Waypoint is governed by a skills-based volunteer Board of Directors, which provides strategic oversight and guidance to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of mental health, addiction and geriatric care.
Our Board Members
Shawn Leis
Director
Steve Parry
Chair
Steve was named Chair in June 2025 after serving as Vice-Chair since June 2022. He was first appointed to the Board in June 2020. He is a professional director holding the ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors with a passion for corporate governance developed through more than thirty board positions in public, private and not-for-profit organizations.
He has enjoyed careers in the mining industry, and more recently private and public corporate finance. Through his private consultancy, he advises companies on capital and business strategy.
Steve graduated with a BSc from Queen’s University and an MSc from the University of Western Ontario. He received the Canada 125 medal for his work on behalf of northern mining communities.
Steve is part of a family that includes multiple members involved in local health care and business development. He strongly believes in contributing to the local community. He lives and works in the Midland-Penetanguishine area, where he has been a seasonal resident since childhood.
Gail Czukar
First Vice-Chair
Gail was appointed to the role of First Vice-Chair in June 2025 after joining the Board in June 2020. Throughout her 30-plus-year career as a lawyer and senior health leader, she has been passionate about mental health, addiction, and the law.
She was a lawyer in the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, General Counsel and Executive Vice-President at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and interim CEO for organizations in the primary care, supportive housing, and mental health sectors. She served recently as CEO of Addictions and Mental Health Ontario, the provincial association of mental health and addiction organizations, and continues to be involved with Fred Victor in downtown Toronto, a community-based organization devoted to ending homelessness. Gail has an MA in Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University and a JD from the University of Toronto.
Being a member of the Waypoint Board is an exciting new volunteer role for Gail who has served on various provincial and local Councils and committees.
Ernest Vaillancourt
Second Vice-Chair
After serving as Chair since June 2022, Ernest Vaillancourt completed his term in June 2025 and is now serving as Second Vice-Chair. He as first appointed to the Board in June 2019, bringing a history of governance experience in both the public and private sectors. He previously served as Vice-Chair from June 2020 to June 2022.
Ernest has served as a Simcoe County Separate School Board trustee, serving as Board Chair and Chair of the French Language Section during his tenure. He was also the founding board chair of Centre de santé communautaire CHIGAMIK Community Health Centre, founding member and chair of La Clé d’la Baie, and an inaugural board member of College des Grands Lacs, the first Francophone community college in south-central Ontario.
Ernie has extensive knowledge of local and provincial Francophone communities and their agencies and from 1989 to 2010, served as the Simcoe County French Language Services Coordinator with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Prior to retirement in 2014, Ernie was the North Simcoe Muskoka LHIN’s French Language Services Coordinator and Aboriginal Liaison. Ernie continues to be an active volunteer in the Francophone community.
Soumya Ghosh
Director
Soumya was appointed to the Waypoint Board of Directors in June 2021. Soumya is an accomplished senior executive with 25+ years of proven leadership roles across Canada and US; primarily managing and launching multiple market leading products to deliver growth and revenue for large multinational clients within Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Software Products and Airline industries. Global experience and expertise include Corporate Governance, Finance, Digital Transformation, Marketing/Social Media strategy, Cybersecurity, Technology & Business Transformation, P/L management , Sustainability & ESG and Ethical AI.
Soumya works as Partner-Financial Services at IBM. Before the IBM role, Soumya worked for AWS as leader of SI/GSI partner portfolio and prior to that he was employed with Capgemini for 15 years where he most recently held the role of VP and Canada FS market unit head.
Soumya held several board positions for over the past 10 years in not-for-profit organizations primarily in the healthcare space – Pine River Institute, Waypoint Center of Mental Health, OCINet and Alpha-Plus.
Soumya holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), India, and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts, US. Soumya also recently completed an Executive Leadership program at Booth School of Business.
