Lisa Bell-Murray | Board Chair
Lisa, a CPA, CMA, is a Senior finance executive with over 30 years of gaming and lottery experience in the public sector, recently retiring from her role as the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. In that role, Lisa was responsible for the company’s overall financial management and for multiple corporate functions including financial planning, controllership, procurement, finance strategy, systems and programs and corporate facility management.
She has experience in providing stewardship and advice to executives and other business partners, influencing corporate decisions and processes that support an accountability framework and regulatory legislation compliance. Lisa was the past Audit Committee Chair of the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation; the previous Chair of the Group Health Centre Audit Committee and held various Board roles with Algoma University.
Lisa holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and joined the SAH Board in 2015.
David Orazietti | Vice Chair
David is an educator and former politician. He worked for the Central Algoma Board of Education and the Algoma District School Board from 1993-2003. He also served a term as Algoma District Teachers’ President of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF). Additionally, David was elected to City Council and served two terms from 1997-2003.
In 2003, David was elected as Sault Ste. Marie’s Member of Provincial Parliament, (MPP) and served four consecutive terms. He served in Parliamentary Assistant roles in Education, Northern Development and Mines, Aboriginal Affairs, and to Premier McGuinty. David was appointed Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Government and Consumer Services, (Registrar General of Ontario) and Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, (Solicitor General of Ontario). He served on several Cabinet committees, including Treasury Board, as well as chaired several all-party committees of the Ontario Legislature.
David introduced numerous private member’s bills which were passed into law, including, Protecting Children from Second-hand Smoke in Motor Vehicles Act and the Apology Act, which has notable significance for the health care sector. He also introduced legislation to increase access to breast cancer screening, which resulted in the largest program investment in 30 years. David led consultations to modernize the Physician Under-Serviced Area Program (UAP) which had not been updated in 40 years. His recommendations resulted in greater care for Northerners.
David has served on many local boards such as Algoma University, P.U.C. and ARCH hospice. In 2017 he received the Justice I.A. Vannini Award, which was presented by Former Supreme Court of Canada Justice, Frank Iacobucci. In 2017, David accepted the position of Dean of Aviation, Trades and Technology, Natural Environment and Business at Sault College. He holds a Master of Education Degree in Administration and Curriculum.
Ila Watson | President and Chief Executive Officer
Prior to joining Sault Area Hospital, Ila had a successful 20-year career in various leadership roles in the Ontario Public Service in Sault Ste. Marie and Toronto.
Ila’s Ontario Public Service experience comprised leadership roles, including Director Enterprise Recruitment, Ontario Ministry of Government Services and Director Human Resources, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
Ila joined SAH in 2009 as Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. Ila’s portfolio included leadership of Strategic Planning, Communications, Transformation, Enterprise Risk and Volunteer Resources. Throughout her time at SAH, Ila has been a valuable member of a number of initiatives, including the team responsible for the development of the new hospital and the executive lead for strategic planning and building SAH’s iCcare way.
Some accomplishments she is most proud of include SAH’s new vision – Trusted Partner. Outstanding Care. and ensuring SAH’s commitment to involving Patient and Family Advisors in key hospital decisions.
Dedicated to service, Ila has been a member of various boards, including the Superior Family Health Team and the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission. Ila currently serves on both PUC Inc. and PUC Services boards. Ila is the Co-Chair of the Canadian College of Health Leaders’ Chapter Advisor Council and Chair of its NEON Lights Chapter. Ila holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University in Industrial Relations.
Dr. Silvana Spadafora | Chief of Staff
Dr. Spadafora is a Medical Oncologist, and former Medical Director and Chief for the Algoma District Cancer Program (ADCP). She is a member of the Executive and Quality and Services Board Committees. She is an Associate Professor for the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. She also represents our region at Ontario Health-Cancer Care Ontario as Regional Quality Lead for Systemic therapy.
She has been described by patients as someone who works tirelessly to ensure that they receive the best care during their difficult journey. Dr. Spadafora has a great ability to communicate with her patients and their families. She is a mentor for students, an inspiration to her colleagues and a positive influence for her patients and their families. Dr. Spadafora is an admirable physician leader and there is great harmony in the ADCP largely due to her integrity and genuineness.
She is a role model and both physicians and staff have great respect for her as a leader and a colleague. She leads by example and has inspired her staff to do the same. The ADCP, with the strong support and leadership of Dr. Spadafora, established the inaugural Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) at Sault Area Hospital. It has been a great success and has led to the establishment of more Councils.
