BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Michael is currently a Partner and General Counsel at Gowling WLG, an international law firm. Through his 39 year career as a lawyer and corporate executive, he has learned that the legal profession has a mental health crisis of its own. In 2016, Michael went into a deep depression and as a result, had to take most of 2017 off. Once recovered, he was able to return to work full time but decided that he would be committed to telling his story, and also finding ways that he could personally make a difference. Michael is happy to be serving his first term on the IAM Board of Directors and is eager to make a long-lasting change in mental health. Michael is a member of the Strategic Planning Task Force.

Madhuri is a retired Commercial Banker who specialized in small and medium-sized business lending and consulting. Madhuri’s family has had challenges with mental health, which led to her interest in becoming more involved in mental health. Madhuri and her family credit their understanding of mental health to IAM as they have provided her with education through their Strengthening Families Together Program.

Madhuri holds both a Bachelor of Science and a law degree and has previously volunteered with the MS Society, Schizophrenia Society of Ontario, Acclaim Health, Mental Health advisory committee at Jo Brant Hospital, Burlington, and as a board member at Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN for three years. Madhuri is serving her first term on the IAM Board of Directors and is a member the Finance and Audit Committee and Marketing and Branding Task Force.

Ron is an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and a founder of the Justice Studies Program at the University of Guelph-Humber. Prior to becoming an academic, he served as a police officer, a probation and parole officer and a human rights officer. Through these experiences and his family struggles with mental illness, he has learned the devastating consequences of mental illness on society and seeks to improve the circumstances of individual’s and families affected by mental illness. He has previously volunteered with the Out of the Cold Program and the Family Advisory Council of the Mental Health and Addictions Program at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. Ron is happy to be serving his first term on the IAM Board of Directors and is a member of the Finance and Audit Committee and the Strategic Planning Task Force.

Heather is a marketing strategist currently working at ADP Canada as the Vice President of Marketing. Her knowledge of B2B Technology in Canada comes as a great contribution to the Marketing and Branding and Strategic Planning Task Forces at IAM. Heather has a first-hand understanding of how difficult mental illness can be, and the challenge of asking for help.

Heather holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology, a Masters of Business Admin, and has dedicated her free time to volunteering with a variety of mental health-related organizations and causes. Heather is serving her first term on the IAM Board of Directors and leads the Marketing and Branding Task Force and is a member of the Strategic Planning Task Force.

Ted is currently the Director of Operations of Porter Airlines and oversees their network in the US & Canada. He has lived experience with mental health-specifically anxiety. Ted is working with IAM to give back to others as he has learned to manage and live with his mental health struggles. Ted is committed to supporting the IAM mission in encouraging people to speak out, ending the stigma, and helping people understand that help is available.

Ted has an undergraduate degree in History & Political Science, an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario) and an MA in International Relations. Ted is currently serving his first term on the IAM Board of Directors and is Treasurer and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, a member of the Marketing and Branding Task Force as well as a member of the Executive Committee.

Frank is a seasoned business owner with a broad scope of experience spanning over 40 years as an entrepreneur. Frank is currently CEO and president of DCL, a group of companies focusing on construction and real estate development. Under the banner of DCL lies DCL Healthcare Properties. With a mission to “re-engineer the healthcare space experience”, DCL Healthcare Properties is focused on opportunistic projects in sectors like self-storage, commercial and affordable housing through modular factory manufactured homes. Frank is passionate about creating better environments, dedicating two decades to various charitable endeavours including sitting on the boards of Child Find Ontario, The Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness and the previous Schizophrenia Society of Ontario.

His family experience with mental health challenges invoked Frank’s deep commitment to bettering mental health – believing in the power of creating awareness and clarity to help end mental health stigma. Frank is currently serving his first term on the IAM board of directors and is committed to encouraging IAM’s mission of redesigning society for better mental health. 

Chris is a Professor and Director of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies with a BASc/MASc/Ph.D. in aerospace engineering. With over 30 years of experience in the field of education, he has taught in New Zealand, British Columbia, and Toronto. With a passion for mental health, he has volunteered previously with the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario for over eight years and continues to do so with IAM. He is in support of the organization being a source of innovation in mental health and support for individuals and their families suffering.

Chris believes that good mental health makes the difference between a good life of happiness and one filled with pain and fear. Chris is the Chair of the IAM Board of Directors as well as a member of the Executive Committee.

Claudio is a retired Industrial Engineer and Information Technology professional with over 30 years of experience in industries such as Pharmaceuticals, Technology, and Healthcare. Following a successful career, Claudio began volunteering his skills with CultureLink, where he mentors and teaches newcomers to Canada through their IT Security Bridging Program. Claudio believes in fighting to end the stigma of mental health, and making real progress that will provide long-lasting solutions to those suffering. Inspired by a psychiatrist in his family, he began volunteering with IAM and is serving his first term on the IAM Board of Directors and is the Vice-Chair & Corporate Secretary, Chair - Strategic Planning Task Force as well as a member of the Executive Committee.

Mary is a leader with more than 30 years experience in the health and community sectors with a passion to help people lead the best quality of life possible. With deep experience supporting those impacted by chronic mental illness, she has a passion to support, innovate and drive change for individuals and families impacted by mental illness. Her passion for transforming mental health care for the people who need it most sparked her vision to speed up innovation in community mental health within the Institute for Advancements in Mental Health (IAM), with a vision to redesign society for better mental health and building an inclusive society where everyone can make their best contribution regardless of illness or barriers. Mary’s leadership focuses on finding opportunities to help build the system and community supports to make this possible. Mary is an active member of the Rare Beauty Mental Health Council founded by Selena Gomez.