Directors

Elizabeth Roscoe

Chair

Elizabeth is a seasoned public affairs practitioner providing strategic counsel, issue management, communications advice to clients and organizations nationally and internationally in the private sector and the public sector including the Government of Canada. Her expertise in public affairs is within regulated industries; finance, investment; telecom, broadcasting and internet. In addition to her volunteer role with the Heart Institute Foundation, Elizabeth is a board member of the Institute for Research on Public Policy, Futurpreneur Canada, and is a governor of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and she has served as a board member of the United Way of Ottawa.

Grant A. Jameson

Vice Chair

Grant is a corporate director, consultant, and retired lawyer. Grant practiced corporate and commercial law in Ottawa until his retirement as a Senior Partner from Norton Rose Fulbright where he was Ottawa Managing Partner and member of the Management Committee. Following his retirement, Grant was appointed Fairness Commissioner of Ontario for a two-year term from 2017 to 2019. Grant provides corporate governance consulting services through his company, Beattie House Associates. He is currently a member of the board of directors of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation, the Ottawa Community Foundation and is President of the Audette Foundation.

Ian Sterling

Treasurer

Ken Jennings

Secretary

Ken is a principal and co-founder of Jennings Real Estate, a real estate owner, manager and developer. Ken is also a licensed lawyer, having previously practised corporate law with Norton Rose Fulbright LLP.

Ken has a civil engineering degree from McGill University and a graduate degree in Law from Dalhousie University.

Thierry Mesana

UOHI President & CEO

Dr. Mesana is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

He is member of numerous national and international societies such as, the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the European Society for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. He has received several national and international awards, has authored and co-authored over 300 scientific publications, and has given over 100 lectures as Guest Visiting Professor in Canada, the United-States, Europe, Japan and China.

Paul LaBarge C.M.

Former Chair, UOHI

Mr. Paul LaBarge is a founding partner of LaBarge Weinstein Professional Corporation and an active participant in the local high technology sector for the last 25 years.

Practicing primarily as a tax (including tax litigation) and corporate lawyer, his practice has included anti-dumping trade enquiries and NAFTA disputes as well as financings of all types of enterprises from pulp and paper mills to satellites, major technology acquisitions, and corporate acquisitions and divestitures. Mr. LaBarge concentrates his practice in taxation, mergers and acquisitions, and trade law.

Keira Torkko

Chair, OHIRC Board

Keira Torkko is currently a Vice-President at Assent Compliance. She has over 20 years in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

Previous to this role, she had been the COO of the Coaching Association of Canada and Director General, Business Management Support at National Research Council of Canada, where she was responsible for business development and operations and has managed teams of up to 200 research and technology development professionals. Other employment has included positions at TD Bank, Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation and small entrepreneurial ventures.

She has a deep commitment to volunteerism and sat on the Board of Volunteer Ottawa for six years and is currently the VP of the Ottawa Shooting Stars basketball club.

Keira, a CPA, CGA, holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Victoria and brings her unique combination of business, technology, and financial knowledge to the UOHI.

Paul Bodnoff

UOHI Patient Alumni

After a two-year sabbatical from a 30-year career in Ottawa’s technology sector, it was my hope to get involved with an organization of passionate and diverse people that are committed to giving back to the great city we live in. Like many in Ottawa, our family has been a beneficiary of the spectacular care provided by the UOHI, which made my decision to put my experience and energy to work on the Patient Alumni Association Board of Directors an easy one.

James Annis

Director

James is an investment professional with a 16-year track record providing comprehensive portfolio management to high-net-worth individuals, families, and businesses in Canada.

After the sudden loss of his youngest son at just 20 months due to heart disease, James was motivated to give back to the community in the most meaningful way he could. James is currently Treasurer of the Board at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute as well as Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and co-Chair of the Joint Investment Advisor Committee.

Marc-Andre Groulx

Director

Gail Kaneb

Director

Gail Kaneb is a catalyst for change, using a powerful combination of coaching, mentoring and facilitation. She developed her leadership and change management expertise while doubling the size of the family business in a shrinking market. Gail has been on the founding board of numerous non-profits in Eastern Ontario.

She and her husband Tom chaired the $12 million campaign for the Cornwall Community Hospital. She chaired the board of Tostan, recognized as one of the most effective NGO’s in the world, a West-African non-profit that creates systemic change for women and girls, ending child marriage, female genital cutting and moving women into leadership positions.

