Board of Directors

Tom Allen

Tom Allen was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2021. He is a member of the Governance and Transition Committee and Children's Health Foundation Board of Directors, and is Vice Chair on the Lawson Health Research Institute Board of Directors.

Tom recently retired from the London Police Service after more than 30 years of service. During Tom's career, he held a variety of positions, gaining considerable experience in criminal investigations, counter-terrorism, analytical and tactical intelligence, covert investigations, and critical incident response. In addition, Tom has considerable expertise collaborating with multiple Ontario Ministries, creating efficient and effective service delivery models, conducting legislative reviews, and redefining areas of responsibility. An active member in the London community for many years, Tom has served as President/Chair of the Board of Directors for the Merrymount Children’s Centre and on the Games Organizing Committee as Assistant Director of Sports for the 2010 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games. Tom is a passionate advocate for community mobilization and the need for transformational reform within health care and social services.

A graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy (FBINA), with a program emphasis on counter-terrorism, critical incident command and corporate communications, Tom holds a cross-disciplinary Bachelor of Arts from Western University with a major in business management and policing, and is also a Level III Certified Municipal Manager with an affiliated Police Executive Designation from the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.

Lisa Conley

Lisa Conley was elected to the Board of Directors in 2020 and is currently a member of the Resource and Audit Committee as well as the current Chair, Children’s Hospital Committee.

Lisa earned her MA in Economics from the University of Chicago in 1990. Lisa is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones, where she partners with individuals and families to help them achieve their long-term financial goals. She works with her clients to understand what is important to them, develops personalized strategies, and then partners with them for the long-term to help them stay on track. Lisa joined Edward Jones after a long career in health-care investment banking, in which she worked with large not-for-profit health systems across the U.S. She lives in London with her husband, who is a professor at Western University, and her three teenage daughters. She is active with various organizations in London and enjoys playing soccer. 

Andrea Dean

Andrea Dean was elected to the Board of Directors in 2022 and is currently a member of the Quality and Culture and Resource and Audit Committees.

Andrea is a Partner and Lead Consultant for OD Solutions International where she partners with organizations to align their internal and external realities and transform how they impact and interact with stakeholders in strategic planning, organizational communications, leadership mentoring, stakeholder engagement, and change management.  

Andrea is a sociologist and aspiring academic. Her current research explores the reproduction of social inequality in the context of work and organizations, and features a case study of Bermuda’s only acute care hospital. 

Lisa Harrison

Lisa Harrison was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2022 and is a member of the Quality and Culture and Children’s Hospital Committees.

Lisa is an organizational strategist and operational leader who has been focused on the professional services, health-care and technology sectors for more than 25 years. Lisa has worked for and consulted with fast growing and high-change organizations to help them align and organize their operations and structure to support their strategies and objectives, with the goal to ensure these companies are ready for that next stage of growth. 

Previously, Lisa served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Privacy Officer for a mid-sized, global clinical research company; as COO for an international technology importer/exporter; as VP, Delivery Partner and VP of Organizational Development at an IT software development company servicing Fortune 100 companies; as COO for an international IT research and consulting firm; as Regional Operations Director and Director of Employee Development for an IBM Company; and as Regional Director of a Canadian medical rehabilitation company.   

John Leitch

John Leitch was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2021 and is a member of the Quality and Culture and Resource and Audit Committees. 

John retired from KPMG in 2016 following a 40-year career with the firm. John joined KPMG upon graduation from the Richard Ivey School of Business, and was elected to Partnership in 1989. John has dedicated his entire professional career to London and area. His client base comprised of the Canadian operations of large multi-national organizations, privately-held manufacturing, distribution and service operations, as well as public sector education and health-care sector organizations, served to provide a wealth of business background and many positive client experiences. Since 2016, John has served as Chief Financial Officer of a privately held agribusiness with operations in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. John is an active member in the business community and volunteers his personal time to not-for-profit organizations, charities and boards. His past roles include past Chair of Huron University College, United Way Elgin Middlesex, and Fanshawe College. Most recently he has served or is serving on the Boards of the Western Fair Association and London Health Sciences Foundation. John and his wife, Lynne, live in London and are fortunate to have their four adult children and their families all choosing to live in London as well.

Heather Lokko

As Corporate Nursing Executive at LHSC, Heather Lokko is responsible for supporting nurses in their critical work of care, teaching and research. She works collaboratively across the organization to advance nursing professional practice, ensuring nursing teams are consulted and engaged in organizational initiatives and decision-making. Heather also leads LHSC’s Office of Health Ethics, a key resource for addressing ethical issues that arise in patient care, health care management and research. She sits on the Board as a non-voting, ex-officio Director.

With a combination of frontline, consultant and leadership experience, Heather is known as a collaborative innovator in our health system. She is committed to health-care excellence with focused expertise in the areas of health equity, evidence-informed decision making and leadership.

Terry Marcus

Terry Marcus joined the Board of Directors in 2019. Terry is currently Treasurer and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee.

Terry graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business with an Honours degree in Business Administration and achieved his CA designation in 1980. His professional practice is focused on owner-managed businesses with an emphasis on the real estate development industry, personal and corporate tax planning, including estate planning. As the co-author of the Accounting and Audit Guidelines for Condominium Corporations (Nov. 2001), Terry is known in the industry for offering counsel to condominium corporations experiencing legal issues. Terry contributes to his local community by serving on the Board of Directors for a host of charitable organizations.

