Board of Directors
Paulysha De Gannes
President
Paulysha was elected to the board as an associated member in June 2019. As of 2021, Paulysha works at Addictions and Mental Health Ontario as a Senior Policy Advisor. She leads policy and system transformation work to advance equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and anti-oppression across Ontario. Paulysha has held a variety of health and policy roles at prominent organizations, including Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario Ministry of Labour, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Durham Region Health Department, University of Ottawa Health Services, and the Canadian Red Cross. Paulysha completed her Master’s in Public Health (Health Promotion) at the University of Toronto and graduated with distinction with a Bachelor’s of Health Sciences from the University of Ottawa.
Grant Gonzales
Vice-President
Grant joined the DPNCHC Board of Directors in March 2019 as a Community Member and previously served on the Board from 2008 to 2012, including one term as Vice President. Grant is a government and stakeholder relations professional, with over 7 years of experience. He is a Senior Advisor at Metrolinx and was previously a government relations consultant at Counsel Public Affairs. An active community member, Grant also serves as Co-Chair of Pride Toronto. Grant holds a Master of Political Management from Carleton University and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Toronto.
Hilary Mackenzie
Treasurer
Hilary was elected to the Board in June 2018 as a Community Member. Hilary has worked as a French and Spanish interpreter in the community sector, a financial administrator for non-profit organizations and a teacher of English as a second language. She has lived in this area and been a patient at the health centre for twenty-eight years.
Julian Bautista
Secretary
Julian was appointed to the board as a community member in September 2020. Julian is a Registered Dietitian with a masters in public health in nutrition & dietetics from the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health. He has experience in a number of health care settings, including hospital primary care, community health centres, and is currently practicing in long-term care and private consulting. A newer resident of the Davenport-Perth community since early 2019, he continues to seek to advocate for health equity and social justice within the community and Toronto at large through collaboration.
Santhosh Kumar
Officer At Large
Santhosh is a Chartered Professional Accountant and specializes in the financial services sector. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and with a Master of Management & Professional Accounting from the University of Toronto. Currently, he serves as the Treasurer of a condominium corporation and volunteers with the Out of the Cold program.
Kelsey Goforth
Director
Kelsey joined the DPNCHC Board of Directors in fall 2021. Kelsey is the Director of Programs at Dying With Dignity Canada where she has been a staff member for seven years, and also serves as a Board Member at Sherbourne Health. She previously worked in development, marketing and recruitment for a fundraising organization. She is a graduate of Douglas College’s end-of-life doula program and Centennial College’s Thanatology Certificate program. She has completed a Patient Navigation Certificate from the Health Leadership and Learning Network at York University, Pallium Canada’s Learning Essential Approaches to Palliative Care (LEAP) course, as well as training in grief literacy. Kelsey is a recipient of the 2019 Alumni of Influence Award from University College, University of Toronto where she completed her undergraduate studies in political science.
Hadley Nelles
Director
Hadley joined the DPNCHC Board of Directors in 2022. Hadley is a Senior Partner at New Market Funds leading the work of New Commons Development, an organization that builds affordable rental housing. Hadley leads a team that partners with communities to implement innovative housing solutions, build local capacity, and strengthen housing providers' portfolios. Hadley works at the intersection of policy and practice, she is a strategist and practitioner who is advancing affordable housing development and championing new and lasting ways of collaboration in the real estate and development sector. She has 15 years of experience working in the public, philanthropic and non-profit sectors on affordable housing, inclusive city-building, and community impact initiatives and holds a Master's degree in Political Science from McMaster University and a degree in Development Studies from Queen's University.
Jonathan Sachs
Director
Jonathan was elected to the Board in September 2020 as a Community Member. Jon is an experienced health leader, spending his career helping to solve different types of health system problems across Ontario. Currently, Jon is the Director of Government Affairs at PointClickCare; a health record software company focused on long-term care. Previously he worked at the Ministry of Health as a Senior Advisor for Health Innovation. He has previously served on the board of another Community Health Centre in Toronto for three years.
Judith Thompson
Director
Judith is a retired registered nurse with almost 30 years of experience in Toronto hospitals. During her career, she had several roles, from staff nurse and team leader in ER to Infection Prevention and Control, and ultimately to Nursing Director in Behavioural Neurology and Psychiatry. She has an undergraduate degree in Sociology and a Master's Degree in Health Administration, both from the University of Toronto. Her life experience has included living and working with people in many diverse communities, from Indigenous communities in northern Ontario to Holocaust survivors and Syrian refugees in Toronto.
Sepali Vithanage
Director
Sepali was elected to the board of directors in June 2019 as an associate member. She is a professional accountant and member of Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) – Canada. Currently, she is working for a privately owned Solar power development company. She works with the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) to assist people with their income tax preparation.
Louis Winston
Director
Louis was elected to the Board in June 2021 as a Community Member. Louis and his family moved to the community during the pandemic, and he is excited to make connections with his neighbours! He has an undergraduate degree in health sciences from McMaster University and a law degree from the University of Ottawa. Louis is a non-practising lawyer, currently working at the College of Nurses of Ontario as an Investigations Team Lead. In this role, Louis has committed to ensuring that everyone has access to safe and equitable nursing care.
Drew Woodley
Director
Drew was elected to the Board in June 2021 as a Community Member. Drew is the Director of Government Relations at Epilepsy Ontario, the registered charity representing individuals and families in the province, and was previously the Director of Communications at Epilepsy Toronto. Prior to working with Ontario’s epilepsy community, Drew worked as a communications and constituency assistant to Federal NDP leader Jack Layton and a constituency assistant to MP Peggy Nash. Drew holds a BA and MA in Political Science from York University and a certificate in Social Media Marketing from George Brown College.