Lianne Laing

Vice President, Philanthropy of the UOHI - President of the UOHI Foundation

Jake Levinson

Director

Lucas Matheson

Director

Leslie Mise

Director

Born and raised in Ottawa, Leslie has actively served his community for the past three decades.  He began his fundraising efforts with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in 2017 after being diagnosed with two aortic aneurysms and having been in the care of Dr. Paul Hendry and the team at the Aortic Clinic. His firsthand experience as a patient ignited his desire to get involved and refocus his energy on giving back to a place that had done so much for him. He first joined as a committee member for the Fuller Keon Golf Classic and in 2018, he became Chair. Prior to this, he served for three years with the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and co-chaired the “Do It For Dad” Father’s Day event for two years. In his spare time, Leslie enjoys alpine skiing, golfing, and enjoying time with his family.

Muneeba Omar

Director

Muneeba is currently the Director of Inclusive Growth at the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario. She has extensive experience in policy development and stakeholder engagement, as well as the design and delivery of business-facing programs. Previously, Muneeba served in a variety of progressively senior roles in different federal government departments including Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Treasury Board Secretariat, the Privy Council Office, and the Department of Finance. Muneeba joined the Government of Canada in 2008 through the Recruitment of Policy Leaders program, an initiative aimed at recruiting exceptional candidates into the public service.

Nick Pantieras

Director

Nick Pantieras, is Senior Managing Director Investments for Institutional Property Advisors: a division of Marcus and Millichap (NYSE: MMI). Prior, Nick was co-founder and President at Primecorp Commercial Realty Inc. with over thirty years of success in investment brokerage and management of commercial real estate. Marcus and Millichap acquired the brokerage operations of Primecorp in 2018. Nick is a co-owner of Primecorp Property Management Inc. Nick is a graduate of Queen’s University Executive MBA Program and holds the professional designation of Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA).

Deneen Perrin

Director

Deneen is currently the Senior Program Manager, Policy & Stakeholder Relations at the Royal Canadian Mint. Previously, Perrin held various positions in communications for the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, where she built an impressive twenty-five-year career with the Fairmont brand. Prior to her departure from the hospitality industry, Perrin occupied the role of Director, Media, Marketing, and Partnerships at Ottawa’s premier hotel.

Jean Spicer

Director

Jean joined RBC Dominion Securities in 1994. She uses a consultative approach to focus on portfolio construction and investment management for high-net-worth individuals and trusts.

As a specialist in separately managed discretionary portfolios, Jean creates solutions for clients using RBC DS A+ Program by engaging Canadian, U.S. and International portfolio managers to invest components of a client’s portfolio, enabling clients to access global exposure and portfolio diversification, backed by some of the world’s top money managers.

Natalie Tommy

Director

Natalie Tommy is VP Marketing and Branding for Nautical Lands Group of Companies, accountable for the overall branding for our Retirement Communities, Wellings Communities and construction wing, NLGC. In her primary role, she is responsible for overall brand strategy, media placement, budgeting, content, and results on a national scale. As a resident centric company, NLG continues to strive to be the best in the Country within the seniors’ community sector. She has a reputation for being a creative problem solver who pays attention to the details. Natalie is looking forward to learning more about the goals of the Foundation and how she can best serve with passion and respect in support of our world-class Heart Institute. Natalie holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Honours from the University of Ottawa.

Colin Zappia

Director

Driven. Dedicated. Experienced. Professional. Trustworthy. Fun. These characteristics, and more, are what you’ll experience while working with me. My goal as your Realtor® is to build a strong and long-term relationship with you. I want you to be confident in referring me to friends and family so I will be sure to exceed your expectations every time we work together. There’s nothing more satisfying than happy clients. I actively give back to our community. I lost my father Tony at the age of 60 to a heart attack and have been working closely with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute for several years now. For every home that I sell, I donate money to the cause. I was recently appointed as the chair of the Wilbert Keon Memorial Golf Tournament, one of the Foundation’s biggest fundraising events.

Erin Zipes

Director

Erin Zipes is currently Chief Legal Officer at 1Password. Erin has over 17 years of experience as a corporate/securities lawyer and has spent over half of her career working in house at tech companies. She was previously Vice President, Assistant General Counsel at Shopify, Assistant General Counsel of Nordion, and started her legal career at Stikeman Elliott after obtaining her law degree at McGill University and Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University. She is also a cofounder of Backbone Angels, a collective of angel investors focused on women and non-binary founders. A proud Ottawa native, Erin returned to Ottawa in 2010 with her husband and two children.