Board of Directors

Honourary Board Members

Roger Neilson House would like to recognize the tremendous support of our Honourary Board Members:

  • Gary Cardiff
  • Roy Mlakar
  • Dave Ready

Board Members

The Board is responsible for the overall governance of the affairs of Roger Neilson House.

Click on any Board Member’s name to view their bio.

Ian Hendry

Chair

Ian is a retired founding partner of Hendry Warren LLP Chartered Professional Accountants.  A graduate of the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University he also holds FCPA, FCA designations and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Currently he is a Consulting Principal with Southannan Consulting Corporation working with entrepreneurs transitioning into or out of a business.

In addition to his volunteer work with Roger Neilson House he has been Chair of the CHEO Foundation Board and President of the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa.  He is currently a member of the Investment and Audit Committees of the CHEO Foundation and will serve as Board Chair of RNH until July 2024.

Michelle Bouchard

Vice Chair

Hailing from rural Northern Ontario, Michelle has proudly called Ottawa her home since 2009.  She came to the city to attend the University of Ottawa and has been in love with it ever since. During her studies at U of O, she completed co-op terms with Hendry Warren LLP where she began working with Ian Hendry, current Board member at Roger Neilson House.  She joined Hendry Warren LLP full-time in 2014, obtained her Chartered Accountant designation in 2016, and joined the partnership in January 2023.

After hearing of all the great work that Roger Neilson House does through Ian and seeing its amazing impact on the community, she joined the Finance Committee in May 2017 and subsequently joined the Board in June 2019.

Michelle has been involved with other community organizations including the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa and the Heron Emergency Food Centre.

Celine Fu

Treasurer

Celine graduated from University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management in December 2016 and obtained her CPA in 2019. She joined Hendry Warren LLP as a full time staff in January 2017 and is currently working as a senior manager at the firm. After being introduced to Roger Neilson House by Michelle Bouchard, she was deeply touched by the great vision to “enrich the quality of lives, no matter how short”, and inspired by the impactful services the house provides to the community. Determined to contribute to this amazing cause and to the community, she became a member of the Finance Committee in July 2022.

Robert Edward Houston, Q.C.

Secretary

Robert has been practicing with Burke-Robertson since 1992 and was with Soloway Wright from 1969—1992. His areas of practice include Civil Litigation, Criminal Litigation and Supreme Court of Canada Agency.

Robert has been active in a number of professional associations and committees including: the County of Carleton Law Association – Trustee from 1979 – 1987; President 1986 – 1987; the Canadian Bar Association – Member of Council from 1982 – 1984; and 1986 – 1987; the Advocates’ Society – Director from 1977 – 1979; the Chief Justice’s Committee of the Bench and Bar (Province of Ontario) from 1984 – 1990; the Ontario Court Management Advisory Committee (Province of Ontario) from September 1990 to 1996; the Supreme Court of Canada Liaison Committee; (Canadian Bar Association from 1985 to 1990); the Registrar’s Ottawa Agents Practice and Procedures Committee (Supreme Court of Canada) from 1991 – present; Lecturer – University of Ottawa Law School – Trial Advocacy from 1982 – 1989; Lecturer – Bar Admission Course (Ottawa) – Criminal Procedure from 1979 to 1999; and Fellow American College of Trial Lawyers.

Mike Lupiano

Past Chair

Mike Lupiano is an Ottawa native who attended both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, and graduated in 1977. Mike spent the first 30 years of his career in Human Resources leadership roles at Mitel, Cognos, Lumonics and Tundra Semiconductor and is currently a Partner in a boutique executive search firm.  Always appreciative of the fabulous city we live in here in Ottawa, a sense of community and “giving back” has always been a priority for Mike. He has served on the Board of Directors at St. Patrick’s Home and is presently on the Boards of the Dementia Society of Ottawa and Renfrew County and Serenity House a substance abuse treatment organization. Mike is married to Kathleen, a retired high school science teacher and is blessed with two grown daughters and a grand-daughter, who keep him young.

Alexa Brewer

Director

Alexa Brewer brings extensive knowledge related to health systems and health policy to the Roger Neilson House Board. Alexa has significant governance experience within the healthcare sector, and has most recently completed two 3-year terms as a director on the Board of the Champlain Local Health Integration Network.

A nurse by background, her career also includes senior roles in the federal government, and she has significant expertise in the areas of health systems integration, governance and health policy as well as information management and technology. Alexa has a Bachelor of Nursing from McGill University and an MBA from the University of Ottawa.