In addition, Dr. Spadafora has been very instrumental in implementing innovative practices, pursuing staff development opportunities and assisting with physician recruitment at Sault Area Hospital.
Sue Roger | Vice President Clinical Operations & Chief Nursing Executive
Sue began at SAH in August 2016 as the Director, Clinical Programs, Rehabilitation, Complex Continuing Care and Geriatrics. She has been the operational lead for such corporate initiatives as Senior Friendly, Trillium Gift of Life and ALC.
In 2018, as Senior Director of Clinical Program Development, Sue’s responsibilities expanded to include working with leaders to accelerate our progress on program goals and to advance operational plans. At that time, the Critical Care and Cardiology portfolios were added to Sue’s responsibilities. Sue is a Registered Nurse with a Master’s in Quality Assurance from the University of Leeds, England; past President of the Nursing Leadership Network of Ontario (NLN.ON); and has held an appointment with the College of Nurses Discipline Committee.
With a background built on operational planning, health care innovation and patient-centred approaches to change, Sue has developed over 25 years’ experience improving the quality of care and service for patients and quality of work-life for her teams.
Dr. Lorraine Sharp | President Medical Staff Association
Dr. Lorraine Sharp is a family physician and Care of the Elderly specialist who trained at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. She has practiced primary care and hospitalist medicine in Sault Ste. Marie since 2011. Her passions include geriatric medicine and advanced care planning, as well as social media advocacy for mental health awareness. During her off-hours, you can find her playing with the kids and dog, reading murder-mysteries, or listening to podcasts. She never passes up a chance to thrift shop or plan a Disney vacation.
Dr. James Boseovski | Vice President Medical Staff Association
Born and raised in Toronto, Dr. Boseovski moved to Sault Ste. Marie in early 2021 after providing locum coverage at Sault Area Hospital for the last five years.
Dr. Boseovski is a general internist, who completed an undergraduate degree in physics, before completing medical school (2007) and residency training (2012) at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
After residency, Dr. Boseovski joined the faculty at Queen’s University and implemented and ran the General Internal Medicine Fellowship Program during his time there. His background in the mathematical sciences provides him with a unique perspective and approach to problem-solving. He looks forward to his role on the board.
Lori Bertrand
Lori was born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie.
After obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Laurentian University in 1987, she returned to the city and joined the SAH team. For 32 years, Lori worked in a variety of roles at the hospital including clinical care provider, Clinical Educator, Clinical Informatics, Professional Practice Specialist and various Management roles. Lori served on the SAH Board during her time as Interim Chief Nursing Officer.
Lori transitioned into the education field in 2019, joining the Health Programs team at Sault College where she currently works as a Professor of Nursing.
Lori has board experience with the charitable / non-profit sector of the community, serving as a Director with the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA for 7 years, and more recently, the Soo Curlers’ Association.
Antoinette Blunt
Antoinette Blunt is the Senior Consultant of Ironside Consulting Services Inc. (ICS Inc.), a company specializing in providing a variety of human resources, labour relations and management services for employers primarily in Northern Ontario, since 2000.
Antoinette Blunt is a licenced Private Investigator with extensive experience in undertaking workplace investigations related to allegations of violations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Bullying, Harassment and Violence in the Workplace) and the Human Rights Code.
In 2018, Antoinette was appointed Integrity Commissioner for the Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie; and is responsible for investigating complaints and alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct of Council and Elected Boards. Antoinette serves as an advisor to Council and an educator for City Council, City Administration, and the Public. Since 2018, Antoinette has been appointed Integrity Commissioner for nine additional municipalities.
Antoinette’s educational background includes a Masters’ Degree in Public Administration, B.A. and BScN. Antoinette has over 20 years of experience providing consultative services to employers and over 20 years of experience in management in the health care industry.
Antoinette is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Human Resources Research Institute, a national not-for-profit organization focused on human resources research and educational scholarships and is also a Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA). While serving on this Board, Antoinette also chaired several committees, including the Appeals Committee, Government Relations Committee. She represented the provincial association on a national level serving as Chair of the Professional Standards Committee. In 2016 and 2017, Antoinette served as a member of the Standards Council of Canada concerning international human resources standards development.
In 2013, Antoinette was awarded the Fellow Designation by the Human Resources Professionals Association. At the same time, Antoinette was also awarded an Honorary Life Membership in the Human Resources Professionals Association “Recognizing Extraordinary Volunteer and Leadership Contributions at HRPA.”