Trisha Hutzul
Director
Trisha Hutzul was appointed to the Waypoint Board of Directors in June 2023, bringing vast clinical research experience. Trisha was most recently the Head of Johnson and Johnson Clinical Operations – Office of the Chief Medical Officer, a post she held as part of her 18-year tenure at Johnson and Johnson. She has held progressive positions in the healthcare industry and brings extensive board governance experience.
Trisha is an agile leader trained in finance, management, science, and innovation. She previously completed the JNJ Leadership Program in Innovation at Harvard Business School, holds a Master of Science from the Medical Institutes—School of Hygiene and Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, and holds a Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction from the University of Toronto—Trinity College.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Trisha has living experience as a parent of a youth experiencing mental illness, which inspires her to guide and support our work.
Shawn Leis
Director
Anthea Ryan
Director
Anthea Ryan is a seasoned governance and project management professional currently serving as Executive Assistant and Tribunal Coordinator at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. With a strong background in regulatory and compliance environments, she excels in managing governance processes and providing executive support to the College’s Discipline Committee.
Anthea has deep expertise in ensuring adherence to the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA), coordinating cross-functional teams, overseeing evidence management, and upholding confidentiality throughout complex tribunal proceedings. In addition to her operational strengths, she is a passionate leader in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within professional and organizational settings.
Doris Shirriff
Director
Doris Shirriff is a founding member of Waypoint’s Board of Directors, first appointed in 2008. She retired from the Board in 2017 and was reappointed in 2021 for a one-year term. During her retirement, Mrs. Shirriff remained engaged with Waypoint as a member of our Development Committee and Volunteer Association and continued her commitment to ensuring that Waypoint remains true to its mission and the values of Catholic health care.
During her tenure on the Board, Ms. Shirriff was a Chair of the Development Committee, Vice-Chair of the Ethics Committee, and a member of the Resource and Governance Committees. She is a past member of the former Penetanguishene General Hospital Board of Directors, and the MHCP Community Advisory, Community Living Huronia, and North Simcoe Catholic Family Life Centre Boards. Mrs. Shirriff has completed the Ontario Hospital Association Advanced Certificate in Board Governance course. She is a certified member of the Canadian Health Services Executive (retired).
Mrs. Shirriff received a Bachelor of Arts in Health Services Administration through the Canadian School of Management. In 1962, she was employed at the Penetanguishene General Hospital where she held various positions; in 1996, she became Chief Executive Officer until her retirement in 2003. She has an extensive portfolio with previous involvement in numerous committees both regionally and provincially, including member and Vice-Chair of the Simcoe County and Simcoe/York District Health Council, and Simcoe-Muskoka Health Network.
George Vadeboncoeur
Director
George Vadeboncoeur was appointed to the Waypoint Board of Directors in June 2023. He brings extensive knowledge in policy development, strategic planning, organizational development, human resource management, and overseeing redevelopments. George retired as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Town of Wasaga Beach in November 2022. He previously served as CAO in the Town of Penetanguishene and was elected municipal councillor in Penetanguishene in November 2018.
With many years of commitment to community service, George previously served as Director on the Penetanguishene General Hospital Board for nine years, bringing governance experience as part of a Catholic health-sponsored hospital. He is also a Rotarian and serves on the Boards of Directors for the Midland Basketball Association, the Midland Sports Hall of Fame, and the Barrie and District Association of Basketball Officials.
George holds a Master of Public Administration (Local Government) from the University of Western Ontario, and an Honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Urban and Regional Planning with a minor in Political Science from the University of Waterloo. He is also a member of the Ontario Municipal Administrators Association, the Association of Municipal Clerks, Treasures and Managers, the Ontario Municipal Management Institute, and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.
