Alliance Board

# François Séguin: Chair

Board Member, Centre médical Ste-Anne (1992) Inc. François is also a former staff at the Centre de santé communautaire de l'Estrie. He has worked as a volunteer or employee in centres advocating for comprehensive primary health care for five years. He has a Masters in Health Administration and a Certified Health Executive (CHE) designation from the Canadian College of Health Leaders.

# Tera Osborne: Vice-Chair

Tera is an accomplished leader with experience in healthcare administration, strategic planning, and community-centered care. As the Executive Director of Tsi Kanonhkhwatsheríyo IIPCT, she brings a deep commitment to advancing health equity and delivering culturally competent, patient-centered care to Indigenous communities.
With over 20 years in leadership experience, Tera has worked alongside diverse stakeholders to enhance access to comprehensive health services while respecting Indigenous knowledge and traditions. Under her leadership, the team integrates a wholistic approach to healthcare, blending the expertise of multiple disciplines to address the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health needs of Indigenous populations.

Tera is passionate about building strong relationships with Indigenous leaders, communities, and health organizations to ensure that care models are rooted in cultural sensitivity, trust, and empowerment. She is a licensed Registered Nurse, holds a Masters degree in Population Medicine from the University of Guelph, and is currently completing her Ph.D. in Rural and Northern Health through Laurentian University. Tera has completed the Certified Health Executive Certification through the Canadian College of Health Leaders. Tera serves on several boards and advisory committees, advocating for policies and practices that elevate Indigenous healthcare rights.

Through visionary leadership and a collaborative approach, Tera is dedicated to fostering a healthcare environment that is both inclusive and transformative, ensuring that Indigenous peoples receive the care and respect they deserve.

Tera was born and raised in Napanee, Ontario where she still resides on Hay Bay, with her husband and three children. She enjoys hockey, spending time with her family and boating.

# Constance McKnight: Treasurer

Constance McKnight, a registered member of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO), is the Chief Executive Officer of Misiway Milopemahtesewin Community Health Centre in her home town of Timmins, Ontario.
 
Formerly retired from the positions of Chief Executive Officer of De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre in Hamilton and as Public Member of the Consent and Capacity Board of Ontario, she returned to the sector in April 2023 in an effort to support those in her home community in Northern Ontario with the experience she gained during her 30 year career, most of which was spent in Southern Ontario.

# Denis Constantineau: Secretary

Denis Constantineau has been the Chief Executive Office of the Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury since 2007 and is also the Executive Director of Association des jeunes de la rue. He is also an accreditation reviewer for the Canadian Centre for Accreditation. 

A lawyer by training and a member of the Law Society of Ontario, Denis practiced primarily in Family Law. He left private practice to teach Business and Law courses at Collège Boréal and Laurentian University and eventually became Head of Adult Education at Collège Boréal, working with community-based agencies in the area of literacy. From 2000 to 2007, Denis was Executive Director of Service familial de Sudbury, a counseling agency working primarily in the area of gender-based violence.

Denis has been working as a volunteer and board member with community-based agencies for over forty years. He has devoted a great deal of time and energy to representing and defending the rights of Francophones in Sudbury and across the province. With a keen interest in governance issues, Denis works with boards and senior leaders, offering training in a variety of areas including policy governance.

# Celine Maiolino

Celine Maiolino is a Board Member at Compass Community Health located in Hamilton’s North End, the community she proudly calls home. She holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of Toronto and has an academic background in community development.

With a commitment to cross-sector collaboration and centering the voices of people with lived and living experience, Celine has worked across levels of government to support the design and delivery of low-barrier, evidence-informed programs and services that better respond to the needs and goals of people experiencing homelessness.  

She has had the privilege of working alongside communities and Indigenous partners across Ontario on efforts to help end chronic homelessness through her time at the Ministry of Housing’s Homelessness Secretariat, and both strengthen and develop innovative emergency and transitional shelter programs at the City of Toronto rooted in principles of equity, harm reduction, and Housing First. She also had the opportunity to support implementation of the Toronto Community Crisis Service—a community-led, trauma-informed response to mental health crisis calls that provides an alternative to police intervention focused on health, prevention, and well-being.

Celine currently serves as Senior Project Manager of Homelessness System Operations at the City of Hamilton’s Housing Services Division and is also a member of the Alliance for Healthier Communities’ 2SLGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee. 

# Cliff Ledwos

Associate Executive Director & Director, Primary Care, Access Alliance Multicultural Health & Community Services.

Cliff has a wide range of board experience including on Access Alliance, South Riverdale CHC, Open Studio National Print Gallery and Craft Ontario. He has worked over 27 years in the CHC sector in both primary care and health promotion with diverse populations with a focus on marginalized and vulnerable populations.

# Elise Harding-Davis

Elise Harding-Davis, African Canadian Heritage Consultant, is one of the foremost authorities on African Canadian history and events connected to the development and progress of North America. Her unique perception reveals the early presence of African origin pioneers and freedom fighters in British Canada revealing the invaluable roles of “The Black Thread in the Canadian Tapestry”. A seventh generation African Canadian born in Windsor, Ontario, she resides in Harrow, Ontario.

Elise retired as the Curator/Administrator of the North American Black Historical Museum & Cultural Centre Ltd. She taught Black Studies at St. Clair College for several years networking widely with numerous international educational facilities. Additionally, Elise organized/managed the office of the Member of Parliament for Essex riding for eight years.

