Brockville and District Hospital Foundation

Board of Directors

Dawn Tymianski

Dawn Tymianski

Title: Chair
Bio:
Dawn joined the Brockville and District Hospital Foundation Board in June 2021. She is a Nurse Practitioner and holds a master’s degree in Nursing and a master’s degree and PhD in Organizational Systems. Dawn has more than 30 years of nursing experience, working in Toronto hospitals. Dawn’s most recent role was as the Chief Executive Officer of the Nurse Practitioners Association of Ontario (NPAO). She continues to teach in the graduate department of nursing at the University of Toronto.

Dawn has served on previous Boards including as a Director of the NPAO, and as the incumbent Vice President of the World Federation of Neuroscience Nurses. In this role, Dawn chaired many international committees with the goal of developing international neuroscience nursing standards. Dawn is the author of a highly cited neuroscience nursing textbook.

Dawn and her husband Michael moved to Brockville in November 2020. They have 4 children and 3 grandchildren. When not enjoying the winter views of the river, Dawn can be found at their island cottage near Rockport with their Leonberger, Nelson.

Linda  Hansen

Linda Hansen

Title: Past Chair
Bio:
Linda joined the Brockville & District Hospital Foundation Board of Directors in June 2017. She is a Registered Nurse (MSCN Gerontological Nursing), and is currently the Co-ordinator/Counsellor of the Upper Canada Family Health Team Smoking Cessation Program, and the Co-Founder and past Director of the Leeds and Grenville Alzheimer Society. She is a member of 100 Women Who Care.

She has been the Past president and member of Vanier PS and BCI Parent Councils, and a director for the BGH Board of Governors 2014-2016.

In her spare time, Linda is a part-time fitness instructor for GoodLife Fitness and more recently SNAP Fitness.

Kevin Tackaberry

Kevin Tackaberry

Title: Vice-Chair
Bio:
Kevin Tackaberry previously served as a board member in 2007 when the St. Vincent de Paul Hospital Foundation and the Brockville General Hospital Foundation first amalgamated. Kevin returned to sit on the Foundation Board in June 2019.

Kevin has lived all of his life in the Athens area and works in the family business of G.
Tackaberry & Sons.

When not devoting his time to his work, Kevin can be seen cruising around on Charleston Lake in one of his antique motor-boats.

Kevin’s other community involvements include; the Athens District High School Alumni, the Thousand Islands Boat Museum and the Athens Christmas Parade.

Nick Vlacholias

Nick Vlacholias

Title: BGH President & CEO
Bio:
Nicholas (Nick) Vlacholias joined Brockville General Hospital as President and Chief Executive Officer in July 2017. Previously, he served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) leading a team comprised of clinical departments and corporate services. Nick has more than 20 years of experience transforming and integrating health care organizations into high-performing centres. Prior to joining CHEO in March 2012, Nick served as the Chief Operating Officer at Cornwall Community Hospital where he successfully led the complex merger of the two Cornwall Hospitals.

Nick is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and graduated from the Honours Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1990.

Nick has participated as a Director with the Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA), and over the past five years he has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the newly amalgamated Mohawk Medbuy Corporation and its predecessor organization Medbuy Corporation.

Ruth Lockett

Ruth Lockett

Bio:
Ruth Lockett first became a Brockville and District Hospital Foundation Board Member in 2009 and served for three-terms. During that time she served as Vice-Chair, Chair and Past-Chair, and also sat on many board committees. Ruth returned in 2022 to sit as a Board of Director and brings with her a wealth of knowledge from her previous terms on the Foundation Board, as well as from a business perspective.

Ruth has lived in the Prescott area all of her life. She and her husband Steve have co-owned and managed the two Tim Hortons in Prescott and one Tim Hortons in Iroquois; with their son Shawn and daughter-in-law, Lisa. Ruth is very community minded; in the past, she has served on the Alzheimer’s Society of Leeds and Grenville, as well as the Habitat for Humanity Prescott Branch. Ruth is the Past-President of the Brockville Women’s Network. When time allows, Ruth enjoys travelling and boating, but her first priority is spending time with family.

Hugh Hammond

Hugh Hammond

Bio:
Hugh is a partner with the law firm Hammond LLP in Brockville. He practices in the areas of Corporate/Commercial law.

Born and raised in Brockville, Hugh attended Queen's University, graduating with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2005. He continued his studies at the University of Alberta, where he received his law degree in 2009.

He has previously been a member of the Board of Directors for the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce and the Brockville Country Club.

Hugh and his wife, Emily, are the proud parents of two young boys, Dayton and Jack.

Tom O'Shaughnessy

Tom O'Shaughnessy

Bio:
Tom O’Shaughnessy joined the Brockville District Hospital Foundation Board in September 2020. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University, and a Diploma in Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University. After spending 23 years in Sales and Learning & Development with Labatt Breweries of Canada, Tom continued his career with Oracle Corp. as a Senior Principal Training Consultant. Today Tom is running his own Learning and Development consulting firm, providing services to a range of customers including a number of Federal Government departments.

