Meet Our Board

Dave was born into a military family in 1966. The family moved from Canadian Forces Bases between New Brunswick and Ontario where Dave ended up in Parry Sound in approximately 1985.

Settling in Parry Sound, he found himself lucky enough to end up in the insurance business in 1994, but volunteering in the community started far prior to that. The success of the insurance industry has led Dave to be the Managing Partner at Parry Sound Insurance Brokers with five offices across Muskoka – Parry Sound.

Most known for being around the arena and Parry Sound Golf and CC where he has served as a director since 1998. The number of boards Dave sits on is too numerous to say, but being selected as Chair of Lakeland LTC has been a highlight. Dave is married to Leeanne and has 3 children, Liz, Cassie and Nick. Dave’s motto is “I am very lucky to do what I do and Live where I Live – we support our community as it is our own family”.

Cathy is retired after a successful 40-year career in the general insurance field. She believes in giving back to the communities she has lived in or worked with.

Cathy contributed professionally to the insurance industry by teaching an accreditation course for the Insurance Institute of Ontario. She was also a member of the Women’s Association of Insurance of Canada (Hamilton Chapter) and served on the board of directors for the Canadian Claims Managers Association (Ontario Chapter).

She has also made significant contributions to her community, serving as a Scouts Canada leader with the 3rd Aldershot pack and as a board member of the Halton Crime Stoppers Association.

Susan Héder was elected to the WPSHC Board in 2020 after serving two years on its Property and Finance Committee. She is a past president of Festival of the Sound and served many years on its Finance, Governance and Fundraising committees.

Susan is a professional accountant, recently retired from a career in public accounting working with small businesses and large corporations. As a long-term volunteer with CESO (Canadian Executive Services Overseas) and Rotary, she has used her business and accounting expertise on both domestic assignments in Nunavut and Nunavik and internationally in Armenia, Bolivia, and Zimbabwe.

Susan enjoys choral singing and can often be found gardening at home and around Parry Sound on the Downtown Business Association’s Beautification Committee. Susan’s family came to Parry Sound as farmers and lumberjacks in the mid-nineteenth century. She is honoured to continue contributing to the community where her family settled long ago.

Debbie McMurray was elected to the board in 2013. Previous to that, she served on the board of the WPSHC Foundation for a nine- year period; an experience that facilitated a better understanding of the financial needs of the health centre.

Debbie has had a career in banking for 30 years and has called McKellar home for close to 30. She has also served on the board of Georgian Nordic Ski and Canoe Club, the Economic Development Committee for the Township of McKellar, and has been the Treasurer of 295 MacPherson Squadron Air Cadets for 14 years.

Donna joined the Quality and Safety Committee in 2018 and was elected to the Board in 2019. She has extensive experience in nursing professional practice, hospital administration and project management. Her career includes roles as Chief Nursing Officer in a large community hospital and management of a comprehensive project to develop best practice guidelines for healthy work environments.

Donna has enjoyed cottage life in the Parry Sound area since 1977. She has experienced WPSHC as a patient, an employee and now as a volunteer and appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the Parry Sound community.

Daphne is a retired lawyer with 25 years experience in a tribunal and a health regulatory body in advisory and management capacities. As the current Foundation Board Chair, she brings her skills in analysis and problem-solving, written and oral communication, and a keen sense of integrity.

Daphne is originally from Sudbury, and now makes her home in Parry Sound.

Margaret, a representative of the WPSHC Auxiliary to the Hospital Board, possesses over 40 years of experience in healthcare, with expertise in Nursing, Public administration, and Voluntary Sector Management. Her extensive career spans various clinical areas, education, management, and executive roles, particularly in community, children’s and senior’s services. She is skilled in leading organizational cultural change, person centered care, and implementing culturally appropriated services in multicultural environments. Margaret is now poised to help guide the WPSHC Auxiliary as it approaches its century of service to healthcare in the community of West Parry Sound.

George is husband to Sarah McDowall and together they have two daughters, Pippa and Lena. After moving here in 2008 to start his teaching career, George fell in love with the community and began getting involved. George has served on not-for-profit boards including Harvest Share Community Food Programs, Hospice West Parry Sound and Hands to name a few. He has worked in elementary education supporting the arts and special education. Perhaps most joyfully, George spends his time with his family enjoying Georgian Bay and everything our community has to offer. He is committed to developing Parry Sound and its unique character and history. He believes that we are stronger together and every voice is valuable. As we work to meet the healthcare needs of our community, George continues to listen and meet the challenges as they come.

Peter has been a devoted member of the Parry Sound community for over 15 years, initially as a cottager and, since 2020, as a full-time resident. He brings extensive experience in governance and community engagement, having previously served on the Joseph Brant Foundation Board in Burlington and several other not-for-profit boards. Peter currently serves as Chair of the Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere, where he continues to demonstrate his commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable community development.

Andy has been successfully owning and managing marina and contracting businesses in the area for over 25 years. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Maple Leaf Marinas and as General Manager of Desmasdon’s Construction. Throughout his career, Andy has remained deeply involved in the community. In addition to his role on the WPSHC board, he serves as an advisor to the CEO and Board of Boating Ontario and is also a member of the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s board. Andy’s interests are diverse, including politics, scuba diving, boating, curling, football, and, most notably, his passion for Georgian Bay and the great outdoors. 

