2024-2025 Board of Directors

Officers:

• Nadine Valk – Chair
• Derek Antoine – Vice-Chair
• Dan Farris – Treasurer
• Stephanie Carpenter – Secretary

Directors:

• Rachelle Anctil
• Derek Antoine
• Sue Beardall
• Cara Bowman
• Terry Campbell
• Stephanie Carpenter
• Nelson Coyle
• Deirdre DeJean
• Dan Farris
• Maria Gruending
• Joshua Hambleton
• John Petitti
• Nadine Valk
• Hieu Vu

Past Chair (Ex-officio, non-voting):

• Alex Bushell

Staff (non-voting):

• Yacouba Traoré , Executive Director (Ex-Officio)
• Vanessa Rodnez
• Hilary Rose

Communicate with the Board by email to .

Biographies

Rachelle Anctil

Rachelle is a Franco-Albertan, who has made Ottawa her home since 2004, and now lives in the Carlington community. Holding an MBA and a BSocSc in International Development, she works as an International Development Officer and as a senior leader in her organization with over a decade of experience working in the not-for-profit sector.

Rachelle has a special interest in supporting women, children and families who come to Canada as refugees. She has traveled the World and brings a broad set of experiences and perspectives to the Board. Rachelle is passionate about offering her skills and perspectives to benefit those in the community who seek equity and social justice.

Rachelle is the Mom of two young children, believes strongly in the mission of the Centre, and is excited about the opportunity to contribute through participation on Carlington’s Board of Directors.

Derek Antoine, Vice-Chair 

Derek is a resident of CCHC’s catchment area.  He is fluently bilingual and brings a wealth of experience in non-profit community services, strategic planning, corporate governance, public policy, and communication.

Derek is Senior Manager at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation on a leadership team reviewing programs through the lens of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.  He previously led the Parliamentary Affairs team, shepherding through the National Housing Strategy initiatives.

Derek completed his doctorate in Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communications, where he is a sessional instructor.

As a community oriented father of two young children, teacher and public policy professional, Derek has dedicated his career to advancing community health and social services in Ottawa, and hopes to continue doing so as a member of the CCHC’s Board of Directors.

Sue Beardall

Sue is a resident of the CCHC catchment area. She will soon be retiring from Indigenous Service Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health Branch and is looking for an opportunity to make a valuable contribution and facilitate change in the healthcare field and with Indigenous and immigrant populations.

Sue is bilingual, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and a Master of Health Sciences, with a specialty in Community Health and Epidemiology. Her education and experience in her current role, as well as having worked as a staff nurse in hospitals both in Canada and the UK, have given her an in-depth understanding of the health care system, the social determinants of health, the challenges of newcomers to Canada and the barriers faced every day by BIPOC and other marginalized communities.

Sue’s goal is to continue advocating for marginalized and racialized people and communities into her retirement, and feels that participation in the Board of Directors at CCHC will partially fulfil this commitment.

Cara Bowman 

Cara has lived in the Carlington area twice – first when she moved to Ottawa 20 years ago, and most recently since 2017. A data enthusiast, she brings to the Board over 2 decades of research and analytic experience. For the last 16 years she’s conducted health services research for a local not-for-profit organization, and before that she was a public health epidemiologist with the federal government. She’s also experienced in program evaluation and knowledge translation. As a result of her varied experience, she’s able to view issues from multiple perspectives. But she loves working with people even more than working with data, and in her spare time teaches yoga and volunteers at a local hospice.

In both her personal and professional life, her focus is now on doing work that matters and has a positive impact. She is passionate about using her skills and advantages to remove the barriers others face. “We lift as we climb.”

Terry Campbell

Terry has been a resident of the CCHC catchment area for more than 30 years. She recently retired from an extensive career as a bilingual executive where she led diverse teams to produce innovative results, in the areas of research administration, health care administration and science and technology policy.  She has worked in: federal agencies, such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; non-profit organizations (eg. Canadian Institute for Health Information); and post-secondary institutions (eg. University of Ottawa). Immediately prior to her retirement Terry held the role of Assistant Vice-President, Research Services, where she was responsible for management and accountability of the University of Ottawa’s research portfolio, strategic planning, performance monitoring and its equity, diversity and inclusion in research strategy.

