Governance Experience

Extensive Board experience spanning 30+ years

  • Chair, Corporate Officer and Committee Chair roles
  • Valued and collegial contributor to high performing boards
  • Strong competences in strategy development; generative activity; governance; quality oversight; building stakeholder relationships; finance, audit and compliance; risk management; and CEO recruitment, compensation and transition
  • Broad experience in health care, social services, peer support, education, and community organizations — complemented by consulting work in these sectors
  • Consultant to boards on governance, strategy development, and retreat planning and facilitation
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences — Board Chair, Committee Chair, Director
Mar 2008 — Mar 2017
Jun 2023 — present
Ontario Shores is a public hospital providing a range of specialized assessment and treatment services to those living with complex and serious mental illness — along with CAMH, Waypoint and the Royal Ottawa Hospital one of the four principal mental health hospitals in the province of Ontario.

Ontario Shores offers specialized recovery-focused interprofessional programs and services designed to provide successful treatment for patients and support to families. In 2006 the Whitby Mental Health Centre (as it was then named) was divested from direct operation by the Ontario Government to become a stand-alone facility governed under the Public Hospitals Act.

Michael joined the Board in early 2008 while transformation of the facility was in process. He worked to achieve the vision of Recovering Best Health, Nurturing Hope and Inspiring Discovery while bringing a passion for normalizing mental health and increasing capacity for serving people living with mental health challenges. When his term was concluding in 2017 he joined the Board of the Central East LHIN to further those priorities and serve the broader health system of Ontario. In Jun 2003 Michael rejoined the Board of Ontario Shores.

During his tenure, the Board has provided governance leadership with:
  • Creating and sustaining a dedicated Family Resource Centre, a project of the Family Council of Ontario Shores
  • Opening the first residential Eating Disorders Unit in Ontario
  • Implementing Meditech software with new capabilities created to manage mental health care — expanding the implementation to support the system partners of Ontario Shores at Waypoint and The Royal Ottawa Hospital
  • Achieving HIMSS Level VII, the top level of integrated operational processes, becoming the first mental health hospital in the world and one of the first hospitals in Canada at that level
  • Deploying a Patient Portal, another significant and leading achievement in healthcare on a global scale
  • Introducing a Recovery College for mental health — an initiative so successful that in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association the program has rolled out Recovery Colleges across Canada

Michael has served Ontario Shores in the following roles:
  • Finance & Quality Committee (2008-2017 and 2024-present, Committee Chair 2009-2011)
  • Convenor, Board Land & Building Working Group (2010-2016)
  • Executive Committee (2009-2017)
  • Board Chair (2011-2014) and Past Chair (2014-2017)
  • Board of Ontario Shores Foundation for Mental Health Sciences (2011-2014)
  • Governance Committee (2011-2017)
  • Audit Committee (2011-2017 and 2023-present)
  • CE LHIN Scarborough Governance Advisory Committee (2012-2017)
  • OHA Trustee Working Group on Executive Compensation (2015-2016)

While Chair of the Board, Michael also led the transition from the inaugural CEO of Ontario Shores to its second CEO.
Knox College — Committee Chair, Board Member, Public Committee Member
Nov 2014 — present
Knox College is a seminary affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the University of Toronto, and the Toronto School of Theology.

Michael is helping Knox to build leaders for communities and congregations facing the realities of the post-modern, post-Christendom era.

After completing the maximum of two consecutive terms on the Board, Michael continued as a public member of the Academic Committee and then was invited to return to the Board. His overall contribution to Knox College includes the following roles:
  • Executive Committee (2015-2020, 2021-present)
  • Chair, Audit Committee (2019-2020) and member (2014-2015)
  • Chair, Academic Committee (2015-2020 and 2021-present) and public member (2020-2021)
  • Board nominee to Faculty Review teams (2015-2020)
  • Advancement Committee (2021-present)
  • Governance & Nominations Committee (2014-2020)
  • Investment Committee (2016-2017)

