Council welcomes new president and members

It also bids a fond farewell to outgoing members

At Council, June marks a season of change, when veteran members depart and new members assume their roles.

This year, outgoing members include President Naomi Thick, Clinical Manager in the Hematology & Oncology, MDU & Dialysis program at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, who has been a member of Council since 2017.

Patricia Sullivan, RN, succeeded Thick in the role.

"It’s a privilege to be elected as Council President,” said Sullivan upon her election at the March Council meeting. “I am committed to advancing the Council’s role in protecting the public by promoting safe nursing practice. It is an honour to use my voice to serve patients and their families in this way."

Sullivan’s first day as Council President was June 7.

Sullivan leads a health care consulting company focused on improving quality and patient and workforce safety. She has 30 years of executive nursing experience in regulatory policy, performance measurement and quality improvement.  

Outgoing members and the role of Council

In addition to Thick, outgoing members of Council include RPNs Kerry Gartshore and Neil Hillier, who each served for three years, public members Judy Petersen, who served for six years, and Stephen Eaton, who served for three years.

We thank them all for their time and commitment to protecting the public.

Council serves the public interest and establishes the goals, objectives and policies of CNO according to the governing legislation. It's composed of 14 to 18 public members, 14 RNs and seven RPNs. Nurses from across the province are elected to Council by their fellow CNO members, while public members are appointed by the Ministry of Health. Council meets quarterly and each member sits on at least one statutory committee.

Meet the new members of Council

We welcome incoming Council members who have made this commitment:

• Helen Anyia, RPN, Eastern District, works in long-term care and teaches at Algonquin College

• Joe Farag, public member, is a semi-retired finance professional, who previously served as executive director of corporate finance and interim chief financial officer for the City of Toronto

• Grace Fox, NP, Northwestern District, is employed at a small community hospital caring for alternative-level-of-care patients and working in the urgent care clinic

• Jane Hess, RN, Central Eastern District, former director and chief nursing officer for the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, also brings experience in nursing education. She’s currently the Community Impact Officer for United Way Leeds and Grenville

• Grace Oltmann, RN, Eastern District, is the Clinical Services Coordinator at Carlington Community Health Centre in Ottawa

• Diane Scott, public member, is co-founder and partner of SX2 Ventures and Chairman and CEO of the JMCC Group Worldwide. Her specific investment focus is life sciences and health care

• Kimberly Wagg, RPN, Northeastern District, has a background in human resources management and education. She currently practices in public, private and long-term care settings