She holds a Master Degree in Health Administration from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor Degree of Science from the University of Illinois. She also holds a Diversity and Inclusion certificate (Cornell). She is a strong advocate of the community health care model and its focus on health equity, and she is particularly interested in contributing to the CCHC’s success in the areas of collaborative governance, government relations and anti-racism and inclusion.

Stephanie Carpenter, Secretary 

Prior to being elected to the Board in September 2020, Stephanie spent a year as member of the former Quality Assurance Committee. She has worked for more than 15 years in health policy and social services and wants to use that experience and knowledge to contribute in her community.

Stephanie is particularly passionate about equity in care, accessibility, and working with at-risk populations. As a resident of the Centre’s catchment area, she looks forward to leveraging her experience at the community and national level to help within her community of Carlington.

Nelson Coyle

Nelson is a resident of CCHC’s catchment area with a history of community involvement and managerial experience.

Nelson is retired from a satisfying career with the Canadian Dairy Commission where he worked as Assistant Director, Policy, Strategic Planning and Communications, and later as Chief of Policy and Manager of Evaluation.  He holds a B.A. (Hon) Sociology from Queen’s University and a Masters in Science, Agricultural Economics from McGill University.

Nelson is an active volunteer with CCHC’s Healthful Food and container gardening initiatives and was the 2019 recipient of the Centre’s Community Achievement Award in recognition of his dedication to community building, volunteerism, collaboration and gardening.  He believes his experience in communications and the principles of evaluation would be a benefit to the Board.

Deirdre DeJean 

Deirdre is an interdisciplinary researcher with a strong background in health policy and health research methodology. She is currently the Lead of Health Technology Assessment and Deliberation at Canada’s Drug Agency, where she supports committees in developing recommendations about publicly funded health technologies. She has demonstrated skills and expertise in navigating complex challenges, engaging diverse groups, and leading strategic initiatives.

Deirdre moved to Ottawa (and the Carlington area) in 2016 become a research associate at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Health Law, Policy, and Ethics, where she engaged in several topics related to health law and policy, including financing for long-term care and artificial intelligence in health care. In addition to her MSc and PhD in Health Research Methodology, she holds a BSc in Psychology from McMaster University, and a BA in English Literature from McGill University.

Deirdre is passionate about health equity and social justice and is eager to contribute her energy and expertise to organizations dedicated to nurturing health and well-being in the community

Dan Farris, Treasurer 

Dan has extensive experience in leadership roles, both at the strategic and operational level, and passion for giving to his community. As a former member of the Armed Force (CAF) Health Services, over a 35 year career he had the opportunity to lead a clinic, as well as to lead at the network-level, coordinating across all Canadian Forces clinics across Eastern Canada, finishing his military career coordinating all Health Services for the Canadian Armed Forces. He has always strived to improve the organization, by analyzing and developing solutions, and creating an accountability framework and Key Performance Indicators to monitor success and to support mentoring discussions. He has a knack for clear communication in addition to being bilingual.

In his current role as Executive Director in Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) he is deeply involved in the project management and ideation on the delivery of a transformed Employment Insurance experience for Canadians. Dan is involved in the community through his long-standing Volunteer Search and Rescue role, where he is currently seeking out greater responsibilities as a Team Lead; he has also recently been elected to their Board of Directors.

Maria Gruending 

Maria Gruending is a bilingual health and social services policy professional with 16 years of experience in the federal and Ontario governments, following roles on Parliament Hill. At Ontario’s Ministry of Health she oversaw policy for home and community care, including legislative and health system restructuring initiatives. She previously held leadership roles in Ontario’s Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, including in the development and implementation of the first-ever provincial information system for child welfare. She and her family moved to Ottawa in 2021 and she joined Health Canada, where she is currently managing the development of policy for the new Canadian Dental Care Plan.

