Board of Directors

Joelle Adelson is a Collaborative Lawyer and Mediator, and President of the Ontario Association of Collaborative Professionals. Before her move to Meaford in 2016, Joelle lived and worked in Oakville, where she raised her two children, ran her law practice and was Chair of the Peel Halton Collaborative Practice Group.

Joelle’s professional experience includes tax and estate planning law, investment advising including financial planner and life insurance designations, Mediation and Collaborative Family Law.

Joelle is proud to be a member of the Board of the Meaford Hospital Foundation. She brings the benefit of experience in numerous community organizations, including Director on the Board of the Halton Children’s Aid Society, Ethics Committee at the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and the Planned Giving Committee at United Way of Halton.

Rob Howe, from Lora Bay is a seasoned international Financial Services Executive with over 25 years of experience specializing in Senior Level Management Consulting in the Asset Finance Sector and Corporate Turnaround. Throughout his career, Howe has contributed to restructuring or building and managing operations across five continents.

Howe carries Canadian Public Market Director experience where he recently founded and served on the Board of Commerce Acquisitions Corp and completed a 3 year Directorship engagement with Axis Auto Finance.  During his tenure at AXIS, the company was taken from private to public.

Between 2011 and 2015, Howe was an active Member of Botza Association and the Verbier Institute – philanthropic organizations focused on formulating and actioning Sustainability initiatives into Communal and Cantonal planning.

Nathalie was born on the South Shore of Montreal to a French Canadian family.

Against a lot of odds including a language barrier, Nathalie persevered in school, successfully completing Under Graduate studies in Cell Biology and Graduate Studies in Molecular Biology at McGill, culminating in her MD degree at Queen’s University in 1996.

She went on to choose the youngest rural family medicine program in Ontario, which was located in Sudbury (previously affiliated with U. of Ottawa, but now having its own name of NOSM) and was Resident Chief.

Nathalie then set up Practice in Thornbury and has served in various functions at Meaford Hospital – since the Fall of 1998. She is past Chief of Staff and is involved in the Physician and Nurse Practitioner Council Group and the Grey Bruce OHT Planning Committee.

She enjoys volunteering as Volunteer Physician in local fundraising or sports events when they can occur (pre and during COVID). She very much enjoys walking, hiking, kayaking and spending time with family.

Bruce was born and raised in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and moved to Ontario in 1987. He worked for thirty-four years in the finance sector and retired as Senior Vice President, Finance, from the Mainstreet Credit Union (Sarnia) in 2019. Bruce and his wife Cheryl moved to Meaford with their daughter Hannah in 2021.

Bruce’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Commerce degree, the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) designation, the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation and a Master of Business (MBA) degree.

Volunteerism includes a current member of Meaford Rotary, treasurer of the Meaford Pickleball Club, and previously serving as directors at the Canadian Mental Health Association (Chatham), Canadian Cancer Society (Chatham), and the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Foundation.

He has travelled to all ten Canadian provinces and all of the fifty US states, and completed the New York City, Chicago, and Detroit marathons.

Dianne Hilliard, who resides in Meaford, is a Brand Loyalty and Marketing Specialist working with many of Canada’s largest sports organizations and events such as the CFL Grey Cup, Pan Am Games, Canadian Olympic Foundation, NHL Winter Classics, and Invictus Games. 

Dianne is outgoing and determined and takes a personal approach to maximizing partnerships and strengthening loyalties, which was an asset in her 10-year term at the City of Toronto in Council Offices as Chief of Staff.  Specializing in donor recognition and stewardship, Dianne takes initiative and has a “get things done” attitude that makes her a great fit for the Meaford Hospital Board and our Meaford Community.

Paul and his wife Pam were born and raised in Windsor and moved to Toronto – residing primarily in Mississauga for past 30 years. In 2006 they purchased a home in Thornbury and joined Georgian Peaks Ski Club where their four boys have participated in the alpine racing program.

Pam is currently living in Thornbury full-time with their youngest son while Paul commutes to the city for work.

For the past 20 years, Paul’s work experience has revolved around capital raising and delivering investment results for institutional investors. He prides himself in developing long-term business relationships through clear and open communication and cultivating trust.