After studying Aerospace Engineering at Ryerson Polytechnical, Mike invested a 23 year career with a major national commercial vehicle leasing company as National Sales Manager.

In 1998 he and his wife Susan started a business franchise providing environmentally supportive maintenance services to Fortune 500 companies.

In November 2019 we sold our franchise and retired to Parry Sound and are embracing our new community through my volunteer work with the WPSHC and West Parry Sound Rotary.

Mike has been a Director with the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada and past President of the Disappearing Propeller Boat Association.

Grant was born and grew up in St. Catharines Ontario. He attended University of Western Ontario, Brock University and Queen’s University graduating with B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry. After four and a half years at the National Research Council Canada, he took a faculty position at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), Worcester, Massachusetts. His research focus at WPI was in laser chemistry, nanoscience, biosensors and implanted prosthetic devices for amputee soldiers. While at WPI, he also held administrative positions including Director of the Bioengineering Institute and Associate Provost for Research and Graduate Education. In 2011, he was appointed Vice President for Research at Kent State University in Ohio and in 2015 he took on the role of Vice President for Research and Economic Development and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of North Dakota. He retired from North Dakota in 2019 and moved to the shores of beautiful Georgian Bay in Carling, Ontario. Grant is married and has two adult children.

Bill and his family moved to Parry Sound in 1986 due to a job transfer with CIBC. When offered a chance to return to the GTA, he declined, choosing to stay in the North and become deeply involved in the West Parry Sound community. In 1988, Bill began working for the Community Futures office, helping small and medium-sized businesses across the area, retiring as General Manager in 2019.

Bill has been active in giving back, serving as past President of the local Chamber of Commerce, and sitting on the Georgian Bay Biosphere board. He currently volunteers with the WPSHC Property and Finance Committee, the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, and is Treasurer of the Parry Sound Golf and Country Club. Bill also served on the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Ontario Board from 2000 to 2006, finishing his term as Chair, and has held leadership roles with Ontario Community Futures Development Corporations and Community Futures of Canada.

Bill and his wife, Dr. Sue West, have lived in Nobel for 37 years. They have three children, seven grandchildren, and a rescue cat named Gwen.

Donald Sanderson has proudly served the West Parry Sound Area in his current role since 2009. His career in health administration spans more than thirty-five years and is honoured to bring his skills to our area.

Donald is a graduate of Western University and holds a master’s in health administration from the University of Ottawa. He is also a Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders and a member of the Ontario Hospital Association’s Medium Sized Hospitals Leadership Council.

Donald is an active volunteer and is currently the Chair of the West Parry Sound Recreation & Culture Centre. He is a Paul Harris Fellow, member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Parry Sound. Formerly, Donald served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Hospital Association, Canadore College, North Bay and President of the Festival of the Sound. Donald is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Community Service.

Victoria has been a nurse for 25 years, starting at the bedside in the Intensive Care Unit. She worked for 13 years in organ and tissue donation and transplantation and has spent the last 8 years at West Parry Sound Health Centre, holding various leadership positions. Victoria earned her diploma in nursing from Mohawk College, went on to obtain her BScN from Ryerson University, and later earned her Master’s in Health Administration from the University of Regina in 2019. Victoria has overseen many clinical departments at WPSHC and recently added the WPSHC’s Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic and Parry Sound District Emergency Medical Services to her portfolio upon becoming the Chief Nursing Officer.

Dr. Smith is a great example of the successful efforts to train physicians in the north. Having grown up in the Maritimes and earning his MD from Dalhousie, he moved to northeastern Ontario and completed his Family Medicine and Anesthesia residency training at locations ranging from Timmins to Parry Sound. After working for five years in Cochrane, he moved to Parry Sound in 2009 and has been here ever since.

An accomplished orienteer and triathlete, Wil has represented Canada internationally at multiple World Championships. Having “retired” from elite athletics, he now enjoys trail building and mountain biking on the fantastic Canadian Shield terrain, and cheering on his daughters in Nordic skiing. Prior to taking on his role as Chief of Staff in 2020, Wil was instrumental in the launch of the Meditech EXPANSE system across the northeast, and served as President of the WPSHC Medical Staff from 2013-2020.

Originally from the suburbs of Vancouver, B.C., Dr. Jonathan Witt has been a staff member at the West Parry Sound Health Centre since June 2014, Chief of the Hospitalist Department since 2016 and President of the Professional Staff since 2024. Dr. Witt completed his undergraduate training in Physical Education and Health at the University of Toronto in 2004 and a Master of Science in Human Kinetics at the University of British Columbia in 2007 before returning to the University of Toronto to complete his Medical Degree in 2011. Dr. Witt finished his residency training in Family Medicine at Queen’s University and received Certification in the College of Family Physicians of Canada in 2013 and Fellowship status with the College in 2024. When not at work, Dr. Witt enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife, Dr. Ali Witt, and their three children: skiing in the winter, paddling in the summer and volunteering and participating in Parry Sound’s various recreational sport leagues.