As part of our 3-year strategic plan, we decided to increase Red Nose Remedy's board of directors to fill out our internal knowledge base and expand our organizations' possibilities. At the end of 2023 we put out a call for volunteer directors and were overwhelmed by the response it garnered. Originally we wanted to increase our board by two but after meeting with everyone we ended up offering positions to four new directors. And even then, it was difficult to choose just four.
Without further ado, it is my real joy to welcome our new board of directors:
Melissa Welburn (she/her)
Board Secretary
With a sharp focus on corporate governance, Melissa joins the Red Nose Remedy board after years of navigating the complexities of corporate law. Melissa's expertise ensures Red Nose Remedy adheres to the highest legal and governance standards, while her strategic thinking helps lay a solid groundwork for the organization's future. A strong believer in Red Nose Remedy's mission, Melissa brings her legal prowess and passion to the table, ready to contribute to the organization's ongoing success.
Jason Chen (he/him) - Board Member
Jason Chen has lived in Toronto his entire life and is married with two children. Jason's career has been focused in the banking sector for over 20 years and he is currently a Managing Director at TD Securities. Jason holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Schulich School of Business, is a Chartered Accountant and has his MBA from Ivey Business School in Toronto. He is a passionate supporter of visible minorities and women in leadership. Jason enjoys video games, basketball and power tools.
Julia Gray (she/her) - Board Member
Julia is an award-winning researcher, facilitator and writer. She has published across platforms, including everything from academic journals, newsletters, websites, as well as screen and stage plays. She believes in the importance of understanding how cultural values shape the ways we act and interact, as well as the importance of story for connecting to social experience and understanding difference, which is necessary for making the world better. She holds a PhD from University of Toronto, and has taught at University of Toronto, York University, University of Guelph as well as Sheridan College. She is incredibly excited to be on the board of Red Nose Remedy to support its amazing work.
Shannon Giannitsopoulou (she/her, fae/fer, per/pers)
Board Member
Shannon Giannitsopoulou is a social justice practitioner with over 15 years of experience leading inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA), reconciliation, anti-racism, and 2SLGBTQIA inclusion initiatives. Shannon holds a PMP and a Masters in Social Justice Education. Shannon is currently completing a Doctorate of Education.
Together, they are joining some of our longstanding board members:
Rebecca Maiese, MSW, RSW (she/her) - Board Chair
is a psychotherapist in the public sector who works with children, youth and families. Rebecca has a broad range of clinical experience and sees empathy, curiosity and play as integral components of any therapeutic process. Rebecca first became acquainted with the world of therapeutic clown through her late husband, Jamie Burnett, who started the Therapeutic Clown program at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Jamie’s passion and dedication to the integrity of the work was infectious. Through his lengthy illness, Rebecca also experienced the many benefits of therapeutic clown as a family member, sharing in the experience with Jamie. She is thrilled and honoured to sit on the board of Red Nose Remedy to honour Jamie’s memory and legacy, as well as support and champion such important work in our communities.
Jacqueline Chevalier (she/her)
Board Treasurer
is a retired CPA (CMA), whose most recent role was as the Corporate Controller at UGE International Ltd., a solar energy company, from which she retired in August 2024. She has over 30 years experience at organizations of various sizes, primarily in the banking, telecommunications and IT sectors. Although Jacqueline has no background in healthcare or the arts, she believes passionately in the value of the work that Red Nose Remedy is doing, and is honoured to bring her background and perspective to the team.
Claire Restituto (she/her) - co-Chair
thrives on the idea that creativity can help improve health care experiences. With twenty plus years of experience in marketing, advertising, publishing and health care, each industry taught her how branding can bring positive connections. Her current role at Mackenzie Health and Foundation has seen her contribute to campaigns raising millions of dollars for a brand-new hospital as well as evolve brand strategies for uniting the network of care for the community.
With these new additions, we also have to recognize a board member who has been with RNR since 2021. Vibhuti Jethava helped oversee RNR through a couple intense crisis points in our history, including the outbreak of COVID-19 and the death of our founder, Helen Donnelly. Vibhuti was so active with us during our strategic planning and was such a cheerleader for Derek, Mackenzie and myself as we stepped in to navigate RNR through those intense moments of uncertainty. Vibhuti, we thank you for being there for us and wish you all the best in your future endeavors!
-Andrew
