The Board of Directors is considered to be the dominant policy and decision making governing body of the organization, regulated by a defined Constitution and By-laws.  It has a strategic function in providing the mission, vision and goals of the agency.  The Board has a fiduciary duty to protect the agency’s assets and investments by managing the yearly audit process.  The Board’s prime responsibility is to the general membership who at the Annual General Meeting, elects the Board’s twelve members comprising four executive officers, ie. Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and eight directors.  The Board is also responsible for the selection and appointment of the Chief Executive Officer of the organization, who reviews policies and procedures of the agency and advises the Board of any changes that may be required. Our Board members represent a wide-range of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Bringing a rich blend of experience to this governance body, their expertise ranges from professionals in the fields of finance, law, medicine, marketing and human resources.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

 

Executive Officers

Erica Teklits – Chair
Erica Teklits is an audit partner with BDO Canada LLP and National Leader of the Not-for-Profit and Education Sector for the firm. She is also a member of the Accounting Standards Board Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee. Her experience as an auditor and volunteering on other not-for-profit boards has provided valuable insight into the financial and operational issues facing this sector. Erica has served on the board of ESS Support Services for a number of many years and is passionate about providing services to the community, enabling those requiring additional care to remain in their homes with dignity. She has served as Co-Chair and Treasurer. She is currently serving the Board as Chair.

Karen Lynn – Vice Chair
Karen Lynn is a Human Resource Executive who is passionate about helping others. For over fifteen years, she has headed up the Human Resource function for various businesses operating across Canada in a range of industries. She now works as an independent Human Resource Consultant. Her Bachelors of Science degree coupled with her previous not-for-profit Board leadership experience suits the ongoing needs of ESS’s Board. Karen’s tenure with ESS started as a volunteer for gift wrapping. Karen currently serves the Board as Vice Chair.

Ken Chong – Treasurer
Ken Chong has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario since 1984.  Ken has been a partner in the firm of Wallington Chong, Chartered Professional Accountants since its inception in 1989.  Ken has served as the Treasurer and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee of Osteoporosis Canada from 2002 until June 2007 and as Vice–Chair, Chair and Past Chair of the Board of Directors of Osteoporosis Canada from 2007 until 2012.  From 1998 to 2007 Ken was Treasurer of the Board of Etobicoke Services for Seniors, and rejoined the Board in 2013, and currently serves the Board in the same capacity.

Margaret Smuk – Secretary
A graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, Margaret brings a wealth of over 50 years volunteer experience to the ESS Board of Directors. As a “stay at home” mother, Margaret had more time to assist both her own parents and her in-law parents as they aged.  This experience has influenced her decision to pursue an active role in senior affairs.  She has been a volunteer at Kipling Acres, one of Toronto’s Long-Term Care Homes, for over 39 years, serving as president for 25 years.  Margaret is Chair of the Toronto Inter-Home Volunteers and a member of the Advisory Committee for the City’s 10 long-term care homes.  Margaret has been an ESS Board member for a number of many years, serving as Board Secretary as well as several terms as Chair of the Volunteer Advisory and Fundraising Committees.

Alison Coke – CEO and Ex Officio member of the Board 

Alison Coke obtained her B.A. from Queens, an M.A. from The American University in Washington, D.C. and an M. Phil. from Oxford in the UK.  She started her professional career with a major Canadian resource company, followed by long-service in both the Governments of British Columbia and Ontario, working in Trade Policy, Regional Development, Natural Resources, Education and Training and Housing.  She opened and operated a successful private consulting firm, providing strategic support to a range of health and social services agencies, including the Ontario Hospital Association, the Victorian Order of Nurses and the Ontario Public Health Association.  One her consulting clients, the Scarborough Housing Help Centre, invited her to assume the role of Executive Director and from this agency she then moved to become the ED at Second Base Youth Shelter.  Alison has also enjoyed a rich volunteer life working on many non-profit Boards engaged in a diverse causes.

Directors

Dr. Evelyn C. Adams
A Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and a Registered Nurse, Dr. Evelyn Adams has a private practice and in the past has been a Director of Public Health, a Provincial Consultant, University Professor with Tenure and a Director of Nursing at a 467 bed Home for the Aged. Her research has been in self care of senior adults.  She has been a Director on Children’s Aid Board, Family Services Board and is active in community services as a volunteer visiting seniors who have health concerns.  She enjoys fundraising and identifying community issues and needs.  Her mission in life is to serve those who need her expertise or who just want to see her smile.  Currently she is completing a novel [based on fact] about a family that escaped from Hungary during the second world war. She loves movies, reading about history, and traveling. Eve currently serves the Board as Board Development Chair.