Michael has also served Knox College on a variety of ad hoc initiatives, including a governance project team working with the Association of Theological Schools (2016-17), an ad hoc team planning for Principal transition (2016), an ad hoc team providing strategic advice to the Principal (2018-19), Co-Chair of the Strategic Planning Team for the College (2019), Chair of the ATS Accreditation Team (2020-2022), a member of the Compensation Working Group (2022-present), a member of the Working Group addressing Educational Opportunities (2022-2023) that initiated the Centre for Lifelong Learning, and a member of the Strategic Planning Team for the College (2023-present).
Ontario Genealogical Society — Toronto Branch Council
May 2019 — present
The Ontario Genealogical Society (OntarioAncestors) brings together and supports those pursuing genealogy and family history with a connection to Ontario, and works to preserve our Ontario genealogical heritage. The Toronto Branch, the first branch of the Society, was founded in 1967.

At the Branch, Michael is supporting educational opportunities for family historians and working to increase accessibility of Toronto and area records, serving in the following roles:
  • Branch Council (2019 to present as Member at Large)
  • House of Industry Transcription Project (Coordinator, 2019 to 2021)
  • A/V Team (Coordinator, 2019 to present)

Since 2020, Michael has been instrumental in initiating and supporting online live streamed and recorded programming for the Toronto Branch. Online events have included monthly Branch meetings and webinars, Branch Annual General Meetings, gatherings of various Branch Special Interest Groups (SIGs), the Branch's periodic online Lecture Series and ongoing educational events and programs.

In 2022 Michael also planned and led the successful implementation of hybrid meetings for the Toronto Branch, building full capability for monthly Branch meetings simultaneously reaching in-person, remote and time-shifted audiences with a flexible combination of in-person, remote and pre-recorded speakers. This included scoping volunteer roles and training existing and new volunteers.

Michael is also a regular presenter at Toronto Branch events, both in-person and online.

In 2023 and 2024, Michael helped the Publicity Team of OGS Conference 2024 (in Toronto in June 2024) by creating a launch video (fall 2023) and preparing and releasing vlogs leading up to Conference 2024. He also developed, produced and emceed Genealogy Jeoparty (a genealogy game show) at OGS Conference 2024.

In 2021 Michael received an Above and Beyond Award for his contributions to the Toronto Branch.
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Armour Heights Presbyterian Church — Clerk of Session, Elder, Leader
Feb 1987 — present
Armour Heights is a vibrant congregation focused on building vital outreach ministries to serve its community. With a statement of purpose based on the vitality of faith the congregation supports a variety of programs and missions.

Michael joined Armour Heights Presbyterian Church in May of 1973. As a youth he taught classes and sang in the choir. In early 1987 he was invited to serve in formal leadership and over a span of more than three decades he has served in the following roles:
  • Clerk of Session (2003-present)
  • Session Elder (1989-present)
  • Board of Managers (1987-2003) serving on the Finance Team
  • Christian Education Team (1998–present) including mentoring, as well as leadership roles with youth retreats, events and missions
  • Commissioner to the 2006 General Assembly
  • Health Ministry Team (Inaugural member 2000-2006, Interim Chair 2002-2003)
  • Intergenerational Band (2017-present)
  • Choir Member (1975-1977, 2015-present)
  • Support of intranet and Internet configurations (1999-present)

Michael has long been involved with recording special services at Armour Heights. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Michael has volunteered in a major role working with the Armour Heights ministerial team to coordinate the fluid challenges of this growing and active congregation. He helped develop and produce online services, gatherings and events, including compiling and editing a weekly worship video and introducing live-streaming of worship services. He also led the technical production of the congregation's acclaimed 2020 Christmas Pageant ZoomChristmas and the 2021 Colour Your Christmas. He continues to provide leadership supporting the hybrid worship and other programs of the congregation.

