Board Meeting Schedule
Our Board of Directors meets monthly at 5:00 PM, typically on the fourth Tuesday of every month. Board meetings are open to the public and members of the corporation. There are no meetings held in July and December. Occasionally, Board Meeting dates are changed, so if you plan to attend please call administration to confirm the meeting date.
Our Board Chair, Dr. Barbara Weiss, ND, can be reached directly by emailing: chair@porthopechc.ca
Involvement
We are looking for leaders to sit on our Board of Directors. If you are interested in helping the Community Health Centres of Northumberland fulfill its mission and vision, please submit an application to:
- Taryn Rennicks, Executive Director
905-885-2626 ext. 213
trennicks@porthopechc.ca
Application
You can download a copy of the Board of Directors application here:
Minutes of Board Meetings
2022 Minutes
Our Board Members
The Community Health Centres of Northumberland is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors made up of members of the surrounding communities.
We are pleased to introduce you to:
- Dr. Barbara Weiss, ND, Chair
- Anna Cooper, Past Chair
- Garth Dee, Director
- Jacqueline Monahan, Director
- Morris Tait, Director
- Frank Ipsen, Director
- Robert Biffin, Director
- Dennis Hogarth, Director
- Mitchell Benson, Director
- Melanie Oda, Director
Anna Cooper, RN, MN
Past Board Chair
Anna Cooper is a Registered Nurse and holds a Master of Nursing degree from Ryerson University.
Recently retired from a career concentrating on community and population health, Anna now works in a consultant capacity on related projects.
Her education, work experience, and professional practice have all focused on assessing and identifying opportunities for improvement, strategies for developing and implementing programs to achieve that improvement, and research and evaluation to assess the outcome of those strategies.
A strong belief in care that is centered on the needs and goals of individuals and their families guides her practice and is a central theme of her work.
Anna lives just outside of Roseneath where she enjoys her time gardening, beekeeping, traveling, and being with friends and family.
She is an award-winning baker competing at the Roseneath Fair and loves meeting new people in her community.
Dr. Barbara Weiss, ND
Board Chair
Barbara has been practicing Naturopathic Medicine for the past 14 years after graduating from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM). Prior to becoming a Naturopathic Doctor, Barbara spent 16 years in business and marketing, leaving behind a senior management position to pursue a career in Naturopathic Medicine.
During her fourth year internship at CCNM, Barbara worked at the Parkdale Community Health Centre in Toronto.
Barbara served on CCNM’s Board of Governors for 9 years and 3 years as Chair of the Board. During her time on the Board, the College launched the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Center, and The Brampton Civic Hospital teaching clinic and the profession moved under a new regulatory framework, joining other health care providers in Ontario under the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA). She continues to serve as a member of the Program Advisory Committee for CCNM and is a Director CCNM Press and CCNM Enterprise.
Barbara practices in an integrative healthcare clinic in Port Hope, working alongside other healthcare providers.
She is also a Bowen Therapist.
She is a past speaker for the Canadian Liver Foundation and has been featured in Best Health Magazine, The Globe & Mail, and Canadian Healthcare Network – the online journal for The Medical Post and Canadian Healthcare Manager.
She also serves as a medical advisor for a nutraceutical firm and is a member of the Ontario and Canadian Associations of Naturopathic Doctors.
Barbara and her family live in the country in Grafton, Ontario
Garth Dee
Director
Garth moved to Northumberland County in 1996 to accept a position as a staff lawyer focusing on poverty law with the Northumberland Community Legal Centre. Prior to that time, Garth had been a computer programmer, a volunteer teacher with CUSO in Sierra Leone, a lawyer with the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Tribunal, a lawyer in private practice, and a Benefits Policy Director with the WSIB.
When Garth left the Legal Centre in 2002 he became the Director of Legal Aid Ontario’s Clinic Research Office, before moving to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal, where he is currently a Vice-Chair responsible for final level appeals from WSIB decisions. Garth has spoken at a large number of professional development events for workers’ compensation law and since 1992 has been a co-author of Butterworth’s Looseleaf Service Workers’ Compensation in Ontario.
Garth is committed to public service and is able to draw on his history of experience in management and professional public service while participating in Board activities.
Jacqueline (Jackie) Monahan
Director
Jacqueline (Jackie) Monahan is a Senior Executive Assistant most recently supporting the Dean at The Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. She is also the principal and founder of The Lead Sheep, an event management business. Prior to her roles at the University, she also held positions at a number of large organizations including The Second Cup Ltd., Thomson Newspapers and Nabisco.
She has served on several Boards including the Friendship in Action initiative, and developed a professional network that supports women in realizing their career ambitions, Women Helping Women network (WHWn). She is also an expert contributor to the myEAcoach program, providing coaching on leadership, mentorship and partnership, all of which contribute to successfully elevating and empowering women. She has supported several individuals through TRIEC (Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council). She recently completed the Community Police Academy Training program with Toronto Police Services, which was a definite highlight of her community involvement.
Since transitioning to a semi-retired lifestyle, Jackie has rejoined UTemp, the in-house agency at UofT, and is looking forward to navigating the next step in her professional journey.