Donna Cansfield
Donna Cansfield has been involved with charity work her entire life. Besides serving on the ESS Board, recent tenures include Chairing the Board of Brands for Canada, member Canadian International Air Shows Inc. Board, Dorothy Ley Hospice, Ontario Lung Association, Room 217, Etobicoke Rotary (president-elect for the 2017-2018 term) and serves as an Honouray Patron for Dying with Dignity, Community Living, Canadian Korean Business Mens Association, and the Shevcheko Foundation.  In 1988, Donna was elected to the Etobicoke Board of Education. During her tenure she served as president of both the Ontario Public and Canadian School Boards Association.  In November 1997, she was elected trustee as a member of the newly amalgamated Toronto District School Board. She also served as Vice-Chair, Chair and Co-Chair of the Board.  She was successful as Liberal MPP candidate in the riding of Etobicoke Centre in the 2003 election.  Cansfield was appointed Parliamentary Assistant (PA) to Energy Minister and later served as Minister of Energy, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Natural Resources.  She also served as PA to the Minister of Economic Development and Innovation, Municipal Affairs and Housing, Research and Development, and PA to the Minister of Finance.  Cansfield also served as chief government whip for the Liberal Caucus.  Cansfield left provincial politics after she declined to seek another term in the 2014 Ontario election.

Darlene Dubbin
After a thirty-year career in the Ontario Public Service working in the areas of program analysis, planning, finance and policy development in the Ministries of Health, Labour, Community & Social Services and the Attorney General, Darlene joined ESS’s Board of Directors in June 2003. She accepted the position of Chair of the Board in June 2005, she left the board in 2015 and rejoined the board in 2016. As a long-time resident of Etobicoke, Darlene has extensive experience in fund-raising for both national and community organizations and continues to be an active volunteer as the Executive of a long-standing Etobicoke social club fostering fellowship amongst seniors in Etobicoke.

Ken Jones
Ken Jones has been a practicing lawyer for over 25 years, advocating for the rights and interests of individuals and organizations in a variety of contexts.  His practice has focussed primarily on commercial litigation – the conduct and defence of lawsuits arising out of contract disputes, shareholder or partnership matters, or business or real estate transactions gone wrong. He also has considerable appellate experience, including before the Supreme Canada.  In addition, a significant part of Ken’s practice has involved representing clients before administrative tribunals such as the Ontario Securities Commission.  Outside of the law, Ken has been a volunteer leader and committee member with Scouts Canada, and has coached/managed youth baseball.

Michael Lu
After over twenty years managing businesses internationally, including the last 8 years building consumer brands at Procter & Gamble, Michael Lu found passion in caregiving. Being brought up by his grandmother in China, Michael has a vision of keeping seniors happy at home and is enjoying making people’s lives better everyday with his team at CareHop Nursing & Home Care. Michael holds a Masters degree in Business Administration, is a certified Personal Support Worker and specialized in Alzheimer’s and dementia care. Michael believes in supporting the community like a family. He is actively involved in Rotary Club of Etobicoke and serves as a member of their Board of Directors, Chair of Communication Committee and Chair 2018 for Toronto Ribfest, its largest fundraising event.

Neil McIntosh

With over 30 years of experience in health care administration in Ontario, Neil brings a wealth of knowledge to the ESS board. His expertise includes negotiating funding and performance contracts with health service providers, working to ensure that performance goals have been achieved within allocated funding envelopes, and navigating government approval processes. He brings an in-depth knowledge of the budgeting process, financial reporting, and the use of performance metrics in the service of achieving quality outcomes. He earned his Master of Health Administration from the University of Toronto and went on to a senior role, Administrative Director of Medical Services, in the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry. More recently, his work in the Local Health Integration Network and in Home and Community Care Support Services advanced the integration of performance goals more effectively into local contract deliverables. As a result, Neil has a broad familiarity with health care funding models, and the need for the timely delivery of focused programs that further integrate care in the community.

Lina Neves-Mera
Lina is a healthcare professional with over ten years’ experience in the health care system in Ontario. She is a Registered Social Worker, a Certified Healthcare Executive (CHE) and a designated Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. She completed Master degrees in both Social Work (MSW) and Health Administration (MHSc) from the University of Toronto. As a Social Worker, Lina worked with older adults in acute care, post-acute care and in the community. She also developed and taught a course on working with older adults for the Social Service Worker program at George Brown College. Currently, Lina is working as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Ontario Hospital Association.