Paul has a long history with the region that goes back generations. His great grandparents were farmers in Wiarton / Owen Sound and his mother was born in Clarksburg. His grandfather was the principal of “the two schools of Thornbury and Clarksburg”; and his mother’s cousin who still operates a farm in Kemble where as children he and his family would visit the farm each summer to experience their dairy, pig, and hay operations.

Paul has a long history of volunteer involvement coaching all of his four son’s baseball teams for the past 15 years. He and Pam are looking forward to becoming more involved in this wonderful and growing community.

With over 30 years’ experience in the Wealth/Investment Management business Steve brings best practices from the private sector and applies them to the not for profit world. Steve is a major Shareholder in Lorne Park Capital Partners, A Principal of Glen Road Capital Partners and former CEO and co-founder of the Investment Planning Counsel.

Steve believes integrity and ethics are essential components in business and private life. A key element of his vision is to make a difference in the lives of others. He has participated in events such as the Canadian Iron Man to raise funds and awareness for the MS Society of Canada; he ran the Honolulu Marathon in support of the Canadian Diabetes Association and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He led a group of climbers up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds and awareness for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he served as President of the Toronto and Central Ontario Chapter. Steve is also the former chairman of the Michael “Pinball” Clemons Foundation. All of these initiatives have one goal in mind: to raise funds for good causes and to inspire others to take on personal challenges in an effort to help others.

Always philanthropic at heart, Vince sold his logistics and food services companies and moved to the South Georgian Bay Region settling in Meaford where he shifted his focus to healthcare. His dedication to enhancing local health services and community well-being combines his experience in corporate relationships and best practices from the private sector to the NFP sector. Vince is a past member and chair of the Meaford Hospital Foundation, past member of Brightshores Research advisory committee as well as working as director of marketing and communications in 2023. Vince is also an active volunteer in the community on such events as Scare Crow Invasion and Christmas on the Bay. Vince and his wife Kimberley along with their children and grandbabies love to explore Meaford & surrounding area.

Whether on 2 wheels or 4 wheels Vince loves “back roading” through the region.

Andrea Roylance is a proud citizen of Meaford. She joined the Foundation in March of 2024.

Specializing in community engagement, activation  and fundraising events, Andrea has experience working in various sectors including travel and tourism, arts and culture, public relations and healthcare community development. Andrea’s work with various non profits including The Gibson Centre for Community, Arts and Culture, CNIB and Matthews House Hospice has prepared Andrea for the challenges and triumphs that Non Profit work brings.

Andrea’s passion is connecting to community, encouraging participation and creating awareness of an exceptional community. She and her dog Maple enjoy the beautiful shores and trails of Georgian Bay.

Tony joins the Foundation with more than 25 years’ experience in senior finance positions and an MBA in Finance from York University.

He welcomes the opportunity to utilize his finance, accounting and treasury skills on behalf of the Foundation.

He is proud to join the team that so dedicatedly supports the funding for healthcare excellence at Meaford Hospital..

Graham was born in Mississauga and moved to Meaford at four years of age. He graduated from Laurentian University with a BScN in nursing in 2003 and worked in critical care for 3 years in Toronto while obtaining a critical care nursing certificate from Seneca College. He returned to Meaford in 2006 and started working at Grey Bruce Health Services (GBHS) Owen Sound in the Emergency Department.

In 2011, Graham became the Clinical Nurse Educator for GBHS’s six Emergency Departments and also completed a Masters of Health Studies Leadership with a teaching focus from Athabasca University. In 2013 he accepted the interim Manager position for the Owen Sound Emergency department and in 2015 accepted the Manager position for the Owen Sound Emergency and Dialysis departments.

In April 2021, Graham accepted the Manager position for the Meaford Hospital.

Willard promotes legacy giving and assists donors in planning Will gifts and other special legacies in support of the Meaford Hospital in a shared role with five charitable foundations supporting Brightshores Health System hospitals in Lion’s Head, Markdale, Owen Sound, Southampton, Wiarton and Meaford.

He has more than 30 years’ experience in the charitable sector and in estate and gift planning. Willard has a BA in Business Administration from McMaster University anRedeemer College. He is a long time member of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners.

If you have been thinking about making a special gift to support your Hospital, Willard is available to help you. Call him at 519-376-2121 ext. 2736.

Email: Willard VanderPloeg, Charitable Gifting Advisor