Board of Directors

Freda Hannah is the longest-serving member of our current board. She guided the organization for many years as president and her extensive knowledge and experience as an advocate for people navigating the long-term care system is a most valuable asset. Freda was the driving force behind the Family Councils' Project. She was a registered nurse, and before retiring she was assistant executive director at the Toronto Association for Community Living.

Lois Dent, our past president, has been a board member for over 10 years. She has a graduate degree in social work and worked in the mental health field and as a community geriatric social worker before retiring. She has a long-standing interest in advocacy and seniors' issues.

Phyllis Hymmen, our current president, had a varied career in education where she was a teacher, counsellor, counsellor educator, and research consultant. During her first two roles in education, she earned a doctorate in counselling psychology. When she retired, Phyllis was an education officer in the Ministry of Education where she had policy responsibilities for teacher education programs and teacher certification. She has been a family council member and chair of the Nisbet Lodge Family Council, and chaired the Toronto Regional Family Councils Network. Currently, Phyllis chairs the Family Councils Program Advisory Committee.

Sharon Clark is a retired nurse with a long and varied career that includes work in hospital, community and long-term care settings. She has a library diploma and worked for 10 years in a specialized medical library. Sharon lives in a small town in the Niagara area where she volunteers for the Ontario Health Coalition, the Consumers Association of Canada, and regularly visits her local long-term care home to help residents with crafts.

Peter Harris, our treasurer, is a certified management accountant with extensive financial and accounting experience in business and non-government organizations. His long list of volunteer work includes treasurer/director of the June Callwood Campaign against Child Poverty and the Anglican Diocese of Toronto subcommittee on Child Poverty. He is a licensed layreader for the Diocese and conducted worship services at a long-term care home in Scarborough for over 20 years.

Gerda Kaegi, our vice-president, is adjunct professor at Ryerson University in the Department of Politics, School of Public Administration, and coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Studies in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Management Program. She has a long history of volunteer activities, including co-chair of the Ontario Elder Health Coalition, board member of the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, past-president of Canadian Pensioners Concerned, National and Ontario Divisions.

Sheila Latimer joined the board in 2000. She is a recently retired registered nurse with a graduate degree in education. Sheila's extensive experience working in various areas of the long-term care system in Ontario is a major asset to the board.

Charmay Crane has a graduate degree in clinical psychology and has provided individual and group psychotherapy to outpatients. She has management experience as department head and also sat on the bioethics committee for a hospital. Char is part of our advocacy committee and heads our volunteer committee.

Gay Thomson, our secretary, brings many years of experience as a geriatric social worker and advocate for vulnerable seniors. Gay has worked both in the hospital sector and in residential long-term care. She is also an experienced community developer, an important asset for the board.

Julie Fiorini brings 10 years of traditional and internet marketing techniques to the board. She is a past senior associate manager of internet fundraising with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.

Joan Little is certified in psychiatric nursing. She formerly worked at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital and the Queen Street Mental Health Centre, as well as at Bendale Acres, a long-term care facility. She currently runs a home-based travel business.

Raymond Tse has many years of experience in project management, engineering, and design in the industrial sectors. He has been active with family councils since 2004 and was a member of the planning committee to draft terms of reference for Yee Hong Scarborough, Finch Family Council, and Mon Sheong Scarborough.

Board of Directors