical Support Services, following several years as the Manager of Pharmacy. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto and is a registered Pharmacist with the Ontario College of Pharmacists. Among her many accomplishments, Marie has been recognized with the Jim Mann Ontario Branch Past President’s Award and the Pharmaceutical Care Award from the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists (CSHP). As a member of the CSHP, she has held leadership positions with the Society at the local, provincial and national levels. In addition to having held preceptor positions with the University of Toronto's Faculty of Pharmacy, Marie has also volunteered with several professional organizations. Locally, she has served on various Catholic School Councils (both primary and secondary levels) and is an active volunteer at St. Gerard Majella Church. Marie enjoys spending time with her family, reading and gardening.

Max Liedke, Vice President & Chief Financial Officer- Max is a Chartered Accountant and has a Bachelor and Masters degree in Business Administration. He began working at SAH in 2009. Max is a member of the Senior Management Team and is responsible for finance, information management, information and communication technology, supply services, legal services, insurance, decision support and performance improvement as well as being the executive lead overseeing the new hospital project. Max brings over twenty years of experience to SAH. Most recently, he held the role of Chief Financial Officer at Sault College for over six years. He was also the acting President at Sault College for over eighteen months. Max volunteers on several boards with a primary focus on enhancing children's services within the community.

Ila Watson, Vice President Human Resources - Ila has a Bachelor of Arts, Industrial Relations degree from McGill University. She came to SAH in 2009 and brings with her, twenty years of experience with the Ontario Public Service in various leadership roles in Human Resources, including Director Enterprise Recruitment, Ontario Ministry of Government Services and Director Human Resources, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Ila has been credited with significant achievements during the transformation of human resources service delivery in the Ontario Public Service, and has been a participant and past instructor in Executive Programs, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management. An avid equestrian, Ila is a member of the Board of Directors of Theraputic Ride Algoma. Ila and her husband Ben enjoy sailing in the North Channel.

Dr. Heather O'Brien, Chief of Staff and Medical Affairs -   Dr. 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.

Doug D'Agostini - Chief Information Officer/Chief Privacy Officer - Doug joined SAH and the Senior Management Team in 2012 and is responsible for Information Technology, Privacy Commission and Health Records reporting to the Chief Financial Officer. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration (IT Concentration) and has continued his educational pursuits including Rotman training, Six Sigma White Belt training and numerous technical and process management courses.  Before joining SAH, Doug worked for the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation for 21 years including 15 years in various Senior Management positions. Over the years, Doug has worked as a Senior Project Consultant in the modernization of OLG and in Corporate Project Governance as a Director in IT Shared Services Development and as an IT Relationship Manager.  Doug was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie and is married with two children – Michael & Ashley. In his spare time, he is an avid golfer and enjoys watching sports.

Kelli-Ann Lemieux, Director of Clinical Support Services and Chief Allied Health Professional - Kelli-Ann has worked at SAH since 2001 in a number of roles and is currently serving as the Director, Clinical Support Services and Chief Allied Health Professional. She is a Registered Medical Laboratory Technologist and has more than 13 years of hospital experience. Since starting at SAH, she has taken on the role of Quality Coordinator and assisted with the Laboratory’s successful achievement of 5 year accreditation. As the technical supervisor, Kelli-Ann was involved in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the lab. In 2006, Kelli-Ann led the successful implementation of a new lab information system. Her pursuit of quality was evident in identifying areas for improvement and sharing best practices with comparator hospitals in order to arrive at new processes. Kelli-Ann’s enthusiasm for the organization is evident in her recent role as Lab Manager which she assumed in 2008, and in the many other committees she participates. She and her husband Marc enjoy spending quality time with their three children Eric, Justin and Julia.

Johanne Messier-Mann, Chief Nursing Office and Director of 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.

Mario Paluzzi, Director Communications & Public Affairs - Mario joined SAH and the Senior Management Team in 2008. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Business Administration degree in Marketing from the Schulich School of Business, York University. He worked for approximately fifteen years in the advertising business in Toronto developing Marketing and Communications strategies/campaigns for a diverse group of clients. During this time, he served in various client-servicing capacities of increasing responsibility, most recently as Vice President, Group Account Director at Bates Advertising Canada Inc. prior to returning to Sault Ste. Marie 1994. Before joining SAH, Mario spent almost seven years at Industry Canada/FedNor as a Communications Officer. He was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie and is married to Marie with three children - Tara, Michael and AJ. In his spare time, he enjoys watching sports, boating and fishing.