Maria is passionate about health policy and delivery, and has a thorough grasp of the linkages across service areas and the interplay between levels of government. She is dedicated to working in collaboration with the CCHC board and the Carlington community to support access and integration of health and social services.

Maria is the mother of two young children. She appreciates the many opportunities for outdoor activity in the Ottawa area, and spends her free time jogging and playing softball.

Joshua Hambleton 

Joshua is currently a Healthcare Business consultant with over 10 years’ experience in leading the design, implementation and evaluation of major initiatives across sectors and agencies.  Working at both a system and local level, Joshua has implemented and evaluated nationally accredited continuing medical education, developed and evaluated virtual care applications, and used client-based co-creation as a core aspect of his process.

Having led the implementation of programs with total aggregate value of over $25M, Joshua’s career focus has been translating key strategies into practice through successful implementation science and change management practices. At the Canadian Medical Association, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Health Links, and Ontario Health Teams, he led program implementations from inception, including leading, growing, and structuring teams to support successful delivery of client care initiatives.

Joshua holds a Masters of Health Administration from the Telfer School of Management coupled with a Business and Cognitive Science background.  He looks forward to applying his experience and training in support of local community care.

John Petitti

John has been a Carlington resident for over 20 years.  Following a career as a marketer, entrepreneur and not-for-profit executive, John currently focusses post-retirement on volunteering and consulting within the community.  He holds a B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.

Over the past 40 years John has developed strategic expertise in business and growth strategy, risk management, crisis communications, public affairs, marketing, fundraising and not-for-profit leadership – skills that he applies as a consultant to non-profit organizations focused in the areas of public health, youth resiliency and community development.  As a volunteer with Ottawa’s Centre for Social Enterprise Development, John consults with several of Ottawa’s social service agencies to help them launch and manage businesses that engage the community and generate revenue to extend their mission impact.  John has also gained significant governance experience serving on the Board of Family Services Ottawa (FSO) over a ten-year period, including terms as Board President leading FSO’s Fundraising Committee.

John has spent the better part of his career serving organizations focused in the areas of public and mental health, youth resiliency and community development, and hopes to continue doing so as a member of the Carlington Community Health Centre’s Board.

Nadine Valk, Board-Chair 

Nadine is a resident of the Centre’s catchment area with over 25 years of experience working for health charities and organizations. Her work has focused on developing collaborative relationships within complex multi-stakeholder environments in order to improve health and well-being.

Nadine served on the Carlington CHC Board from 2008-2011 and elected again in 2019. She has retained her passion for and commitment to the Community Health Centre Model.

Hieu Vu

Hieu has focused the bulk of his career in public service with regard to the health and safety of Canadians, in part due his belief that families benefit greatly from the support of their community.

He served as a board member and Chair of a non-profit board for over a decade and volunteers to help newcomers integrate into the community through the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OSISO).

Hieu works in the Centre’s catchment area and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2019.

Alexander Bushell, Past-Chair 

Alex is the Director of Strategic Policy and Analysis at CANARIE, a federally funded non-profit agency that designs and delivers digital infrastructure. Alex coordinates the organization’s position in the area of public policy and recommends activities that would serve to strengthen Canada’s digital infrastructure ecosystem. Alex also serves on the Secretariat of the Global NREN CEO Forum with CEOs from international organizations similar to CANARIE.

Prior to joining CANARIE, Alex spent almost 6 years working for MPs in both Canada and the U.K. In Ottawa, he worked primarily on analyzing and producing policy on a range of consumer related topics, before moving to the private sector as government relations consultant.

Alex has a strong focus on community involvement, having served on the Board of two community associations and on a Union Executive. Prior to joining the Carlington CHC Board, he was a member of the former Strategic Planning, Advocacy and Quality (SPAQ) Committee. He looks forward to continuing his work on the CCHC Board during this time of transition in Ontario’s healthcare system.

Alex holds a B.A. (Hons) in Politics and Parliamentary Studies from the University of Leeds in the U.K. and a M.A. in Political Science from Carleton University.