Board of Directors

Officers

	Bill Wylie President Bill graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980 and an MBA in 1987. He spent much of his career in the downstream oil and gas sector with Shell Canada and Suncor Energy in senior management roles in many business areas, including: performance analysis, product trading, new business development, and information technology. Bill joined the Ontario Power Authority in 2007 as a manager of residential electricity conservation programs including the “Great Refrigerator Roundup”, one of the most successful appliance retirement programs in North America. He currently manages electricity conservation programs for business markets. Bill joined the Board of the Alzheimer Society of York Region in February 2007, and became President in November 2008. He is also a member of the Footlights Club, a community-based theatre group in Thornhill. Bill and his wife Brenda have been married for over 25 years. They live in Thornhill and have three daughters.
	Maimu Schaer, Past President Maimu has over thirty years of diverse human resources experience managing million-dollar budgets, forging and maintaining strategic alliances with associations, governments, educational institutions and senior managers. She has provided marketing and consulting services. Maimu is now in the travel consultancy business. Maimu has always maintained that you must give back to your community. She has been on many Boards, committees and consultation panels. Maimu has a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster, a Career Counseling Development Certificate from Concordia University College of Edmonton and her Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) designation. She has brought her energetic and enthusiastic leadership to a variety of programs and organizations including health, government, finance, environment and transportation. Maimu has been married to her husband Jaan for 35 years and they have two adult sons. Maimu lives in Udora and works in Pefferlaw.
	Shelby Fisch Vice President Shelby joined the Alzheimer Society of York Region board of directors in December 2006. Shelby has a Masters in Health Administration and is a Certified Health Executive. She has management experience in long-term care as a Director of Program Development and Rehabilitation and is currently a Project Manager at St. John’s Rehab Hospital. Shelby started her healthcare career practising clinically as an Occupational Therapist. During this time she worked in hospital and community settings where she took a special interest in neurological conditions.
	Farhad Sethna, Treasurer Farhad is the Vice-President, Corporate Services at Shepherd Village, an organization that has been providing accommodation and care to seniors for over 50 years. He is responsible for the Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology functions at the Village. Farhad is a Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business. He has been actively involved in the not-for-profit sector as a volunteer for over 10 years. Currently, he is also a board member for the Toronto Chapter of Financial Executives International (FEI). Farhad is married with two teenage children and lives in Richmond Hill.
	Gemma Hill, Secretary Gemma is a long time Newmarket resident with over 15 years management experience in the Telecom industry who currently works for Primus Canada. Gemma’s father suffered from the effects of Alzheimer’s resulting in admittance into a long term care facility for the final two years of his life. It was very hard for herself and her family members to understand and manage her father’s cognitive decline. The devastating impact of the disease on her father took a huge emotional toll on all immediate family members. Gemma saw the opportunity to support other families touched by the disease by volunteering with the Alzheimer Society of York Region board. Gemma has been a board member since 2005, in the role as Secretary since 2006.
Directors At Large
	Craig Bates Craig is the Human Resources Manager for Home Depot Canada and is a long time resident of Newmarket.
	Michelle Cleland R.N. BScN MN GNC(C) Michelle is a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Geriatrics. She has worked at York Central Hospital for more than 25 years in various clinical roles within seniors health including rehabilitation, palliative care, and geriatric emergency management. She is currently working as a member of the Geriatric Outreach Team. Michelle lives near Schomberg with her husband and three children.
	Ihab Fahmi P.Eng., MBA Ihab is a result driven, senior business manager and engineering professional with 15+ years of delivering complex data communications and networking projects. His past success has been defined by strong analytical skills, solid business acumen and considerable project management experience. His broad experience, vision, tenacity, and energy have been essential components in generating bottom line results. Ihab has provided strategic consulting to telecom carriers and large enterprises in Canada and internationally. He has planned and managed multiple projects including business needs analysis, project planning, technical solutions integration and post-implementation support. Ihab graduated with a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering specializing in Telecommunications and Electronics from the faculty of Engineering in Cairo, Egypt and a master degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Athabasca University, Canada. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer (P. Eng) in the province of Ontario. Ihab lives in Markham with his wife and two children.
	David McLennan, B.A., LL.B. David McLennan was called to the bar of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1989 after obtaining his law degree from the University of Western Ontario and articling with a large Bay Street law firm. He founded his own law practice in Newmarket in 1991 and in 1996 joined McChesney Rogers, a predecessor firm of Hill Hunter Losell, as a partner before becoming one of the founding partners of Hill Hunter Losell Law Firm in 1999. David’s practice is restricted to real estate law, estate planning (wills, trusts and powers of attorney) and administration as well as corporate and commercial law. David is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and the York Region Law Association as well as a past director of the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Foundation. He co-chairs the Newmarket Mayor’s Charity Golf Classic committee and is a member of Trinity United Church in Newmarket. David joined the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer Society of York Region in December of 2008.
	Sean O'Sullivan Sean brings a distinguished career in the Canadian medical device industry and many years of public service to his role as a director of the board of the Alzheimer Society of York Region. Highly experienced in marketing, sales, distribution, finance and administration, Sean was president and chief executive officer of an international subsidiary of MDS Inc. and the Canadian leader in medical devices. He has served on the board of Medec and was president of the Canadian Surgical Trade Association. Interested in the affairs of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario (ASO), Sean was a board member for four years and shared his expertise on its audit committee for two years and as a member of the ASO/Chapter Relationship Task Force. A board member of the Alzheimer Society of York Region since 1998, Sean was president of the chapter from 2001-04. Sean resides in Stouffville, Ontario.

News & Events

Caldwell Securities Ltd./Alzheimer Society of York Region Golf Classic

Driving Miss Mary: former client gives back

10 by 20: Ontario action plan for dementia

AS York Offers Educational DVDs for Family & Professional Caregivers

Right now, Alzheimer’s affects more than 160,000 Ontarians over the age of 65. By the end of 2009, this number will increase to 184,416. Aging baby boomers and longer life expectancy rates will help fuel the Alzheimer’s crisis.

One in every 11 Canadians over the age of 65 and 1 in every 3 over the age of 85 are living with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder.

Alzheimer’s disease is the seventh leading cause of death in Canada.

Alzheimer’s disease is the leading form of progressive dementia, as approximately 65% of all people with dementia have Alzheimer’s disease.

For every person affected by Alzheimer’s disease, 10 to 12 others are directly impacted. These include caregivers such as family members, friends and neighbours; employers and healthcare workers.

Within the past 10 years the Alzheimer Society of York Region has contributed more than $625,000 towards research into finding a cause and cure for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Currently, Alzheimer’s disease costs Ontario taxpayers $7 billion a year. Unless changes are made to funding research and developing community services and programs, Alzheimer’s disease will overwhelm Ontario’s health care system.