MEET OUR BOARD
The Board’s role is to provide direction to the Centre on behalf of the community. Board members provide leadership and support the Centre to ensure it meets its goals. They oversee the organization and work with the Executive Director who performs operational duties. The Board extends its support for collaboration by working in partnership with staff and the community to carry out the Centre’s mission.
Mandeep Ahluwalia, Director
Mandeep was formerly trained as a physician outside of Canada. For the past 12 years, Mandeep has been a Police Officer in Toronto and now in Ottawa where he strives to break down community barriers and promote inclusivity. Being a visible minority himself, he believes inclusivity, education and acceptance are the key to strengthen society as a whole.
Mike Bulthuis, Chair
Mike engages daily in social policy, currently as an Analyst with the federal public service, on a team addressing homelessness in Canada. He also serves on the Board of the provincial Alliance for Healthier Communities, and as a volunteer with Bruce House. He has lived in Ottawa – in a number of downtown neighbourhoods – since 1999, after growing up in Hamilton, Ontario.
Darcy DeMarsico, Treasurer
Darcy is an executive at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, where she works to build globally competitive ecosystems in areas of Canadian technology leadership. She has experience as a board member and volunteer on community and athletic organizations, and has been a client at CCHC for 40 years.
Meseret Haileyesus, Director
Meseret is a social entrepreneur, community builder, and founder of both the Canadian Center for Women’s Empowerment and Maternity Today. With a background in midwifery, economics, and public health, she drives social change by advocating for high-quality and accessible sexual and reproductive healthcare for women on a global scale, with a goal of ending gender-based violence.
Valerie Repta, Co-Vice Chair
Valerie works as a clinician-researcher. She has master’s degrees in psychology and social work, and has worked in social service and health care settings, both directly with clients and at the system/provincial level to provide evidence-informed practices to improve mental health care services. She values connecting direct intervention services with research and evaluation practices to improve client outcomes.
Charlie Thompson, Co-Vice Chair
Charlie has worked in several roles related to public policy and public health in both political and non-partisan roles. Most recently, he has worked in healthcare advocacy and policy at HealthCareCAN. In a previous life, he held positions at the Ontario Legislature and at Canada’s parliament in roles closely connected to the health portfolio at federal and provincial levels.
Dave Zackrias, Director
David Zackrias believes that inclusion is fundamental to public safety, and that celebrating, encouraging and respecting our unique diversity makes Ottawa safer and stronger. Zackrias is passionate about serving the communities that have been traditionally marginalized. He is currently assigned to Respect, Values and Inclusion (RVI) Directorate within the Ottawa Police Service.
Rakhi Dhawan, Director
Rakhi is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) who has been working in the federal government for over 15 years, and has gained significant experience in audit, finance, and policy while taking on progressively more senior roles into the management level. During her career, Rakhi has built a reputation for a deep and passionate commitment in all she endeavours to take on, and working with a high level of integrity.
Paul Galipeau, Secretary
Paul joins CCHC’s Board of Directors with over 15 years of experience in communications and advocacy within the federal public service and with international NGOs. Paul has led advocacy campaigns and mobilized volunteers on a range of global health and social issues including girls education, equitable vaccine access as well as services and treatment for people living with HIV.
Tamir Virani, Director
Tamir (He/Him) is currently a Senior Manager at Frayme, a national non-profit in the youth mental health and substance use sector. Tamir has worked alongside clinicians, researchers, patients and families across Canada to help showcase the work of service providers and experiences of service users to inform policy and health system transformation at the federal and provincial levels.
Joanne Weiss Reid, Director
For over 20 years, Joanne has worked in project management, public and Indigenous engagement and consultation, and healthy and sustainable community planning, and policy development. Joanne is currently an executive leading partnerships with Indigenous communities, organizations and governments on program and service delivery, capacity building, youth engagement, equity, diversity and inclusion, and recruitment and retention in the Arctic.
Rebecca Wolsak, Director
Rebecca has worked as a Program Manager at Inter Pares since 2006, co-managing a large social justice program in Burma. As a co-manager, Rebecca has experience both as an employer and an employee in an organization that endeavours to change systems that perpetuate inequality, poverty and injustice. During her career in the non-profit sector in Canada, Rebecca’s advocacy efforts have also focused on women’s rights, healthcare and feminist process.
Elizabeth Cain, Staff Representative
Elizabeth is a family nurse practitioner at Centretown CHC in the Urban Health and Seniors Outreach programs. Elizabeth has worked for multiple agencies in Ottawa, Vancouver and the United States supporting individuals facing homelessness, addiction, and health conditions resulting from poverty and other social determinants of health. She is happy to join the CCHC board as a term staff representative.
Nazli Parast, Staff Representative
Nazli Parast is a certified diabetes educator with extended cardiac and research background. She has been a Diabetes and Heart Failure Clinical Consultant providing support to physicians, nurses and other health care providers. Her research interest is in improving virtual care for diabetes and cardiac patients.