University Hospitals Kingston Foundation
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Our Board

The 2024-2025 University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF) Board of Directors is responsible for fundraising, investment and granting for the Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Providence Care.

The Board also includes Dr. David Pichora, President & CEO, Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Cathy Szabo, President & CEO, Providence Care.

For more information contact Debbie.Broome@uhkf.ca or telephone 613-549-6666, ext. 8138.

Members of the 2024-2025
UHKF Board of Directors

Brett Patterson headshot

Board Chair: Brett Patterson

Kingston resident and has been active in the community through participation in youth sports along with his responsibilities as the lead business development for Scotiabank for the Kingston area. Through his experiences in the bank has had the opportunity to demonstrate and deliver individual/team results, business development, project management along with leadership and coaching. Through his current responsibilities he has shown the ability to communicate messaging effectively to small and medium audiences within the community through sponsorship and charitable opportunities supported by the bank. Educational accomplishments for Brett are: Human Resources/Business Administration Degree, Information Technology certificate, Arts degree with concentration in Economics and he has his Personal Financial Planner.

Brett is the current UHKF Board Chair.
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Brent Atkinson headshot

Board Vice-Chair: Brent Atkinson

Inspired by his Grandfather and Father all his life, Brent has chased his entrepreneurial spirit into a variety of industries.  His true passion is centered at the crossroad of consumer behavior and world class customer experiences.  

After Graduating with his Diploma in Business and Advertising, a fortunate opportunity was presented and a career was born within the marketing laboratory that Loblaws had a reputation for.   It was the era of Walmarts entrance into Canada, and Loblaws had the resource to evolve strategically and continue to grow market share.  Brent was assigned to the General Merchandise category and worked with retails best to add 20,000 sq. feet of seasonal, housewares, photo labs, apparel, and general merchandise across the multiple brand banners.

With an appetite for bigger cities and a love for great advertising, Brent changed gears, moved to a career based out of Manhattan, and began to work in a business to business capacity with ad agencies around the world, to feature each years best of the best creative campaigns in a high end, well established publication called The Black Book.  At this time, before google changed our world, innovative technologies were developed and launched by his team to bring searchable creative portfolios online as an industry first.

A young and aggressive group of British gentlemen, then inspired Brent to join their team to turn around and rebrand a failing 120 location retail finance company called RTO Enterprises, now GOEASY.   As part of the executive team, Brent contributed to the growth of the company to 350 locations, in Canada and the United States, with diversified business units, achieving a compounded annual growth rate of 10.6% during his 13 year tenure.

After engaging with a global charity organization called The ManKind Project, Brent became committed to supporting men in the community with Emotional Intelligence support groups in Toronto, then Kingston as well as Southern Ontario.  This rewarding work led Brent and a group of past colleagues to develop a self-help Social Network called FantasticYou.  Still in Beta, Brent and his co-founders continue to pursue the opportune time to launch their platform. 

Brent relocated to Kingston in 2015 to participate in his Family Business Succession Plan at Atkinson Home Hardware Building Centres.  As one of Eastern Ontario’s Largest Building Supply Retailers, Brent holds the capacity of Managing Partner and Financial Controller.  With a genuine love for the intimate community spirit that is alive and well in Kingston, Brent supports the community where opportunities present themselves, including the UHKF Strategic Planning Committee, St. Lawrence II Tall Ship community engagement, and the Kingston West End Craft & Trade District group of locally owned companies.

Brent is the current UHKF Board Vice-Chair.

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Brent Wilson headshot

Board Secretary/Treasurer: Brent Wilson

Brent Wilson, CPA, CA, LPA, is a Partner with MNP in Kingston and a member of the firm’s Assurance and Accounting team. Drawing on extensive experience as a business advisor, Brent provides assurance, tax and business consulting services to small- and medium-sized businesses, owner-managers and not-for-profit organizations. He helps his clients minimize challenges and achieve their business and personal goals.

Brent works closely with his clients to deliver a full range of services, including auditing and accounting; corporate, personal and trust income taxes; and business advisory services. He helps clients in a variety of industries, including agriculture, biotechnology, hospitality, tourism, financial services (credit unions), technology, communications, consumer products, retail, professional services, real estate and construction.
 
Brent received a Bachelor of Commerce (BComm Honours) from Carleton University. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), qualifying as a Chartered Accountant (CA) in 1993.
 
Brent is the current UHKF Secretary/Treasurer.

