Meet Our Board

The Board of Directors plays an important leadership role in establishing and supporting the Mississippi River Health Alliance's strategic goals and directions, monitoring quality and overseeing financial resources while ensuring that the hospital continues to meet the needs of our communities.

The Board is elected from the geographic communities where CPDMH offers care.

Chair 

Lyman Gardiner has over 35 years experience engaged as a public accountant, providing assurance and income tax services to private enterprises. Lyman is a Licenced Public Accountant and holds Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Business Valuator (CBV) designations. He is an active volunteer in his profession and community. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for Mississippi River Power Corporation and Pakenham Curling Club. Lyman and his wife, Doris, live alongside the Mississippi river in Pakenham where they have raised their two children. Lyman was appointed to the AGH Board of Directors in December 2018.  Lyman was elected the first Treasurer of the Allied Boards of Directors in June 2022

Vice Chair 

John Fournier was elected to the Board June 2018. Formerly a senior officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, he served for almost 25 years as an Aerospace Controller across Canada, with NATO flying as a Mission Crew Commander on board NATO AWACS aircraft, and in Alaska where he was the first Canadian Commander of a US Alaskan NORAD Region Crew. Retiring from the military in 1999, John went on to become a manager and then Director of Business Development for various small and very large international Defence and Information Technology companies within the National Capital region. He retired from industry in 2017 and has since volunteered with Habitat for Humanity builds here in Carleton Place and the greater Ottawa area and works a weekly shift at their ReStore facility in Kanata. An avid motorcyclist and former officer of the Canadian Motorcycle Cruisers riding club, he also volunteers for numerous annual local fundraising activities for a breadth of deserving charities.   John will be sitting as a member of the Board’s Ethics Committee, Quality Committee, and Capital Projects Committee. He lives with his wife Kathleen in Carleton Place.  John was elected to the Allied Boards of Directors in June 2022.

 Treasurer

Michel G. Vermette has spent nearly 40 years working for Canadians, of which 20 were as an executive in the Canadian Federal Public Service. Michel holds Bachelor and Master of Science (Biology) degrees from the University of Ottawa, and a Master of Business Administration from Western University. He was a Parliamentary Intern in 1987-1988.  From 2015 to June 2019, Michel was Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada. APEX is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the professional needs of its members, the senior leadership of the federal public service.  Michel also worked in the Canadian Coast Guard, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, other federal organizations, the Canadian Blood Agency and Canadian Blood Services.  Currently he lends his assistance to charities and not-for-profits (and sometimes for-profits) when he is not tending to his farm and was appointed to the AGH Board of Directors in June 2019. Michel was elected to the Allied Boards of Directors in June 2022.

Elected Directors

Alex Bennett is a chartered accountant (CA) with over 15 years of financial experience in the Defense sector.  She is currently the Senior Director of Finance, at Leonardo DRS, Canada.  Prior to joining DRS Alex worked for 10 year in various Internal Audit and External Audit roles. it was through this experience Alex gained a strong appreciation for controls and process.  Alex was first elected to the Allied Boards in June 2023.

Luciano Bernes has over 35 years of experience within the human resources, organizational and leadership development fields.

He has worked in various sectors including energy in Alberta, Ontario and the United States, and has had over 12 years of mental health sector experience with a pan Canadian organization in Ottawa. He has most recently been engaged in consulting work within the public health sector.
Luciano looks forward to working with his fellow Board members to advance the vision and mission of the MRHA. Luciano was elected to the Allied Boards of Directors in June 2024.

Cheri Crosby has a broad and varied background within the Federal public sector. Her career highlights include settling refugees into new communities, delivering programs for the homeless, and counseling unemployed youth. She has extensive experience managing corporate services such as finance, procurement, human resources, and real property management to clients across Canada. Cheri recently retired as the Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer for National Defence.

Cheri graduated from Queen's University (Economics) and holds a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation. She has resided in Pakenham for over 37 years with her husband Scott and their new puppy Abbie. They have three sons and four grandchildren, all of whom live in or near Pakenham—a source of great pride and gratitude for Cheri.
Cheri was first elected to the MRHA Allied Boards of Directors in June 2024.

Kent Kirkpatrick is one of Canada's most experienced municipal executives. In 2016, he retired after 12 years as the City Manager for the City of Ottawa. He has extensive experience in organizational governance, including time as a member of the board of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada and a private sector construction company. Additionally, since his retirement, he has experience advising deputy ministers in the government of Canada on organizational risk, governance and management control as a departmental audit committee (DAC) member. He is currently a member of the DAC for both Transport Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. In the past, he chaired the DAC of Infrastructure Canada.

He has lived in the Carleton Place area for most of his life and has been active in it’s community, including serving three terms as a Carleton Place Town Councillor.

Kent was elected to the Allied Boards of Directors in June of 2024.