Our Senior Leadership
Nicole Mace
VP, People & Chief Human Resources Officer
Dr. Nadiya Sunderji
MPH, MD
President and Chief Executive Officer
Research Interests
Collaborative Care ModelsHealth System InnovationsImplementation Science
Dr. Nadiya Sunderji has been President and CEO of Waypoint since 2022, prior to which she served as VP Medical Affairs & Chief of Staff for several years. Under her leadership, Waypoint has continued to support and lead health and mental health system transformation, working with valued partners, as well as advancing internal quality improvement and staff wellbeing initiatives.
Dr. Sunderji is a psychiatrist affiliated with the University of Toronto and she completed a Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. She is a physician advisor to the Ministry of Health, as well as contributing to the creation of a provincial Core Services Framework for mental health and substance use healthcare, and to the governance of Ontario Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence. She oversees Waypoint’s STREAM lab, Supporting Transformation through Research, Evidence and Action in Mental health, and previously held several competitive research grants and a journal editorship, all advancing integrated mental health care. She has received international and national recognition for her leadership and research in collaborative care, quality improvement and education.
Rob Desroches
RN, BScN, MHSc, CHE
Senior Vice-President, Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Executive
Rob Desroches was appointed Vice-President of Clinical Services in January 2015. Prior to this, he served as Interim Vice-President of Human Resources and Organizational Development since September 2013 and Director of Patient/Client Flow since September 2010.
Mr. Desroches began his career at Waypoint in 1992 as a staff nurse working in various Regional and Provincial Forensic programs. He has held progressively more responsible positions, including Program Nurse Manager (Forensic Assessment Program), Nursing Coordinator (Provincial Forensic Division), Program Director for both the Structured Intervention Program and Regional Forensic Services Program, and Director of Forensic Operations.
Mr. Desroches was selected to lead several important initiatives at Waypoint, including the creation of a Centralized Staffing Office. Most recently, he served on the Policy Framework Review Task Force and conducted a system-wide review of patient flow and bed utilization across all clinical programs.
Mr. Desroches is a Registered Nurse and holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from McMaster University (1992) and a Master of Health Science degree in Health Administration from the University of Toronto (2009). Mr. Desroches is also a Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders.
Rohit Tandon
CPA, CA, CGA, CPA (Colorado), CGMA (USA), FCA
Vice-President, Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer
Rohit Tandon joined Waypoint as Vice President of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer in June 2023. He has been in the healthcare sector for over 15 years, having most recently worked for Shared Services West as the Vice-President, Corporate Services and Systems Integration, and Chief Financial Officer.
In this role, Rohit had full responsibility for the overall leadership, vision, strategic direction and operational management of finance, data management, and governance. He was responsible for information technology and systems, human resources, centralized purchasing, facilities, support services, hospital build and transformation projects, and digital health, procurement for a large number of hospitals in Ontario. Prior to this role, Rohit was the Director of Finance at Plexxus, a not-for-profit shared healthcare services organization serving multiple academic and community hospitals in the GTA.
With over a decade of C-level experience in key strategic and executive positions, Rohit has previously provided business consulting services to medium and large corporations in Southeast Asia, Europe, and the US. He has also worked with the province to fund, implement, and monitor several transformation projects in healthcare.
Rohit is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA), Certified General Accountant (CGA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA), (Colorado, USA). He also received a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and a Diploma in Systems Management.
Dr. Kevin Young
MD, PhD, FRCPC
Vice-President, Medical Affairs and Chief of Staff
Dr. Kevin Young is the Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief of Staff at Waypoint, a position he has held since June 2022, and the co-Medical Director of Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Ontario. He previously served as the inaugural Medical Director of Integrated Care at Waypoint. With over a decade of leadership in geriatric medicine, Dr. Young founded and led a regional geriatric program and is now also advancing innovation in mental health and addiction care, including involvement in provincial governance.
Notably, he led the development of the province’s first Hospital to Home program focused on Mental Health and Addictions, the first adoption of publicly funded repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in Ontario Health Central Region for treating severe depression, and an innovative urgent psychiatry assessment clinic to prevent unnecessary admissions from regional general hospitals. He has also driven a transformative vision for addiction services at Waypoint and surrounding region. Passionate about system integration, Dr. Young is committed to achieving meaningful change through partnerships and collaboration.
