Board of Directors

Bruce has had a career in health care management in hospitals, a multi-specialty medical clinic, the Ontario Ministry of Health and community health in Toronto and Belleville. He has served in post-secondary education at Queen’s University and Loyalist College and has worked as an Executive Director with an immigration and refugee organization based in Toronto.  Bruce has graduate degrees in Hospital Administration, Business Administration and Public Administration from the University of Toronto, York University and Queen’s University. He has previously served on the Community Care Access Centre and Meta Vocational Services Boards, with interests in strategic planning, board accountability and transparency. Bruce has lived in the Quinte Region for several years and enjoys learning the history of the many interesting communities throughout the area, as well as traveling within the region.

Bruce joined the BQWCHC Board of Directors in June 2023.

Lisa Turik, a resident of Belleville, has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Guelph and obtained a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. She is Co-Director of Legal Services at the Community Advocacy & Legal Centre (CALC) which is a non-profit community legal clinic that helps people living on a low income in Hastings, Prince Edward, and Lennox & Addington counties and the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. As a Lawyer, Lisa’s work at the legal clinic focuses on legal issues related to income security. She is also the lead for CALC’s Justice & Health Partnership Project which started in 2015 out of a growing understanding that the social determinants of health and the legal problems caused by poverty seen at the legal clinic are two sides of the same coin. Lisa has a keen interest in the social determinants of health and health equity, and is proud of the work the BQWCHC does to ameliorate both.

 Lisa joined the BQWCHC Board of Directors in January 2023.

Mary Lynne is a recently retired finance professional with experience in audit, controllership roles, strategic planning, financial forecasting and budgeting, as well as implementation of financial systems. As a Chartered Accountant with a bachelor of business in administration, she provided financial support and expertise to multiple corporations including Bell Mobility and Bell Canada, The Dorchester Corporation and Price Waterhouse.  Mary Lynne comes with over 25 years of experience working with Boards, including her recent role as a member of the BQWCHC Finance Committee.    She is a resident of Belleville and is concerned about the Doctor shortage in the Quinte area and is determined to support those who serve the underprivileged and at-risk population in this area.

Mary Lynne joined the BQWCHC Board in June 2022.

Mike Slatter is currently the Deputy Chief of Quality & Development for Hastings-Quinte Paramedic Services. He started his career as a Paramedic in 1993 after graduating from Niagara College. Building upon his experience, he trained to become an Advanced Care Paramedic through Durham College and is now completing a Degree in Health Administration through Toronto Metropolitan University. Mike has helped to shape the Community Paramedic and Palliative Care programs for HQPS. He also sits on the Harm Reduction Committee and at the Situation Table. Mike is interested in collaborative community efforts to help people live safe and healthy lives.

Mike joined the BQWCHC Board of Directors in June 2023. 

Patricia Sukha has a military background as a specialist technician and is currently a Registered Nurse with experience in long term care, maternal-child care, emergency care and health research studies. She has a passion for reducing barriers to safe, quality healthcare and promoting evidence-informed practice.  Patricia is an advocate for recognizing the effects of the Social Determinants of health – particularly for those who are not well supported or without life mentors. She has been a member of our Community Advocacy Committee for the past few years and is one of the Centre’s Ambassador Volunteers helping the staff with many different programs.

Pat joined the BQWCHC Board of Directors in April 2021.

Frank Hiebert retired from his position as programmer/analyst with Quinte Computer Services Ltd., a local provider of hosting services and custom business applications. Prior to that he worked in the field of mining exploration as a geophysicist, working in Canada, the US and the Middle East.  He graduated from the University of Calgary with a B.Sc. in geophysics, after initiating two years of studies at the University of Waterloo. Frank is married to Irene and together they have one daughter in Ottawa. He has lived in Belleville for the past forty years, and during that time he has volunteered with community organizations in a variety of capacities (board director, officer, program volunteer). These have included the local YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Quinte Rowing Club, Bridge St. United Church,  Quinte Living Centre, United Way, Poverty Round Table and the Affordable Housing Working Group. He also served as a volunteer coach at Quinte Secondary School in junior football and rowing. He has always held a passion for community engagement, youth serving organizations, and a desire to mitigate poverty and to share solidarity with everyone who calls Belleville and Quinte their home.

Frank joined the BQWCHC Board of Directors in June 2021.

Victoria Law is a Public Health Nurse who focuses on the social determinants of health at Hastings Prince Edward Public Health. In her role, she has supported the development of the community drug strategy, advocated for services and supports for people experiencing homelessness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and builds organizational capacity to support health equity.  She has resided in Belleville since 2018 where she started her nursing career as an RN at Quinte Health in Acute Medicine and Women & Children. She holds a Master of Science in Applied Health Services Research where she gained skills to tackle complex health policy issues. After her Master’s she chose to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Toronto to utilize nursing as a way to advocate for better health for all.  Victoria is passionate about health equity and advocating for everyone to have the resources to reach their full health potential. 

Victoria joined the BQWCHC Board of Directors in April 2024.

Nadia Guerrera is an Industry Partnership Officer at Loyalist College, tasked with building industry-college collaborations that support the sectors of Health, Human and Justice Services through applied research, workforce development, skilled labour and experiential learning. With an Honors B.A. from Queen's University, a Bachelor of Education from York University and a Master degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois, Nadia brings a breadth of life and career experience, with a specific background in education, politics, consulting and business development. Throughout her career, Nadia has lead people, projects and teams- always by fostering collaboration, grounded in relationships of trust, and using the intersection needs and ideas to power innovation. Nadia lives her belief that we are all architects of the possible in a world bounding with opportunity. 

Nadia joined the BQWCHC Board of Directors in June 2024

Jen Keilty-Friesen has a Masters degree in Public Health (MPH) from University of New South Wales, Australia, and and undergrad degree from McMaster. Jen is a Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence, and has also completed several courses and certifications in human centred design and design thinking. Her professional work has included founding two companies that specialized in supporting health and human service agencies - a Canadian accreditation company and a consultancy. She is the past CEO of Canadian Mental Health Association - Hastings and Prince Edward County, and is currently employed as the Strategy and Execution Lead at TuesdayAfternoon Media - a digital learning company.  She has had the chance to work in Ontario, across Canada and internationally. Jen has also sat on several Boards. Through these experiences, Jen has developed a strong belief that even the most difficult problems can be solved by bringing people together to co-design solutions.  Having grown up in Belleville, and returning to live here more than a decade ago, Jen is a true believer in the importance of building a community and developing services that are unique to each situation. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to be on the Board at BQWCHC.

Jennifer joined the BQWCHC Board of Directors in June 2024 

Spencer Hutchison is a life-long resident of Trenton and is semi-retired after 35 years of working in the field of municipal land use and planning.  Spencer was the Senior Associate Planner with RFA Planning Consultant in Belleville and prior to this he was a municipal planner with the City of Trenton, the Municipality of Port Hope and the City of Belleville.  Spencer has held positions on the Prince Edward District School Board and Learning Foundation and more recently, has dedicated his time as Vice President of the Quinte Affordable Housing Corporation.  In his spare time he serves on the Executive Board of the Quinte West Soccer Club and is the Tournament Director overseeing summer tournaments. Spencer’s volunteer work focuses on promoting healthy, equitable and inclusive living and learning opportunities for all ages.

 Spencer joined the BQWCHC Board of Directors in June 2024