Bonnie Lowry Bagshaw has completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Child Studies) at the University of Guelph, as well as a Master of Science (Occupational Therapy) from McMaster University. She has worked for 16 years as an Occupational Therapist in a variety of settings including community, hospital, private, and rehabilitation. Her primary employment has been with the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre which is now known at CHEO. During her career, she has sat on many committees targeting improvement to service delivery, accreditation, infection and prevention control, and until recently a representative at the Lanark Leeds and Grenville Special Needs Strategy planning table. Over the past year, Bonnie has chaired the Patient Family Advisory Committee at the AGH / FVM.  Additionally, she has volunteered and participated in many local groups and charities. Bonnie lives in Almonte with her husband and 3 children. Bonnie was appointed to the AGH Board of Directors in 2018. Bonnie was elected to the Allied Boards of Directors in June 2022.

Michael Maidment was born in Thompson, Manitoba and raised in Newfoundland and Labrador, Michael has called Ashton home for the past 7 years.

Michael has spent most of his career in the not-for-profit sector and is currently the President and CEO of the Ottawa Community Foundation. Michael was previously the CEO of the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and the Ottawa Food Bank.

Michael has done significant work in the areas of policy development and government relations throughout his career. Michael was a member of the roundtable that helped develop Canada’s National Strategy Against Human Trafficking and added the trafficking of persons offence to Canada’s Criminal Code. He has presented to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights and the Standing Senate Committee on Finance.

Michael has served on several boards including OrKidstra, the Ottawa Grace Manor long-term care facility, Crossroads Children’s Mental Health Centre, and served as board chair of Feed Ontario and the
City of Ottawa Poverty Issues Advisory Committee.

Keeping Michael grounded are his wife Leanne, the Director General of Communications with Public Safety Canada, children Emmanuelle and Gabriel, and the life-long pursuit of a sub-80 golf score. When not trying to fix his golf game, Michael can usually be found canoeing in Algonquin Provincial Park.

Michael was elected to the Allied Boards of Directors in June 2024.  

Colonel Steven D.  Pirie has spent nearly 30 years in the Royal Canadian Medical Service working in the field of healthcare. He had worked as a clinician, staff officer, instructor, and leader from the tactical to the strategic level both domestically and overseas during this service to Canada.

Steven holds Master of Science and Master of Defence Studies degrees as well being a Registered Nurse (General Class) and a Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders. He frequently teaches courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels on the topic of disaster planning and leading in crisis. His academic interests include CBRN medicine, infectious diseases, prehospital care, combat casualty management, emergency and disaster medicine.

Steven was elected to the Allied Boards of Directors in June 2023 and lives in Carleton Place with his family.

Rob Probert re-joined the Board in 2016. Rob has a clear understanding of the history of CPDMH and its extended challenges. Rob recognizes and values the incredible volunteer base that supports this organization that is so important to the community. Rob is returning to the Board as a private volunteer after a stint as the Town Council representative from a few years ago. Rob has a long past history in Carleton Place. For the past 30 years, he has owned and operated the Canadian Career Academy, helping match job seekers with skills development and employment opportunities. This organization has very strong links with the local business community. In his community work, Rob was named the Business Person of the Year in 2005 and Carleton Place Citizen of the Year in 2008. He served as President of the Chamber of Commerce for 12 years, Chair of the Canada Day Celebration (13 years) and Chair of the Santa Claus Parade (14 years). He has been an active supporter of local heritage efforts including the Carleton Place and Beckwith Historical Museum and the Roy Brown Society (President for 7 years). Of particular help to the hospital will be his experience as a past Carleton Place Town Councillor and as Chair of the Carleton Place Library Board. The challenges facing the hospital are constant. Rob looks forward to working with the other Directors in all-out effort to maintain continuous improvements at our hospital. Rob was elected to the Allied Boards of Directors in June 2022.

Greg Smith is Founder and President of OrgFitech Inc. as well as President of GHS Enterprise. OrgFitech is a software provider focused on ways of strengthening organizations. He is an Entrepreneur, Educator, Consultant, Advisor, and Coach. He is passionate about helping Individuals continuously learn while discovering ways for Organizations to sustain and prosper. Greg teaches part-time at the University of Ottawa Telfer Business School on the topic of Leadership for the EMBA program. He is also affiliated with the University’s Professional Development Institute and Friesen Kaye and Associates. He has presented key learning and performance issues at major industry events including Institute for Performance and Learning (I4PL); Training Magazine’s Annual Conference & Expo; Local Employment Planning Council (Ottawa Hub); and University of Ottawa EMBA Guest Speaker on Leadership Strategies. Greg undertook his post-graduate studies at American University in Washington, D.C., concentrating in Human Resource Development and Organizational Effectiveness.  Greg was elected to the Allied Boards of Directors in June 2022.