In his role as Clerk of Session, Michael has overseen significant ministerial staffing events in the life of the congregation:
  • Chair of the 2004-2005 Search Team that called an Associate Minister for Family and Youth
  • Oversight of transition through an intentional two year period of Interim Ministry, following the coincident retirement in 2015 of the Minister of 38 years and call of the Associate Minister of 10 years to her own congregation
  • Chair of the 2016-2017 Search Team that called a Minister
  • Chair of the 2018 Search Team that called an Associate Minister in Christian Outreach and Education

In the broader community of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, Michael serves on the Regional Consultative Committee (2019-present) of the Synod of Central, Northeastern Ontario and Bermuda — overseeing the work of Synod consultants that help congregations build effective faith formation and educational ministries, and develop, transition, overcome conflict, and rebuild effective ministries.

Michael also is serving in a second appointment to the Board of Knox College (see above).
York Pioneer and Historical Society — Director
Jan 2018 — Apr 2023
The York Pioneer and Historical Society (York Pioneers) is the oldest historical society in Ontario, founded in 1869. With ancestors arriving in the Town of York in the late 1700's, Michael joined York Pioneers to help preserve the increasingly diverse heritage of the City of Toronto while embracing its future.

Michael has served the York Pioneers the following roles:
  • Board (2018 to 2023)
  • Vice President (2020 to 2022)
  • Membership Team (Chair, 2019 and member to 2021)
  • Editorial Team (Member, 2019 to 2021)
  • Nominating Team (2018 and 2023)
Central East Local Health Integration Network — Director
Mar 2017 — Mar 2019
Central East Local Health Integration Network (CE LHIN) oversaw the health system in the most populous and fastest growing region of Ontario, and as of mid-2017 delivered home and community care services throughout that region. With subregions in Scarborough, Durham, and from Cobourg north of Peterborough to Haliburton, CE LHIN covered diverse urban and rural communities from Victoria Park to Algonquin Park.

Michael joined the Board during the integration of home and community care services from the former Central East Community Care Access Centre (CE CCAC) into CE LHIN, and helped to effect that transition. Throughout his term on the Board he built stakeholder relationships and helped to transform and improve the provision of appropriate, coordinated, effective and efficient health services — including hospitals, home and community care providers, community support services, long-term care homes, mental health and addictions providers, and community health centres.

In addition to serving on the Board, Michael served on the Board's Quality Committee from its inception.

Serving at the pleasure of the Minister of Health, along with his colleagues his term on the Board concluded with the transition of governance of the fourteen LHIN Boards and six provincial health agencies to the newly created Board of Ontario Health in March 2019.
Stevenson Kellogg, Inc (formerly Stevenson Kellogg Denham Griffin & Lawrence, Inc) — Director
May 2003 — Dec 2017
My Image
In 2003 a core group of alumni from the Stevenson & Kellogg evolution of firms established a virtual consulting firm doing business as Stevenson Kellogg under the corporate structure of Stevenson Kellogg Denham Griffin & Lawrence, Inc. (later, Stevenson Kellogg Inc.). Independent practicing management consultants owned the operations of the firm, oversaw its consulting project operations and contracted with tiers of associated independent consultants to conduct engagements.

Michael joined the formative core group as a key member of the leadership team, and was appointed to its Board of Directors. Two years later, when Stevenson Kellogg acquired the consulting operations of Phoenix Logistics, Michael joined the board of this subsidiary.

In addition to maintaining active roles in business development, practice development and maintaining relationships with associate consultants, Michael's governance roles included:
  • CEO (2006-2010), serving also as Secretary to the Corporation
  • Director, Stevenson Kellogg Inc. (2003-2017)
  • Director, Phoenix Logistics Inc. (from acquisition as a subsidiary in 2005, to consolidation in 2010)
Other Governance Experience
Mar 1979 — Jun 2006
Michael's progressive experience with other Boards includes:
  • School Advisory Council — Windfields JHS — Chair (2003-2005), Past Chair (2005-2006)
  • Board of Directors — Bereaved Families of Ontario, Toronto — Vice Chair (1997-1998)
  • Chairman's Advisory Board — Industrial Engineering — University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering — Board Member (1988-1995) and Communications Committee (1988-1995)
  • Students' Administrative Council — University of Toronto — Director (1979-1982)