Jackie lives in Cobourg, she has two sons and a lovely little granddaughter.
Morris Tait
Director
Morris is a long time Northumberland county resident and now a retired school principal who lives with his wife in Cobourg. Morris has extensive experience serving Northumberland County as a volunteer board member and chair of the Northumberland United Way, and YMCA Northumberland. He also was a charter member of Northumberland Hills Hospital Board and has had involvement locally in Rotary, curling, New Ventures Band and is a District executive member of the Retired Teachers of Ontario. He enjoys following health care developments in the area so is thrilled to part of the important work of the Community Health Centres of Northumberland. Recently he was recognized by the YMCA for 20 years of volunteering as a group fitness leader.
Frank Ipsen
Director
Frank Ipsen and his family came to Port Hope in 2007, seeking a suitable place to retire and have found a welcoming and diverse community which embodies a healthy lifestyle.
Frank brings more than 40 years experience in industrial construction, the utilities sector and service industry to his new role as a Board Member. He seeks to leverage his specialty in project work which delivered technical oversight, business transformation, and mutually beneficial commercial management to executives, clients and stakeholders. Improvements in financial performance, satisfaction, business metrics and stronger working relationships have been attributed to his direct engagement with business leaders and functional teams.
He has volunteer experience with Cycle Transitions in Cobourg, Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons and co-developed new governance for an incorporated (1953) property-owners association. A life-long learner in emerging service quality trends and needs, he is keen to be able to contribute to the mission of the Community Health Centres of Northumberland.
Robert (Bob) Biffin
Director
Bob Biffin and his wife relocated to Port Hope in 2013 as they were downsizing and preparing to retire…Port Hope has exceeded all of our expectations.
Bob retired from the information technology sector at the end of 2017, spending 45 years engaged with clients transforming their public and private businesses leveraging technology solutions. Bob has an extensive senior management background, in sales, administration, logistics and general management.
He was fortunate to qualify for on going management development education, both internally and externally through post graduate programs offered by the Universities of Toronto, Western, McGill, Harvard and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Bob has served in a variety of volunteer non for profit boards, service clubs and municipal government committees, with a focus on giving back to the community through strong governance, strategic planning, setting short term and longer term goals and measuring results…” plan your work and work your plan “. Most recently, Bob served as the President of the Rotary Club of Port Hope in 2020/21 and was chair of the Climate Change Working Group from September 2019 to October of 2021, reporting to Council for the Municipality of Port Hope.
Bob and his wife are grateful clients of the Community Health Centre of Northumberland and have experienced first hand, the importance of the mission and values of the CHC; he looks forward to actively contributing to the board activities and strategic focus for the Community Health Centre of Northumberland.
Dennis Hogarth
Director
Dennis retired as a partner from the global professional services firm of KPMG following a 38-year career where he initiated and managed a variety of projects to improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of KPMG’s global information risk processes and programs. He graduated from the Ivey School of Business at Western University, and is a Fellow of the Ontario Institute of CPAs (FCPA), a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and a Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE).
Dennis incorporated his own consulting company, D.C. Hogarth & Associates Inc in 2012, and since then has worked both alone and together with other consultants to provide subject matter expertise relating to IT risk and change management engagements, with major long-term projects for both national and international organizations. He has also done volunteer service with local charitable and not-for-profit organizations in Ontario.
Mitchell Benson
Director
Mitchell is a recent graduate of McMaster University’s Bachelor of Commerce program. Along with the required commerce courses, he studied additional accounting courses, economics, and sociology to accompany his major. Mitchell plans to further pursue his CPA designation.
Through his work during his three Co-Op placements with Part Time CFO Services, Mitchell has been exposed to a wide range of business models, some that are innovative and aimed towards the future and ones that are more traditional. In addition, he has been able to gain valuable experience in many different organizations such as charities, not-for-profits and, for-profit businesses.
In his spare time, Mitchell enjoys playing a variety of sports from soccer to hockey, camping and paddle boarding.
Melanie Oda
Since 2001, Melanie has lived in Gores Landing with her late husband and dogs. Trained as a psychiatric nurse, her career spanned over 40 years in the health care, social service, educational and legal sectors. She completed her Masters in Health Science in Japan and expanded her education completing an Organizational Change program in Michigan.
Through her consulting company she led organizational reviews, strategic planning, team building, policy development, training, and curriculum development for diverse NGOs, and the municipal, provincial, and federal governments.
Prior to retiring, Melanie was director of the Mental Health Program and Acute Respite Care at the unique Sherbourne Health Centre a dynamic provider of integrated health services, community programs and capacity-building initiatives for newcomers to Canada, people experiencing homelessness, Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (2SLGBTQ) people and the Mid-Toronto community.
Melanie is committed to equity, inclusion, social justice, and supporting marginalized populations. She has been a board member for Ontario Shores, Family Outreach and Support (CAMH), Workman Arts (CAMH), Momiji Health Care Society and Japanese Family Services.
Since retiring, Melanie’s desire to contribute to the community led her to the Community Health Centres of Northumberland whose values align with hers.