Dr. Young earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Toronto, completing postgraduate training in geriatrics and internal medicine. He also holds a PhD in Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. Recently, he was honored with Waypoint’s Core Value Award for Leadership and the Jane Chamberlin Award from the Association of General Hospital Psychiatric Services for his outstanding contributions to healthcare leadership.
Dr. Bernard Le Foll
MD PhD MCFP (AM)
Vice-President, Research and Academics and Chief Scientific Officer
Research Interests
Behavioural PharmacologyClinical PharmacologyNeuropharmacologyPharmacogeneticsPsychopharmacology
Dr. Bernard Le Foll joined the Waypoint senior leadership team in February 2022 as Vice-President of Research and Academics and Chief Scientific Officer.
Dr. Le Foll is a clinician-scientist specializing in drug addiction. He is the Chair of Addiction Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and is a Professor in the departments of Psychiatry, Family and Community Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology. Dr. Le Foll has practiced in the area of Addiction Medicine at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto since 2006. His multi-disciplinary research approach seeks to better understand the neurobiology of addiction and develop novel therapeutic strategies.
Dr. Le Foll leads CAMH’s Translational Addiction Research Laboratory within the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute. He obtained his PhD in Pharmacology at the University of Paris Sud in France and has performed post-doctoral training in behavioral pharmacology and brain imaging within the intra-mural program of the National Institutes of Health.
He has a vast list of achievements and has received many awards and more than 100 grants. Dr. Le Foll has published more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific articles. He has been an advisor for multiple agencies, has developed clinical guidelines, been involved in policy and been invited to speak at the Senate and House of Commons on addiction related issues. In 2024, Dr. Le Foll was appointed to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Governing Council.
Publications
Neil Walker
BBA, MHSc, CHE
Vice-President, Partnerships and Chief Strategy Officer (Interim)
Neil is a versatile senior health systems leader with a strong background in developing and operating integrated health programs and services along the continuum of care.
Neil’s first permanent role following graduate school was Administrative Director, Department of Psychiatry, a joint role with Royal University Hospital (RUH) and the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. In this role he developed a foundational understanding of the mental health and addictions continuum of care given the range of programs and services provided in this department including: child and adolescent and adult inpatient acute care beds, a youth resources centre, an adult day hospital, a group home for adolescents, a youth resource centre, psychology and a home care program.
Following a number of progressive leadership roles in major academic health sciences centres, regional health authorities and community hospitals, Neil joined the NSM LHIN in 2013 as the Chief Operating Officer. His role evolved to Vice President, Capacity, Access and Flow with Ontario Health Central until March 2022. During COVID, Neil, working with health service provider agencies and partners, facilitated OH Central Region’s response to address capacity, access and flow challenges within the acute hospital system and the mental health and addictions system. Neil is a skilled people leader/manager with a strong record in collaboration and results, all with a patient/client focus.
Nicole Mace
VP, People & Chief Human Resources Officer
Our Assistant Vice Presidents
Amy Timmons
CPA, CA
Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Vice President, Corporate Services
Chad Draper
RN, MHM, BScN, CPMHN (C)
Assistant Vice President, Clinical Services (Interim)
Yaakov Keilikhis
RN, BScN, MPA, CPMHN(C), CAPM, CMP
Assistant Vice-President, Patient Experience, Quality and Professional Practice (Interim)
Amy Timmons
CPA, CA
Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Vice President, Corporate Services
Chad Draper
RN, MHM, BScN, CPMHN (C)
Assistant Vice President, Clinical Services (Interim)
Yaakov Keilikhis
RN, BScN, MPA, CPMHN(C), CAPM, CMP
Assistant Vice-President, Patient Experience, Quality and Professional Practice (Interim)