Susan Snow has spent nearly 30 years in the public service, both at the municipal and federal government levels. She is currently working as an Executive Director with the Canada Revenue Agency and has recently completed a 15-month assignment with the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat. Her career has included working in strategic planning, financial management, information technology and in all areas of human resource management with specialization in recruitment, workforce planning and change management.
Susan holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Western Ontario and has a Certified Human Resources Leader designation from the Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario. Susan is passionate about giving back to her community and will use her career and life experience to support the Mississippi River Health Alliance in continuing to provide excellent health care services from the Almonte and Carleton Place Hospitals.
Susan was elected to the Allied Boards of Directors in June 2023 and lives in Mississippi Mills her family

Bruce Young P.Eng graduated from Queen’s University in 1975 and has lived near Pakenham with his family the majority of time since then. He has extensive experience in managing national impact assessment programs, public reviews, intergovernmental relations/negotiations, Indigenous consultations and leading skilled professional teams. He has directed and chaired community consultations, meetings, hearings and public sessions all over Canada. He has represented the federal government in consultations with Indigenous groups and communities and presented papers and talks to national and international conferences. Following his retirement from the federal government, he established a consulting practice that provided impact assessment policy and guidance to several federal departments, agencies and northern Indigenous environmental impact review boards. Bruce is a registered engineer with Professional Engineers Ontario and has served on the Board of Directors with the Ontario Association for Impact Assessment. He was appointed to the AGH Board of Directors in June 2019. Bruce was elected to the Allied Boards of Directors in June 2022.

Ex-Officio Non-Voting Directors

Brad Harrington, President & CEO, Boards Secretary 

Brad Harrington was the former Vice President, Finance & Operations at Oak Valley Health, Markham Stouffville & Uxbridge hospitals. Brad is also the former Vice President & Chief Financial Officer at the Quinte Healthcare Corporation and the inaugural Chief Financial\Information Officer at the Sherbourne Health Centre in southeast Toronto. Brad has also held numerous other roles with Ontario hospitals and has consulted in an Information Systems capacity during his career.

Brad has extensive healthcare re-development experience, having played roles with the redevelopment of the Sherbourne Health Centre in southeast Toronto, the Community Health Centres in Oshawa and Belleville, Emergency and Surgical suite redevelopment in Quinte, and new hospital in Prince Edward County.

Brad has always given back to the communities in which he has worked and resided and has volunteered on numerous health care boards; including being a former Board Director with the Canadian Mental Health Association – York & Simcoe and being the Chair of the Board for Belleville Quinte West Community Health Centre and Personal Attendant Care in Whitby.

Brad has an undergraduate honours commerce degree and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Windsor. Brad is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA). Brad is also a certified member of the Canadian College of Health Service Executives (CHE) and a Chartered Director (C.Dir) from McMaster University and the Conference Board of Canada.

Brad was hired as the MRHA President & CEO in May 2024. 

Lianne Learmonth, Vice President, Patient and Resident Care and Chief Nursing Executive

Lianne Learmonth has demonstrated progressive leadership in the nursing profession over a 35-year career. Her experience in a variety of health care roles from the front-line across long-term care and culminating in executive leadership roles has brought a wealth of mentoring and change management support to all team members. Lianne believes in growing talent and expertise from within and has supported many new young leaders. Lianne takes pride in her values of high-quality safe patient/resident care, accountability, teamwork and dedication.

Lianne graduated from Algonquin College Pembroke with a diploma in nursing in 1989. One of her mentors encouraged further education and Lianne took that advice, completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Lakehead University in 2004. Finally, Lianne completed a Master of Nursing from Athabasca University in 2012.

Lianne grew up in the Ottawa Valley and after a stint in Northern Ontario she moved ‘home’. Her son has migrated back to the north and her daughter and husband live locally. Anyone who knows Lianne appreciates her love of golf!

Dr. Allyson Champagne, CPDMH Chief of Staff  

Dr. Allyson Champagne was born and raised in Kingston, ON. She attended Medical school at McMaster, and completed her residency (Family med/anesthesia) at Queen's University. Dr. Champagne has worked in Kingston, Napanee, Yellowknife and Carleton Place for the last 19 years. Dr. Champagne has a family practice in Carleton Place and is also the Chief of Staff and Chief of Anaesthesia at the Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital. Dr. Champagne is married to Mark and they have 3 boys.

Dr. Maria Bastin-Millar, CPDMH President of Medical Staff 

Dr. Melanie Fortune, AGH Chief of Staff  

Dr Melanie Fortune is a family physician who cares for patients in hospital and in the community. She attended medical school at McMaster University and then completed her residency at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, focusing on rural care and obstetrics. Prior to her medical training, Dr Fortune's background included public health research, policy and programming work within governmental and non-profit organizations. She has a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology. Having grown up here and raising her young family here now, Almonte is a special place to her. She started her family practice here in 2021. She was previously Physician Lead for the Family Medicine Obstetrics program at AGH and began her role of the AGH Medical Chief of Staff as of July 2024.

Dr. Brandon Harvey, AGH President of Medical Staff