Board of Directors

During her professional career, Sharon was the Director of Faculty Bargaining Services for the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (responsible for the management support in labour negotiations for Canadian universities), Vice-President Special Projects and Vice-President Administration and Finance for the University of Northern British Columbia; and Associate Vice-President Human Resources at University of Saskatchewan. Sharon served as the past Chair of the Board of Directors at Lakeridge Health and Vice- Chair of Kinark Child and Family Services.

Sharon received her Doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of British Columbia and fulfilled the requirements for the ICD.D. designation.

Sharon’s extensive experience in the education sector, which includes financial services, human resources management, facilities/capital management, purchasing, risk operations, ancillary/business operations including public/private partnerships contribute greatly to the work of the Abilities Centre Board of Directors.
 

Jason is the Director of Legal Services at the Region of Durham. Before joining Durham, Jason practiced law in Oshawa at Kitchen Kitchen Simeson McFarlane. Jason is a graduate from the University of Windsor Law School.

Jason is a long-time resident of the Durham community and dedicated supporter of the local community groups, where he held numerous roles such as Vice President of the Whitby Girls Hockey Association, Director for Sloane’s House, President and Director of Durham Region Lawyers Association, Director of Durham Region Manufacturer’s Association, Member of Durham College Paralegal Advisory Committee, Member of the Oshawa Chamber of Commerce Physician Recruiting Task Force and a Director on the Durham Access to Justice Hub.

Jason’s legal expertise in non-for-profit sector and his ties to the community are tremendous assets to the Abilities Centre.
 

Natalie Hovey is the Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Mackenzie Health. Natalie has more than ten years experience in senior roles in the health care sector.
 
Natalie received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from St. Francis Xavier University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA,CMA)
 
Natalie has been active on various Boards and Committees in the health care sector where she contributes with her wide array of financial and business development expertise. Natalie joined the Abilities Centre Board of Directors in the spring of 2019, and she is the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee.
 

Emmanuel Iheme " Emmy”
Proud father to two amazing children. Resident of Greebank, Scugog 
Senior International Anti Doping Officer with Canadian Center for Ethics in Sports (CCES), Member of the True Sport Canada ambassadors and International Testing Agency (ITA). 
Serving Chair for Their Opportunity board of directors, Board Chair: Charitable Fund Oshawa Rotary Club and Board member for the E-Camp Mentoring - Durham Region. Serving as the Co-Chair City of Oshawa Walk of Fame committee,

Served 29 years as a Staff Sergeant Community Safety Leader, Chief’s Executive Officer at Durham Regional Police Service, Past President Rotary Club of Oshawa, Past Assistant Governor Rotary District 7070, Cochair Fundraising and Partnership - 2023 Ontario Parasports Games Durham Region, Past Co-Chair - 2019  Ontario Parasport Games Durham Region and Past  board member for the Oshawa/Clarington Big Brother and Big Sister organization.
 

Galen is an Associate in the Corporate & Capital Markets Group at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s Toronto office. His practice focuses on corporate and securities law, with an emphasis on corporate finance and the investment management industry. Prior to joining BLG, Galen worked for a specialized fixed income manager and Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
 
Galen received his Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University and his Juris Doctor degree from Osgoode Hall Law School.
 
Galen was appointed to the Board of Directors in November 2023 and is a member of the Governance, Nominations and Human Resources Committee.
 

Sean Pavlidis is a Principal at Level5, a boutique management consulting firm focused on growth strategy and organizational transformation. His practice focuses on helping organizations define a growth path and align their operations to achieve their ambitions. Internally at the firm, Sean is a champion of the DEI-space and leads a team embedding DEI best practices into the organization.

Sean received his Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Queen’s University.

Sean was appointed to the Board of Directors in January 2023 and is a member of the Governance, Nominations and Human Resources Committee.
 

 

Elizabeth Roy has been a member of Whitby Council for 17 years and is serving her first term as mayor. She was elected West Ward Councillor in 2006 and 2010, and Regional Councillor in 2014 and 2018. Before being elected to Whitby Council, Elizabeth served as a Durham District School Board Trustee from 1997 to 2006 and board chair from 1999 to 2004.

Elizabeth worked as a professionally trained medical radiation therapist for 34 years and practiced at Princess Margaret Hospital and the Durham Regional Cancer Center.

She currently serves on many boards and committees including the Whitby 55+ Recreation Advisory Committee, Downtown Whitby BIA Board of Management, Association of Local Public Health Agencies, and the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority board, which she chairs.

At the regional level, Elizabeth is chair of the Region of Durham’s Health and Social Services Committee and sits on the Transit Committee, Transit Executive, Strategic Plan Development Task Force, and Durham Local Immigration Partnership.

Elizabeth is a mother of three grown children and a grandmother of two.
 

Tej Singh Hazra is a Client Partner, in Korn Ferry's Global Diversity & Inclusion practice. Mr. Hazra was the head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for HSBC Bank Canada, where his role was to enable the bank to operate and compete locally and internationally by driving an intentional Diversity & Inclusion strategy aligned to their business performance goals. Prior to joining HSBC, he was the Head of Diversity & Inclusion for IBM Canada, where he led IBM’s Global Emerging Issues Response Team—accountable for managing real-time global and regional issues, involving cultural, regulatory and faith-based nuances in the company’s major and emerging markets.

Mr. Hazra graduated from The University of Huddersfield (UK) where he studied Computer-Aided Engineering. Mr. Hazra’s extensive knowledge of the Employment Equity Act and over thirteen years working experience in the arena of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, are invaluable assets to Abilities Centre where Mr. Hazra serves as the Member of the Board of Directors and the Governance, Nominations and Human Resources Committee.