Dr. Tina Mele

Dr. Tina Mele was appointed to the Board as a non-voting, ex-officio Director in 2021 in her capacity as President, Professional Staff Organization. Tina is a general surgeon and critical care physician. Her research focuses on areas that include sepsis, acute care surgery, surgical infections and early warning signs. 

Phyllis Retty

Phyllis Retty was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2015. Phyllis currently serves as Chair and, in this capacity, sits as an ex-officio member on all Board Committees.

Phyllis recently retired from 3M Canada where her career spanned experience in finance and human resources. Phyllis' 20 years in the Finance Department included roles providing financial counsel to the manufacturing organization, business divisions, as well as responsibility for the Treasury function. Phyllis spent 15 years in the human resources organization where she held various positions in labour relations, total rewards for Canada and Latin America, and providing HR guidance to multiple business functions.

Since retiring from 3M Canada, Phyllis operated her own HR consulting firm, Lift HR. Phyllis has also been active in the community on other Boards, such as United Way of London and Middlesex, Wellspring London, and the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. 

Dr. Jackie Schleifer Taylor

As LHSC’s President and CEO, Dr. Jackie Schleifer Taylor leads one of Canada’s largest research-intensive acute care teaching hospitals. She sits on the Board as a non-voting, ex-officio Director.

With more than 25 years of experience in health sector leadership, Dr. Schleifer Taylor has shown an unwavering commitment to interdisciplinary care, quality, equity and accountability. She is a registered physiotherapist who is deeply rooted in her clinical and academic background, and has a proven track record in system innovation and strategy execution. 

Dr. Schleifer Taylor has served on the boards of service provider organizations, government advisory committees and international think tanks. She holds a Certified Health Executive designation and has held appointments at several academic institutions. She is a passionate advocate for progressing patient care with an inspiring vision for both LHSC and the provincial health system.

Katherine Serniwka

Katherine Serniwka was appointed to the Board of Directors in 2022.  Katherine sits as a member on both the Quality and Culture and Children's Hospital Committees. As a single year appointment, Katherine is also sitting as LHSC's health-care partner representative at the Children's Health Foundation Board of Directors table. 

Katherine is an Associate practicing in business law at Siskinds, the law firm. Katherine advises physicians, dentists, pharmacists, accountants and other professionals on a variety of corporate law matters, including acquisitions and sales of professional practices, corporate reorganizations, regulatory and College matters, establishing and maintaining professional corporations, as well as estate planning.

Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith was appointed to the LHSC Board of Directors in June 2022.  

Stephen Smith’s aviation executive experience is significant. He was first nominated and appointed to the West Wind Aviation Board of Directors in February 2019, rapidly ascending to Chair of the Board in June of 2019. Smith has served in senior executive roles with many airlines, including Air Canada as Senior Vice President, Customer Experience; President and CEO of Air Canada’s ZIP; President and CEO of WestJet Airlines; and President and CEO of the regional carrier Air Ontario.

Heather Wade

Heather Wade was elected to the LHSC Board of Directors in 2021. She sits as a member on the Resource and Audit Committee, the Strategic Redevelopment Committee, and is Vice-Chair of the Children’s Hospital Committee.  

Heather is a retired executive leader with over 40 years of business leadership in the aerospace and defence sector. Her most recent position held was Vice President of Global Human Resource Strategy at General Dynamics Land Systems HQ. In this role she was responsible for human resources strategic and operational performance for a global workforce of 8,000 employees. In addition to her extensive international human resources background, she also has related experience in operations and manufacturing, production, strategic business planning, and leading large-scale change management initiatives.  

She is a graduate of Western University.  

Murray Wallace

Murray Wallace was appointed to the Board in 2022 and currently sits on the Resource and Audit and Children's Hospital Committees. 

Murray currently sits as the Chairman of ICPEI Financial Holdings, a public company listed on the TSX. He serves as a Director of Ascot Group Limited, an international property and casualty insurance group, and ICPEI Financial Holdings. He is a former Director of Axia NetMedia Corporation and of the CPP Investment Board. He is a former Director of Western Surety Ltd., Ontario Hydro, London Insurance Group, IPSCO Inc., Crown Life Insurance Co., Terravest Industries Inc., Critical Outcomes Technologies Inc. and Queen’s University’s School of Business (Advisory Committee), among others. In addition, Mr. Wallace is the former Deputy Minister of Finance and Deputy Minister to the Premier for the Government of Saskatchewan, and served as the CEO of SGI from 1980-82.

Previously, Mr. Wallace was CEO of Granite Global Solutions, President of Axia NetMedia and Avco Financial Services Canada Ltd. He has also held various executive roles with companies in the Trilon Financial Group, including Wellington Insurance, where he was the CEO. He has extensive experience in the financial services industry and both public and private company management. 

Mr. Wallace is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

Matthew Wilson

Matthew Wilson was appointed to the Board of Directors in June 2016. Matthew is currently 1st Vice Chair of the Board. He is a member of the Resource and Audit, Governance and Transition, and Children's Hospital Committees.

Matthew is a real estate and business lawyer, focusing on commercial and complex real estate transactions, land use planning and development, and mortgage financing. Matthew obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Western University, having attended the affiliated King’s University College. He also obtained his law degree from Western University.

A proud Londoner, Matthew believes in being involved in the community, volunteering with organizations such as Western University and London Health Sciences Centre. Matthew was recognized by Business London Magazine as one of London’s Top 20 Under 40 in 2013, awarded King’s University College’s Young Alumni Award in 2016, and selected to participate in the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference in 2017.