Interim Chair Graham Webb, of Toronto, is the Executive Director of the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE), and has been a Staff Litigation Lawyer at the organization since 1995. ACE is a community legal service for low income seniors that focuses on legal issues that have a greater impact on the older population. Before joining ACE, Graham was engaged in private practice for ten years in Barrie, Ontario, in a general practice with emphasis on civil and criminal litigation. Graham gives frequent legal education presentations on elder law issues to older adults and service providers, including police, health-care professionals and other lawyers. Graham has also served as a part-time evening instructor in Gerontology at Ryerson University, winning an award from the Continuing Education Students’ Association at Ryerson for excellence in teaching.
Barbara N. Gory is an accomplished Chartered Accountant and was the founding partner of Gory & Stavreff Chartered Accountants in Etobicoke. Barbara was elected to the governing council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and served as President of the Academy for Lifelong Learning and the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra. Barbara also served as a board member and Officer of the Legal Education Action Fund (LEAF) Foundation, the Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs and Women’s Musical Club of Toronto Foundation. Barbara is currently the Chair of the Residents Council at Tapestry Village Gate West and is a member of the RHRA Resident Network.
Andria Bianchi, of Toronto, is a Bioethicist and Clinician-Scientist at the University Health Network and affiliated with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor. She completed her PhD at the University of Waterloo where her research focused on ethical implications related to persons with dementia and sexual consent. She is currently involved in various funded research projects, all of which relate to the geriatric population. Andria is a bioethicist member of the Joint Centre of Bioethics, a board member of the Canadian Association of Practicing Healthcare Ethicists – Association Canadienne des Éthiciens en Soins de Santé (CAPHE-ACÉSS), and a board member of Advance Gerontological Education (AGE) Inc.
Beryl Collingwood, of Paris, Ontario began her career as a nurse, eventually moving into a number of key leadership roles within the retirement home and long-term care home sectors. Beryl is currently the VP of Operations for Southbridge Care Homes., leading enhancement of both the resident and employee experience in 27 Ontario long term care homes. Beryl is a member of Ontario Long Term Care Association (OLTCA) and Ontario Retirement Communities Association (ORCA) where she sits on the Education Committee and is on the Board of Directors of Paris Child Care Centers in the role of Treasurer and also sits on the audit committee for the Grand Erie District School Board.
Paul Ouellette, of Cambridge, has had a notable career as the president of a leading company specializing in print and online courses for various Canadian national and provincial real estate organizations. Over the past three decades, Paul has developed an extensive working knowledge of not-for-profit organizations and regulatory councils/commissions. In addition to RHRA activities, Paul serves on the Funeral & Transfer Services Advisory Committee and the Compensation Fund Committee for the Bereavement Authority of Ontario. Paul is now semi-retired but remains actively involved in the real estate sector as a technical expert and education consultant.
Gail Walker, of Toronto is the Director of Retirement at Belmont House. Prior to working at Belmont House, she was the Administrator of a Long Term Care Home with Chartwell Seniors Housing. Gail has also worked as a Program Manager at the Alzheimer’s Society of Peel, Manager of Programs and Health and Safety at the Ukrainian Canadian Care Centre and Professional Practice Leader at the Toronto Rehabilitation Centre. Gail is a member of the Ontario Retirement Communities Association (ORCA) and is an Executive member of Ontario Association of Non Profit Housing Services for Seniors (OANHSS) Region 5, serving as their Housing Representative. Gail also chairs a Retirement Home Networking group in Toronto.
Nira Rittenberg has extensive experience and expertise in geriatrics and dementia care. With more than 20 years of experience as a Senior Occupational Therapist at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, and in private practice, she has in-depth understanding of the broader health care system. Nira has written several publications about dementia and is a lecturer at the University of Toronto Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. She is also a columnist at the Toronto Star and writes for the “Caregiver SOS”, column. Most recently, Nira, participated in the making of the CBC documentary “The Caregivers’ Club”, which tell the story of her clients living with dementia over the course of year.