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John Leverette headshot

Past Chair: John Leverette

John is a Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Queen's University and a 45 year member of our hospitals' medical staffs. He retired in 2018 as Vice President, Medical and Academic Programs, Providence Care previously serving as Director, Medical Affairs, at both Kingston General and Hotel Dieu Hospitals.  During 2014 he was appointed Interim Chief of Medical and Academic Affairs/Chief of Staff at Hotel Dieu. As inaugural Chair of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Specialty Committee in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, he was awarded a Founder's designation in that specialty.  He is a Distinguished Fellow and Life Member of the Canadian Psychiatric Association and a Life Member and Past-President of both the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Ontario Psychiatric Association.

John is the current UHKF Past Chair.

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Taras Broadhead headshot

PC Cross-Representative: Taras Broadhead

Taras Broadhead joined the UHKF Board effective June 27, 2023 as a cross-appointed director from the Providence Care Board.  Taras is an engineer who brings over 35 years of experience as an Engineering, Operations and Procurement leader at DuPont Canada and International Flavors and Fragrances. Taras is skilled at building consensus within multidisciplinary teams to execute portfolios of capital projects and continuous improvement initiatives. Taras also has community leadership experience as a long-time member and is the past chair of the Presbyterian Music Camp Board.

Taras is the current cross-appointment from Providence Care.

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Anne Desgagnés headshot

KHSC Cross-representative: Anne Desgagnés

Anne is a portfolio manager at BMO Nesbitt Burns in the Kingston office. She provides wealth management services to professionals, families, charities and corporations.  She has been in this role since 2010. Prior to joining BMO Nesbitt Burns, she worked in active portfolio management for pension funds and private family holdings in Toronto and Montreal.

Anne is a graduate of Engineering from Queen’s University. She has a Master of Business Administration degree from McMaster University (Finance), and since 1999 holds the Charter Financial Analyst designation. She grew up in rural Quebec, on the outskirts of Quebec City.

She is a proud member of the Kingston-Frontenac Rotary Club and has been an active member of Rotary International since 2010. Her involvement with Rotary spans many volunteering aspects of the organization. She has been particularly involved with youth activities as a host parent and counselor to international students participating in the Rotary Youth Exchange program and in various club fundraising efforts.

Anne is the current cross-appointment from KHSC.
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Carey Bidtnes headshot

Carey Bidtnes

Carey Bidtnes is a human resources executive with experience leading organizational development and change for start-ups and organizations experiencing growth or strategic redirection. She is currently the Principal of Bidtnes and Associates Ltd here in Kingston, providing fractional human resources services and workplace investigations.

Notable achievements include attracting a $332M foreign direct investment to Kingston in her role as a Business Development Officer with the Kingston Economic Development Corporation. Headhunted to join the leadership team of Canada Royal Milk, she defined, designed, and executed a people strategy and operational framework to support each phase of the advanced manufacturing start-up from construction through commercial production. 

Passionate about community building and community service, Carey is an active volunteer. She volunteers with Dress for Success Professional Women’s Group, was an active contributor to the UHKF HR Committee, served on Loving Spoonful Board of Directors for 12 years, and is the past President of the Human Resources Professional Association’s Kingston Chapter.

Carey has her Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University and is a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL).  Carey has been a member and a significant contributor to the UHKF HR Committee for the last two years.
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Michelle Chatten Fiedorec headshot

Michelle Chatten Fiedorec

Michelle moved to Kingston in 2007 and found a welcoming and vibrant community. She is currently Corporate Treasurer at Homestead Land Holdings Limited. Michelle has been a Rotarian for 15 years, volunteering extensively with the International Youth Exchange program, and has served in several leadership roles including President of the Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston.  Michelle has also volunteered with Melos Choir & Period Instruments, Community Foundation of Kingston & Area, United Way KFL&A and Quinte Ballet School of Canada.
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John Drover headshot

John Drover

Dr. Drover is a Professor, in the Departments of Critical Care Medicine and Surgery at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. After growing up in Nova Scotia he attended Acadia University (’80) and then Dalhousie University (’84) for medical school. He practised as a family physician for 3 years in Tamworth, Ontario before completing training in General Surgery (’92) and Critical Care Medicine (’94) at Queen’s University. Dr. Drover then went on to do further training in Critical Care, working as a Senior Registrar at Guy’s Hospital, London, UK returning to join Queen’s University as a faculty member in 1994. He achieved the designation of Canadian Certified Physician Executive in 2012 and became a Certified Executive Coach in 2020.

