Gretchen Van Riesen (Bsc) – Chair

Gretchen Van Riesen has been on the Board of Philip Aziz Centre since its inception. She has an extensive background in pensions and benefits and in late 2007 retired from CIBC as Vice President of Global Pensions and Benefits. With over 36 years in the pensions and benefits industry, Gretchen is a past chair of both the Pension Investment Association of Canada and the Association of Canadian Pension Management. In 2008 Gretchen was appointed to the Municipal Employer Pension Center of Ontario an advisory board to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. In the area of health care she is a founding member of the Employer Committee on Health Care and one of the founding Board members of Philip Aziz Centre, and sits on a number of not-for-profit boards including Providence healthcare Rehab Hospital.

Barrie Sprawson - Co-Chair

Reverend Paul Burke

Paul has been a Minister in the city of Toronto for over 15 years. During this time he has worked extensively with the poor and in addictions. He has established 3 inner city churches and outreach programs that serve the marginalized. He is currently the Senior Minister at Church in the City and oversees after school kids programs, a 12 step program and weekly dinners feeding between 200 to 300 persons. He is also involved as a consultant to the Greater Europe Mission, an organization supporting compassionate works, churches and cross cultural development opportunities in Europe. In addition to his own parish work, Paul travels both locally and internationally as a speaker and expert on establishing churches and development projects among the marginalized and poor.

Darren Gingras

Darren is the founder and President of Property Possibilities Inc., and Simcoe Financial, which provides investment and financial services to individual clients and businesses across Canada. Since 1989 Darren has actively been involved in numerous roles within the not-for-profit/charitable and corporate world and personally initiated projects to address international issues related to poverty, injustice, AIDS and community development. Darren has worked first hand with and also sat as Director on numerous Charities and Committees. Darren is active in various community agendas and causes such as: Philip Aziz Centre Children’s Home; Mandera Leprosy Clinic (Sudan); Children and Street Girl Program (Ethiopia): Patmos Children’s Orphanage (Ethiopia); Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition (Barrie ON); The Association for a Better Georgina (Keswick ON). Darren is a committed artist and painter and actively involved in the Arts community in York Region. He maintains a studio in Keswick ON and is currently studying at the Toronto School of Art.

Dr. Donna Henrikson (MD)

Donna is a general practitioner in private practice in Toronto. Donna embraces the breadth and variety of family medicine with a special interest in end-of-life care and medical volunteer work in developing countries. She has also been involved in mentoring medial students and facilitating The Healer’s Art, an elective course for first year medical students offered at University of Toronto. Donna began her relationship Philip Aziz Centre as a trained volunteer, working on a number of care teams prior to coming on the Board of Directors. In addition to her Board responsibilities, she participates in training all new volunteers.

Keith Jacka

Keith has his doctorate in educational administration from the University of Toronto. He is now retired, and his background in education includes secondary school teaching, administration and curriculum; training college professors; university teaching; educational research. Currently Keith is the chair of the board at his community church and continues to be involved as an educational consultant. Other interests include facilitating men’s support groups, sailing instruction, teaching reading to non-reading children and inventing fuel and stoves for developing countries.

Barbara Walkden

Barbara for the past 30 years has been involved in fundraising, latterly as the Director of Development for Yonge Street Mission. Previously the Millennium Coordinator for the United Bible Societies and the Director of Ministry Funding for the Canadian Bible Society. Prior to her fund development career Barbara was in advertising and research. Barbara is a member of Timothy Eaton Memorial Church and currently serves on their Stewardship Committee.

Louise Summerhill (LL.B)

Louise practices exclusively in the area of tax litigation. She provides support and advocacy at the audit stage, through the objection procedure and in court if necessary. She has appeared in the Tax court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Ontario Superior Court and the Ontario Court of Appeal. Louise was selected as one of the 550 women to appear in the Women in the Lead directory, featuring women whose professional expertise and experience recommend them as candidates for corporate board appointments. She is the co-creator and former adjunct professor at Osgood Hall Law School. Louise is also a founding member and current active board member of a not-for-profit organization, Birth Right.