In 2005, the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce presented Antoinette with the Athena Award, an internationally recognized award honouring exceptional women leaders who inspire others to achieve excellence in their professional and personal lives.
Armand Capisciolto
Armand is the Canadian Accounting Standards Board (AcSB) Chair, leading the development of accounting standards for use by all Canadian entities outside the public sector. An active participant in Canadian standard setting, Armand has chaired and been a member of several Canadian financial reporting and assurance standard-setting committees in both the private and public sector areas.
Prior to chairing the AcSB, Armand was BDO Canada LLP’s National Accounting Standards Partner. He provided leadership to BDO on all matters related to accounting standards and financial reporting and leads BDO’s Accounting Advisory practice.
Armand’s previous community involvement includes being a Former Member of the Board of Directors of the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation.
Mia Carella
Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Mia practices law as an Associate Lawyer at Wishart Law Firm LLP. Mia’s practice focuses mainly on municipal law and litigation as well as other areas. In addition to her law degree, Mia holds an Honours Degree in Sociology, a Certificate in Human Resources Practices and a Certificate of Training in Facilitative Mediation.
In law school, Mia was a member of Amnesty International where she was involved in bringing awareness to human rights. She was also a member of the Italian Law Society where she was able to enjoy the celebration of her culture and continues to do so today by being a member of the Elettra Marconi Society.
In addition, Mia gives back to her community in a variety of ways including becoming a Member of the Board of Directors for the Algoma District Law Association. Prior to becoming a Director with the Sault Area Hospital Board of Directors, Mia was a Community Member with the Board and spent time on both the Quality and Services and Resource Committees.
Theresa Cassan
Theresa was born and raised in the Sault area and returned to the Sault to work after completing her Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and worked in public accounting at Grant Thornton for 17 years where she achieved the role of Principal of the Sault Office. She gained extensive experience in accounting, audit and tax, servicing a variety of different public, not for profit and private sector businesses.
Theresa worked in the financial services sector for 9 years before moving to her current role as Director of Tax & Treasury at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. She has also dedicated much of her spare time to serving the community on various Boards and Committees. She is the current Board Chair of the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, member of the Group Health Centre Audit Committee and past Board member of the Group Health Centre for 11 years. She has also served on the Sault College Business Advisory Committee since 2010. Her community service resulted in a nomination for the Athena Award for Women in Leadership in 2018.
In her spare time Theresa enjoys spending time at her property at Pancake Bay, spending time with her family and she enjoys photography. She has attained Black Belt apprentice status in Kuk Sool Won at Pinder Family Martial Arts Centre where she also volunteered her time to train young students.
Sharon Kirkpatrick
Sharon worked in healthcare for over 20 years in various clinical and teaching roles, as well as several senior leadership roles.
Prior to her retirement from SAH in 2007, she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer. Sharon holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. She has experience in clinical and non-clinical operations and various aspects of the healthcare system.
Sharon has also served on the Board of the Victorian Order of Nurses and the Board of the Zonta Club of Sault Ste. Marie Area. She has lead fundraisers for various organizations and participated in public awareness campaigns such as the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Campaign. Sharon joined the SAH Board in 2014.
Mark Lepore
Mark is a lawyer practicing with Laidlaw Paciocco Dumanski Spadafora & Johnson LLP in Sault Ste. Marie. His practice focuses on advising individual and institutional clients in areas of commercial law, municipal law, real estate and estate planning and administration.
Mark holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies from the University of Western Ontario.
He enjoys being an active member of the community through his experiences with many non-profit organizations. Mark is a proud member of the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie, as well as a member and Past President of the Algoma District Law Association. Mark is also a member of the Board of Directors of Thrive Child Development Centre and currently serves as President of the Art Gallery of Algoma.
Johanne Messier-Mann
Johanne joined our hospital team in 1978. She has forty years of experience in the health care field working in various clinical and management roles, which include: Registered Nurse, Teaching Master of the Sault College Diploma Nursing Program, Manager and Director of various SAH departments and culminating in her role as the SAH Chief Nursing Officer.
Johanne went on to gain additional experience in another health care sector as the Administrator of a Long Term Care Facility from which she retired. Her academic preparation includes a Nursing Diploma, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, a Masters in Education, a Masters in Business Administration, a certificate in Catholic Leadership. Johanne is a Certified Health Executive and is very active on the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) including serving as Chair of the Canadian CCHL Quality Committee.
Johanne is bilingual, has been involved with several local and provincial organizations and has published one article on the Dynamics of Long Term Care.
