Board Members

Dr. Lewis Leikin is a psychologist specializing in mental health and chronic illness. Over the past three decades, Dr. Leikin has worked with children, youth and their families at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and consulted to a variety of community, national and governmental organizations regarding the prevention and treatment of mental health problems. As a Clinical Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Leikin supervises resident and intern training in child psychotherapy, and he has conducted published research in the areas of health psychology, emergency room utilization, and childhood psychopharmacology. Long active in the community, Dr Leikin currently sits on the Board of Trustees of the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center, where he is Vice Chair of the Quality Committee, and has served on the Boards of the Ontario Psychological Association, the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, and on Advisory Panels for the Canadian Psychological Association, the Learning Disability Association of Ottawa, and other organizations. In addition to a very busy professional life, Dr Leikin is an active outdoors enthusiast, a proud father of two, and grandfather of five young adventurers.

Suzanne Pinel has had a remarkable career as a nurse educator, singer-songwriter and counselor, pouring her energy into the well-being of children. A graduate of the University of Ottawa in science (nursing) and social hygiene, she taught pediatrics and child development at the Ottawa General Hospital's School of Nursing and music therapy at Algonquin College. In addition, she has organized and spoken at many conferences and workshops on how music impacts child development. She developed and directed music programs on behalf of organizations such as the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), the Outaouais school board, and the faculties of education at the University of Ottawa and Laurentian University. From 1998 to 2012, she was a Canadian citizenship judge.

Ms. Pinel is also known for her work in television and the arts. As the creator of the award-winning children's TV show "Marie-Soleil," she released several albums and videos, including educational materials for learning French as a second language.

Ms. Pinel has sat on several boards of directors, including charities: the CHEO Foundation, La Cité collégiale, the Canadian Institute of Child Health, the Hôpital Montfort Association, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the Montfort Long-Term Care Centre, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, United Way Ottawa, Kids Help Phone, the Easter Seals, Canadian Blood Services, the Children's Aid Society of Ottawa, the Say No to Drugs campaign and the Children's Vaccination Awareness Program, to name a few.

Ms. Pinel has received several awards for her community service, including the President's Prize from the Ontario Medical Association for her work to improve population health. In 1991, she received Canada's highest honour when she became a Member of the Order of Canada. In June 2003, the University of Ottawa awarded her an honorary doctorate, and in 2012 Ms. Pinel received the Order of Ontario.

Peter Tilley has been the Executive Director of the Ottawa Mission since June 2013. The Ottawa Mission is one of Ottawa's oldest yet most progressive downtown shelters for the homeless, providing a full range of services to the less fortunate in our community. Before taking over at the helm of the Ottawa Mission, Peter served for 14 years as the Executive Director of the Ottawa Food Bank, leading that organization to become recognized as one of Canada's most visible and most respected food banks.

A graduate of the Business Administration Program at Algonquin College (1984), Peter has also worked as a manager in the recruitment industry and as a senior manager in the hotel industry. Peter now teaches the Introduction to Non Profit Management course at Algonquin College on weekends.

Peter was a 2012 Ontario Premier Award nominee and was recently recognized as Algonquin College's Alumnus of the Year.

Elyse Banham has a bachelor of arts with honours in political science and history and a bachelor of health sciences in midwifery. Ms. Banham is the Executive Director of the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre. She has been a board member of the Children’s Wish Foundation, National Capital Chapter, a member of Champlain Maternal Newborn Regional Program and the Midwifery Community of Practice, and the founder of the Children’s Wish Foundation Summer Kick-off event. 

Tammy DeGiovanni has a master’s degree in health administration from the University of Ottawa and currently serves as the Director of Ambulatory Care and Chief Nurse Information Officer at CHEO. Ms. Giovanni is a lifelong volunteer, including as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada and the Executive Director of the Nepean All-City Jazz Band. She also volunteers at her local school council and community association.

Dr. Jana Malhotra received her medical degree from the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Malhotra is a full-time family physician in Ottawa as well as an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa.

Susan Ward has a master’s degree in social work and a bachelor’s degree in recreology with a concentration in psychology from the University of Ottawa. She has also taken a course in Indigenous history and contemporary issues, and a cultural safety training. Ms. Ward has been a social worker in crisis intervention and hospitals for 25 years. She has spent the last several years with the Ottawa Hospital Pain Clinic. She created a provincial network for social workers in chronic pain and is a member of the Pediatric Chronic Pain Transition Task Force.