Harding-Davis’ passion has given her the opportunity to travel globally, lecturing and promoting the history of people of African descent at Universities and Canadian Consulates across North America and to African countries as well as China. Elise‘s impressive volume of work includes numerous guest articles in various newspapers and magazines internationally and several books. She has helped to preserve and attain heritage status for thirteen Black burial sites.

Ms. Harding-Davis was an Executive Administrator at Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital for six years; her portfolio dealt with Physician/Staff complaints and the review/revision of policy and procedure to ensure diversity/cultural competency. She worked at the Hospice of Windsor and Chairs the Harrow Health Centre carrying on a lifelong concern for Racialized healthcare. Alliance Board membership would further her commitment.

# Jeanie Argiropoulos

Jeanie is an accredited senior executive with over 25 years of experience providing leadership to key organizations in Ontario's healthcare delivery system. She has a master’s degree in health administration from the University of Toronto, a graduate of the Maytree Policy School, is a designated Canadian Health Executive, and an Executive Member of the Canadian College of Health Service Leaders.

Expert in system redesign, strategic planning, governance and organizational redesign, Jeanie is highly regarded for her strong values system and communications style that engages and motivates a diverse range of stakeholders.

In her role as Vice President, Patient Services at The Scarborough Hospital, Jeanie led multi-disciplinary teams across multiple healthcare delivery sites with a proven passion for ensuring high-quality health and wellness programs and services for the Scarborough community.

In her current role as Chief Executive Officer at the Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities, Jeanie has driven a transformational journey that has resulted in a client-centered healthcare services solution that is proactively addressing the determinants of health and building a strong and connected community. As a strong advocate for health equity, she has focused her energies in helping to form an integrated health system to improve the health and wellness of Scarborough’s residents.

# Mike Bulthuis

Mike Bulthuis has worked at the intersections of policy, research and community mobilization for over 20 years - both on the ground and within systems of support. In late 2022, Mike became the Executive Director of the Ottawa Community Land Trust, a non-profit social enterprise pursuing innovative ways of preserving housing affordability in the Ottawa area.  Prior to this, he worked in policy development with the federal public service on issues including homelessness, social finance, social innovation and infrastructure. Mike has also held leadership positions in the non-profit environment, including at Ottawa’s Alliance to End Homelessness, and with the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. As a consultant, he has provided policy support to Vibrant Communities, and convened support towards the City of Ottawa’s Community Development Framework.

Mike has served on local and national non-profit Boards, including the Social Planning Council of Ottawa, Citizens for Public Justice, and the Centre for Social Enterprise Development, while also volunteering with his Community Association, Ottawa Capital Pride and Bruce House. 

# Sharon Bevington

Administrative Lead at the Lakeshore Community Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, a rural NPLC located in Belle River, ON. Sharon is a member of the Alliance Strategy Group Committee, Chair of the Alliance NPLC Committee and member of the Windsor-Essex Primary Care-Public Health Partnership. She previously served as Co-Chair of the Windsor-Essex Primary Care Sector Table and as a member of the Windsor-Essex OHT Steering Committee. Sharon has worked in the primary care sector for seven years and previously worked in the home & community care sector for four years. Prior to working in healthcare, Sharon was a project manager for 10+ years.

# Suzanne Obiorah

Meet Suzanne Obiorah: a catalyst for change, and relentless advocate for health equity and inclusivity. With a wealth of senior leadership experience, Suzanne has dedicated her career to ensuring that health programs and services are accessible, culturally competent, and most importantly, reflective of the diverse communities they are meant to serve.

As a co-founder of the Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition, Suzanne spearheaded the establishment of a regional mental health strategy, empowering Black residents in Ottawa to access the care they deserve. Suzanne's impact on mental health support for racialized communities has been transformative, pioneering new programming to provide culturally responsive care. Her commitment to expanding access to primary care for racialized communities is evidenced by her successful efforts in securing funding for additional nurse practitioners and other health care provider, focused on serving newcomers, immigrants, seniors, street-involved individuals, and Ottawa's Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cambodian communities.

Her passion for driving change extends beyond community organizations, as she served as the Director of Gender and Race Equity, Inclusion, Indigenous Relations, and Social Development for the City of Ottawa.  In this role, she demonstrated extraordinary leadership by overseeing the implementation of a groundbreaking community funding framework, allocating nearly $27 million annually to uplift the social services sector. Moreover, Suzanne played a pivotal role in the development and execution of the City of Ottawa's first Anti-Racism Strategy, dedicated to improving outcomes for Indigenous, Black, and racialized communities.

Through her unwavering dedication, Suzanne secured over $9 million in funding to strengthen community programming and infrastructure in Ottawa’s priority neighborhoods, to support programming for racialized youth in their communities.

In the constant pursuit of transformative and inclusive healthcare, Suzanne has actively shaped discussions on health system reform at regional and provincial levels, advocating tirelessly for the integration of health equity principles in the planning. As a member of various influential tables, including the Champlain Mental Health and Addictions Table, the Ontario Health East senior leadership health equity forum, and the Ottawa Guiding Council, she has played a pivotal role in shaping alternate responses to mental health crisis interventions.

Suzanne has Bachelors Degree in Applied Sciences from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Masters in Business Administration with a focus on Health Management from St. Mary’s University.  She brings not only her expertise but also her unwavering commitment to driving change.