Joe Santa Maria
Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Joe is very proud to have worked at the Algoma District School Board for the past 25 years and for the past 12 years as the Executive Superintendent of Business and Operations. He has supported the vision of the Board of Trustees and the organization as a whole through many continuous risk management and corporate governance strategies.
Joe is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and has his Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Ottawa. His portfolio has led to strategic leadership experiences in many organizational responsibilities in Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Information Technology, Plant and Corporate Services. Joe also enjoyed serving on the Board of the John Howard Society for 8 years and coaching minor hockey for over 13 years.
He prides himself on the many personal and professional relationships he has been fortunate to be a part of and learn from over the years. Joe looks forward to working with the SAH Board and Senior team to give back by contributing where he can and continuing to learn.
Peggy Storey-Inkster
Peggy retired from Sault College as their Chief Information Officer after 30+ years of employment where she was responsible for the leadership of the college’s information technology to support the college’s learning and management environments.
Peggy enjoys her volunteer work with the hospital in the Ambulatory Care and as a Patient and Family Advisor. Peggy is a member of the Volunteer Fundraising Committee focused on raising dollars for medical equipment and patient care initiatives. Peggy also enjoys her volunteer work as Treasurer and Database Administrator for Special Olympics Sault Ste. Marie.
Peggy looks forward to continuing to her dedication to the SAH Board of Directors.
Community Members
Community members are an integral voice on the committees of the Board and they are our future members of the Board of Directors:
Diana Caputo
Diana, a CPA, CA joined as a Community Member in June 2020 and holds a Bachelors degree in Accounting from Algoma University. Diana has over 20 years of experience in various accounting and finance roles within the community of Sault Ste Marie. Diana is currently Vice President, Controller at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation where she is accountable for oversight of such finance areas as Accounting, Taxation, Accounts Payable, Treasury and External Reporting. Diana previously was Treasurer for Women in Crisis (Algoma) and Youth Hope for Schools.
Erich Isopp
Born in Edmonton, raised in Toronto, and followed by 10 years in Vancouver, Erich Isopp moved to Sault Ste. Marie 5 years ago, after his wife (now of 10 years) was recruited to provide Autism support to the Algoma district. He is of Métis heritage, and his great-grandmother was a residential school survivor.
Erich has worked at TELUS for the past 15 years, as a Business Analyst and Consultant, providing analytical thought leadership to process improvement and large scale efficiency programs, as well as leading and managing cross functional business transformation programs. Since November 2020, Erich has worked for TELUS Health, where he has focused on improving customer retention and improving the end-to-end patient experience for the TELUS MyCare service.
Erich holds an undergraduate business degree from the University of Western Ontario, and a Master of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business, where he authored a business case, and graduated with distinction as a dean’s list member.
Outside of work, Erich has served as the Treasurer of the Mole Hill Housing Society, in Vancouver, BC, and has volunteered to coach various youth soccer, hockey & baseball teams. He also keeps very busy as the father to a 7-year-old son, and an 18-month old daughter. He is a huge Toronto Raptors fan.
Jason Naccarato
Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Jason Naccarato is a project manager who specializes in leveraging opportunities and managing initiatives related to finance, engineering, stakeholder engagement, and market development activities. Jason utilizes his experience to assist his team in the areas of economic development and strategy.
He is a focused and driven individual who is results-orientated. Prior to starting Northstar Consulting, Jason was the Vice President of Development at the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) where he focused on economic development in the city of Sault Ste. Marie. During his tenure at SSMIC, he was also the CEO of Algoma Games for Health. Jason is also the CEO of Northern Advancement Capital which is a real estate development firm. He currently owns and manages 50 residential units and over 85,000 square feet of commercial real estate space in Sault Ste. Marie.
In the past, Jason has held positions with Magna International as an Advanced Purchasing and Business Development team leader, Nissan North America as a Senior Program Controller in Cost Economics, Nissan Technical Centre North America as a Development Engineer, and with Siemens VDO as Test Engineer.
Jason was awarded an Honors Bachelor of Engineering Science in Mechanical/Materials Engineering from the University of Western Ontario. He holds an MBA from Wayne State University and was awarded his Project Management Professional (PMP) designation. Jason has also taught project management at Sault College.
Jason has also served as a Director and/or Executive on numerous community-based Boards and Committees including: Vice Chair, Sault College Board of Governors, Director, Ontario Sustainable Energy Alliance (OSEA), and Past President, Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.