2012 Board of Directors

Pamela Blackstock:

Pam joined the Board in 2008 and became Chair in 2010. She and her husband, Kemp McMeekin, have lived in the Merrickville/Montague Township area since 1980 and have raised their two daughters here. Pam is retired from the federal Public Service, where she most recently directed a national heritage program, partnered with all provinces and territories. She has experience in management, policy, program and partnership development, strategic planning, consultation, and community engagement.

Anne Carter:

Anne became a permanent resident of the area when she returned from working abroad to become the Medical Officer of Health for Leeds, Grenville and Lanark in 2006. She lives with her husband Tom on Upper Rideau Lake near Newboro. When she retired from active practice in 2010, Anne joined the Board, serving first on the Executive Committee and now as Vice Chair. With her background in Public Health, Anne is particularly interested in health equity, the determinants of health and quality management issues.

Roderick Fournier:

Rod arrived in Merrickville in 2006, after having had a 36-year career as a professional mechanical engineer in Atlantic Canada. For the first half of his career he worked in industrial plants, then later as a self-employed consulting engineer. He has worked as designer, project manager and construction manager, mainly providing services to industrial clients. Rod attended the University of New Brunswick graduating in 1970. He is a registered professional engineer in both New Brunswick and Ontario.

John Mundy:

John Mundy is a retired Canadian diplomat with postings in many countries including Iran where he served as Canada's Ambassador. He has an undergraduate degree in economics and political science from Queens University in Kingston, an MBA from the University of Western Ontario and a French certificate from the Universite de Dijon in France.

John is active in volunteer activities. Since 2008 he has served on the Board of the Merrickville District Community Health Centre (renamed Rideau Community Health Services). He served as its Treasurer in 2009 and 2010. He also serves on the executive of the Merrickville District Trails Society.

John and his wife, Leanne, have lived live in Merrickville, south west of Ottawa since 2005. They have three adult children.

Paula Hurtubise:

This is Paula's fifth year on the MDCHSC Board of Directors. She first moved to the village in 1978, while working at the Rideau Regional Centre. Paula left RRC in 1988 and with her husband and daughter and moved to Ottawa where she completed her BA and MA in geography. Currently, Paula is the Section Chief, Client Liaison and Dissemination for the Geography Division, Statistics Canada. She and her family returned to Merrickville in 2008.

Wendy Quarry:

Wendy and her husband, Paul Reynolds, have been in and around the Merrickville area since 1984 and now live on the Corktown Road. Wendy is a communication and community development specialist with over 30 years field experience in Latin America, Africa and South Asia. Prior to that she worked for the CBC in Montreal. Wendy has worked for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) both at headquarters and in Ghana and Pakistan. She has also worked for the World Bank (India) and the governments of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Mozambique. An independent consultant since 1993, Wendy continues to work nationally and internationally with First Nations communities in Canada and with NGOs and government in various countries in Africa and Asia. Wendy is a client of RCHS and has been a member of the Board for three years.

Graeme Bonham-Carter:

Graeme Bonham-Carter was born in England and immigrated to Canada in 1962. He has a BA from Cambridge University and a PhD in geology from University of Toronto. He spent 10 years as a university researcher and teacher in USA, and 25 years as a research scientist at the Geological Survey of Canada in Ottawa. He was an Adjunct Professor at University of Ottawa. He has published two textbooks and numerous journal papers on mathematical applications to geosciences. He was Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Computers & Geosciences for 10 years. He is now a part-time consultant to government and industry. He lives with his wife in Merrickville Estates, where they built a house in 2007. He has six children and is a keen woodworker.

Don Dutton:

Don Dutton brings to the Board over 40 years of business experience with Bell Canada and Mitel Corporation where he held a number of senior executive positions. Following retirement he formed a consulting partnership to provide financial and management services to small and medium enterprises.

Don has been active on several volunteer boards, is currently Vice-Chair of Valley Heartland CFDC and joined the RCHS board in 2011. He has an undergraduate degree in mathematics and physics and pursued graduate studies in statistical analysis.

Don and his artist wife Barbara moved to Wolford Township in 1995 to find a quieter way of life on the Rideau. Both Don and his wife are clients of MDCHSC and believe the CHC Model is the future of health care.

Janice Hopkins:

Jan and Hugh Hopkins have lived in the Carleton Place area since 1975. Educated as a pharmacist, Jan was a long-time public servant, primarily with Health Canada. Jan has extensive experience in regulatory and health program management, health policy, public and stakeholder consultations and strategic planning. Retired in 2004, Jan is the President of the Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society. She served on the Board of Trustees for the Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital, and is active in Zion-Memorial United Church and the Mississippi Mudds.

Jenifer Willis:

A native of Kingston, Jenifer migrated north to the community of Elgin, about 8 years ago, where she and her new husband are enjoying restoring their home, and raising their two young girls.

A Nurse since 1990, Jenifer has spent the majority of her career in community nursing. She is a member of the College of Nurses of Ontario, and the RPNAO. Jenifer's varied career has included roles as a Community Nurse, Palliative Care Nurse, Public Relations Director and an Educator as Faculty for four Private Career Colleges in Ontario. She currently holds two positions, as Health Programs Coordinator, and as a Medical Liaison/Staff Trainer. Jenifer has also championed various fundraising initiatives for local, regional, and international causes.

Ainsley Charles:

Ainsley Charles is a resident of Smiths Falls where she lives with her husband and young son. With close to 10yrs experience in the health care industry she has worked in Family Health Groups, Family Health Organizations and most recently Family Health Teams. She currently manages a Family Health Team with 8 family physicians, a nurse practitioner, registered dietitian, social worker, 4 nurses, various specialists and a dozen administrative staff.
Ainsley brings with her experience in operations management including human resources, accounting, information technology and marketing.