Dr. David Creery MD MSc FRCPC

Director

Dr. David Creery is a Pediatric Intensive Care Physician and Medical Director of Patient Safety at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa, Ontario. He received his medical degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1989. He completed training in Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa (1994) and Pediatric Critical Care at the University of Toronto (1998). He was the Division Chief of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Medical Director of the PICU at CHEO from 2002 until 2016. In 2010 he completed a Masters of Health Science in Health Administration with a focus on Patient Safety from the Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. Since 2011 he has been an Investigating Coroner for the City of Ottawa.

Paul Lalonde

Director

Paul was born and raised in Ottawa, and he graduated from Notre Dame High School in Ottawa’s West End.  Paul was an avid hockey player growing up, playing minor hockey for the Ottawa West Golden Knights and junior hockey for the Kanata Lasers, Cumberland Grads, and Perth Blue Wings.

Paul graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University and obtained his Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen’s University. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in July 2003, and joined a management-side labour and employment boutique in Toronto soon after his call to the bar. He returned home in January 2006 when he joined Emond Harnden LLP, and became a partner with the firm in 2013.

Paul represents both federally and provincially regulated employers in a wide range of labour and employment matters. He has considerable experience in the areas of employment and labour law, as well as occupational health and safety and workplace safety and insurance law.

Paul is married and is the proud father of three elementary school aged girls.  He spends much of his free time with his girls on the ski hill, at the dance studio, or at one of their many other activities.  He also continues to play men’s league hockey and in recent years has taken up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Paul served on the Board of Director’s for the Caring and Sharing Exchange from 2012 to 2018.  He was the President of the Board from 2015 to 2018.

Brian Morris

Director

Brian Morris is a first-time member of the Roger Neilson House Communications Committee and is thrilled at the opportunity to be part of the Board of Directors. Brian has spent the last 20 years working in Ottawa’s sports and entertainment industry, with the majority of that time focused on the fields of communications and media relations. A proud east-coaster and New Brunswick native, Brian moved to the Nation’s Capital to join the then-Major League affiliated baseball team, the Ottawa Lynx, and later progressed to the Ottawa Senators where he has acted as the head of the organization’s communications team for the majority of the past 15 years. He has had the wonderful opportunity to work with Roger Neilson House and CHEO as well as numerous other charities during his tenure with the Senators. His greatest personal achievements have come from using the hockey’s club profile to create unique and special experiences for young people dealing with difficult situations. Brian volunteers his time coaching several minor sports in Kanata as well as enjoying an active life with his wife Annie and two boys, Connor and Cameron.

Megan Wallace

Director

 

Janet Wilson

Director

Janet Wilson is a long time member of the Roger Neilson House Communications Committee and is thrilled to join the Board. Janet’s journey with Roger Neilson House began in 2006 when her son Patrick Hadden and family stayed there for several weeks during his illness.

Janet spent more than 25 years working in the media for the Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, The Hill Times and the Ottawa Business Journal. Prior to this, she helped launch Luxe Ottawa magazine, worked as a Senior Account Director for Hill and Knowlton and is now the premium content editor for Export Development Canada. She loves being in or on the water and has been a competitive dragon boat paddler for more than 20 years. With a love of adventure, Janet spent more than two years backpacking around the world, which included stints working on a sheep farm in Australia, an au pair in Switzerland and a grocery store in Belfast. She currently sits on the Board for Music and Beyond and Tunes and Spoons.

Megan Wright

Ex-officio Director

Megan Wright is the Executive Director of Roger Neilson House and the Director of Palliative Care at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Megan started as the ED at Roger Neilson House in 2014 and has been a valued member of the CHEO Management team since 2003.

Megan received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Ryerson University, she also has her Master of Science in Nursing Administration from the University of Toronto, and graduated from the Champlain LHIN Senior Leadership Program, among many other courses and achievements.

Prior to obtaining her position at CHEO, Megan worked at both the Credit Valley Hospital and at the Bloorview MacMillan Centre, where she was a nursing manager. She has 20 years of leadership experience in the health care environment.

Caitlin Neil

Community Liaison

Caitlin became involved with Roger Neilson House six years ago when she and her husband Chris Neil were named the honourary chairs. Caitlin sat on the board of the Ottawa Senators Foundation for four years, where she was involved in various fundraising efforts. Caitlin and Chris reside in Ottawa with their three children, Hailey, Cole, and Finn. Caitlin has developed special relationships with the children at Roger Neilson House and is excited to further become involved with the activities in the house.