Tom has served on previous boards, including the Board of Directors at the Oakville Figure Skating club in the capacity of Director for Synchronized Skating. Most recently, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Brockville Country Club as the Food and Beverage committee chair, Board President and Past President. Tom has also volunteered his time with the St Vincent De Paul Society of Brockville’s, Weekender Program for Kids, as well as with the Brockville and District Hospital Foundation Heart and Solstice fundraiser for the Brockville General Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation Program and the Hospital Foundation Gala.

Tom and his wife, Mary Lynn, have a daughter, Madeline and son, Tim, whom they are most proud of and are happy to be back in Brockville enjoying the mighty St Lawrence.

Chris Puddicombe

Chris Puddicombe

Bio:
Chris currently works with the Provincial Ministry of Economic Development, managing a team of Senior Business Advisers in Eastern Ontario providing advice to and developing relationships with Ontario companies and economic development organizations. Trained in problem solving, Chris's team assists companies in expansion mode with solutions that address a wide range of challenging issues facing Ontario business today.

Chris has served as a Brockville City Counsellor and served on a number of Brockville organizations and committees. Chris is also known for his more entertaining roles in the community as master of ceremonies for Brockville Chamber of Commerce Business awards, event grand openings including the Brockville Arts Center Gala and his more recent role as master of ceremonies for the Brockville General Hospital Foundation Gala in 2015. Chris is married and has four children.

Jamie Wright

Jamie Wright

Bio:
Jamie joined the Brockville & District Hospital Foundation Board in June of 2017, and has previously been involved with the Foundation through the Brockville Cardiovascular Program fundraising committee.

Jamie has spent over 20 years in the financial services industry, holds the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) Designation, and is an Associate Portfolio Manager with Philip, Gaskin & Wright Private Investment Management of RBC Dominion Securities.

He was born and raised in Brockville, and currently resides in the community as the proud father to his two children, Carson and Kate.

Bob Clark

Bob Clark

Bio:
Robert W. Clark CFP®, CLU, FEA

President, Newport Insurance

Bob has spent more than 35 years in the insurance industry helping entrepreneurs design and fund estate and business succession plans. He helps clients articulate their goals and objectives, ‘crash test’ their current plans, identify the ‘cracks’ in those plans and design a plan to achieve the desired outcome. Bob works with his clients’ accounting and legal professionals to implement and integrate the overall plan.

He also helps design philanthropic strategies that allow clients to enhance their generosity, both today, when they can see the benefit of their gift, and by way of an estate distribution plan to maximize the value of their assets for family and community.

Bob is a former president of both the Life Managers Association of Toronto (GAMA) and the Life Underwriters Association of Oakville (ADVOCIS) and is a member of the Conference for Advance Life Underwriters, CALU.

An avid cyclist, Bob is a member of Les Domestiques, a philanthropic cycling group, raising millions each year for different charitable organizations. He is also the founder of the Jim Hunter Ride for ALS, co-founder of Cycle4StJoes, and founder of Ride the River. Bob sits on several private family boards, the board of directors of the St. Joseph Health Centre Foundation, the hospital where his five grandchildren were born, and the Brockville and District Hospital Foundation Board.

Andrew Mulder

Andrew Mulder

Title: Treasurer
Bio:
Andrew joined the Brockville and District Hospital Foundation Board of Directors at the Foundation’s June 2022 AGM. He graduated with honours from the University of Ottawa Telfer School of Business in 2008, and became a Certified General Accountant in March 2014 completing the final course Strategic Financial Management with Honours. He is currently the Finance Director at Hucks Marine & Resort.
As new residents to the area, Andrew and his family are excited to spend more time boating on the St. Lawrence River and exploring the beautiful 1000 Islands.

Stefanie Chauvin

Stefanie Chauvin

Bio:
Stefanie is a familiar face in Brockville, being the General Manager of the local Home Hardware Building Centre for more than 18 years. She has been a member of the community for over twenty years, and most recently led the design and build of her passion project, River West Co., a local lifestyle boutique in the heart of Brockville's downtown core.

Stefanie is no stranger to the Foundation, and through her roles in both businesses was instrumental in the success of the 2015 Gala, partnered with the Foundation to host a successful Sip and Social event and has been a major contributor to Ride the River.

She sees a responsibility to give back and feels it important to foster new ways to keep the tradition of community vibrant. Luckily, Home Hardware is very supportive of the local charitable sector, which allows her to help support the community in many different ways. In the past she has been on board to help organize events with The Brockville Rotary Club as well as Big Brother's Big Sisters of Leeds and Grenville and Interval House.

Additionally, she sits as a board member of the Downtown Brockville Business Improvement Area.

Stefanie lives just outside of Brockville with her husband Curtis and son Benjamin and, enjoys spending time on the River whenever possible.

Jann Smith

Jann Smith

Bio:
Jann joined the Brockville District Hospital Foundation Board in June of 2023.

After graduating from McMaster University with a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science, she worked on IT projects at Manulife head office in Toronto and Permanent Concrete in Brockville. During the period her children were growing up, Jann served on various parent councils and became active with Canadian Aid for Chernobyl as a host parent and founding member of the Board of Directors.

Currently Jann has a pottery studio with her 3 partners in Brockville and loves travelling and spending time time with her and her husband Dan’s three children and three grandchildren.