Dr. Drover has held other leadership positions. He was the Chair and Program Medical Director for Critical Care at Queen’s University and Kingston General Hospital from 2002 to 2014. During that time, he led the formation of the academic Department of Critical Care Medicine and was Interim Head of the new department while a new Head was selected. He has been the Director of Accreditation and Quality Improvement for the School of Medicine at Queen’s University and as Medical Coordinator of the Bariatric Regional Assessment and Treatment Centre led the creation of the unit and the transition to a Bariatric Center of Excellence. He also served for 6 years as Chair of the Specialty Committee for Critical Care Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Dr. Drover practices as an intensivist at the Kingston Health Sciences Centre and his surgical practice is focused on trauma. He is the Physician Co-Lead for the Lumeo project in South Eastern Ontario. He is an Instructor and Course Director with the ATLS program and has been elevated to Provincial Faculty by the American College of Surgeons. He is active as a teacher at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He is a member of the Board of the PSI Foundation.

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Karen Humphreys Blake headshot

Karen Humphreys Blake

Karen Humphreys Blake is an adjunct lecturer at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s. She graduated with a master’s in business and communications management from McMaster University in 2012. Karen teaches a core undergraduate course entitled Business for Good and has also taught Business Ethics and CSR and Organizational Behaviour. Prior to joining Smith in 2013, Karen had a long career in communications and public relations, ultimately serving at senior levels in government and health care. She also gained experience in fundraising management and was involved in the founding of the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation while a vice president at Kingston General Hospital.

Karen has been involved in the governance of many community organizations. In recent years she has served as a board member with Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation, as board vice chair with Kingston and Frontenac Mental Health and Addiction Services and as chair of the Collaborative Governance Forum of the Southeast LHIN. She led the Strategic Planning Committee for UHKF in 2021 and has since been a member of the Human Resources, Board Development and Nomination, and Governance committees. In 2019, Karen served as interim President and CEO of UHKF.
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Kate Nelson headshot

Kate Nelson

Kate completed her undergraduate studies at McGill University in Montreal and returned home to Kingston in 2007 to complete her law degree at Queen’s University.  She joined Nelson Law as an articling student in 2010, and remained at the firm after being called to the bar in 2011.  Since such time, she has focused primarily on civil litigation and estate matters.  In September 2019 she partnered with Lulama M. Kotze and opened Nelson Kotze LLP. Kate is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and the Frontenac Law Association.
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Phil Schmitt headshot

Phil Schmitt

Phil Schmitt is a Chartered Financial Analyst and Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute. He has over forty years of experience in the investment industry – more than thirty managing both alternative and traditional strategies, five years managing an ESG fund, four years’ experience with digital/crypto assets and strategies and fifteen+ years’ as an independent non-executive fund director with international fund managers. Phil is a pioneer in developing new financial products and services and building highly successful fund management companies.
 
Phil is currently President & CEO of Summerwood Capital Corp. which is an Investment Fund Manager and Portfolio Manager. The firm specializes in managing and advising alternative funds and creating new, innovative strategies and funds.
 
Prior to Summerwood, Phil was Vice-President and then President of Polar Securities Inc., an early entrant in the hedge fund industry. Executive responsibilities included Chair of the Portfolio Management Committee, Head of Risk Management, Chief Compliance Officer, and Trade Desk Supervisor.
 
Phil has served on multiple industry and regulatory committees both in Canada and internationally.

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Sandy Staples headshot

Sandy Staples

Sandy is a Professor of Digital Technology (Information Systems) in the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Guelph, while his MBA and PhD in Management are from the University of Western Ontario. Upon completion of his PhD, Sandy worked at the University of Melbourne in Australia for two years, and then joined Queen’s in 1998. His research and teaching areas include working in teams, managing projects, knowledge management, and designing and implementing information systems. In addition to his regular teaching, research and service responsibilities over the years, Sandy served as the Associate Dean, (Faculty) at Smith from 2021 to 2024.

Sandy and his wife Patti have been proud to call Kingston their home for over 25 years and have enjoyed raising their children in Kingston (and now watching their grandchildren grow up in this great area). Patti is a retired Nurse Practitioner with a specialty in heart failure. Sandy has been a member of the UHKF board since 2019 and has served on various committees including the Governance and Policy Committee, the Investment Committee, and the Human Resources Committee.

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