Team Role: Board of Directors

Ashley Davidson, CFRE

Ashley joined the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation in 2012 and has held progressively senior roles, serving as President & CEO since early 2024.

With nearly two decades of experience in raising essential funds for community hospitals, Ashley is passionate about advancing local healthcare. She is dedicated to ensuring that our community has access to top-quality healthcare close to home and is committed to inspiring philanthropy to help our hospital thrive.

Since 2020, Ashley has held the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) designation and is an active member of both the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP). She graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Arts in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies and holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Marketing Management from Sheridan College.

Ashley lives in Oakville with her husband, Dan, their daughter, Emme, and their whippet, Burnsy.

Meetali Acharya

Meetali Acharya is a registered pharmacist with an MBA and over 25 years of leadership experience in healthcare product and project management. She has worked in retail and hospital settings, including Joseph Brant Hospital, and is passionate about using innovation and data to improve patient care. As a product strategist, Meetali has led healthcare technology development, bringing a unique ability to bridge clinical insight with strategic innovation. She is recognized for driving transformation through collaboration, measurable outcomes, and change management.

Meetali has called Burlington home since 2000, where she lives with her husband and two children. She actively fundraises for children’s extracurricular and community programs and has served on the Fern Hill Parent Association. She values time with her family, enjoys travelling, and finds balance through yoga and reading. Meetali is honoured to serve on the JBH Foundation Board.

 

Wendy Bennison

Wendy has over 30 years of experience as an executive in the apparel retail and e-commerce industries, including, along the way, serving as President and COO of Roots Canada and, most recently, as CEO of Vancouver-based SAXX.

 

Wendy became known not only for operational prowess but also as a very effective leader and developer of talent. Her passion has been the building of highly engaged organizations that succeed through significant periods of change and growth, and she has been recognized repeatedly with the Best Workplace in Canada Awards.

Upon her recent retirement, Wendy relocated back to Ontario, making her home base in Burlington near family and friends. She immediately began to think about how to bring her experience to her community. That started with mentorship for female small business founders and with volunteering in the Breakfast Program at her neighbourhood elementary school. Joining the Joseph Brant Hospital Foundation Board is an important next step for her on that journey and one that she is honoured to undertake.

Leon Denbok

Leon is the President and Co-founder of DenBok Landscaping & Design Ltd. DenBok has provided residential and commercial landscape construction and maintenance services in the GTA since 1992. Leon has over 30 years of experience in the green industry and holds numerous diplomas and certifications in greens keeping, construction, green roofs, and related fields.

 

Leon has used his expertise to build and donate healing gardens for Breast Cancer Support Services in Burlington and for Kerr Street Ministries Dream Centre in Oakville.  Leon is an active member of The Rotary Club of Burlington North.

Leon and his wife, Victoria, have been married for 30 years, and have two sons, Connor and Stone, and 4 grandkids. Leon enjoys spending his free time with his family and riding his Peloton.

 

Karen Dephoure

Karen has held progressive management roles within the Operations and Strategic Planning functions, most recently leading the Sales Enablement team at Ricoh Canada. In this role, she is responsible for supporting the sales organization from a data analytics, strategic planning/sales methodology and process improvement perspective. Karen is a graduate of McMaster University, with a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration.

Being involved in her work and home communities has always been a passion for Karen. Work endeavours include participation in the Emergency Response Team, mentor program development and Shoreline Cleanup initiatives. She has also actively participated with her children’s dance and hockey activities over the years.

Karen and her husband Gary have lived in Burlington since 1996 and have 3 children. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cycling, traveling and spending time with friends and family.

Rembert De Villa

Rembert de Villa is a Strategic Advisor and Board Member of CareSpan Holdings, where he served as Chairman and CEO until his retirement in December 2023. During his tenure, he led the execution of the company’s Integrated Digital Care strategy. Currently, he is also on the Board of Smartcare in Germany and, until recently, of CareSpan Asia. He also serves as a Senior Strategic Advisor to U.K.-based Oxford Immune Algorithmics, an innovator and leader in continuous home monitoring through AI-driven differential diagnosis, as well as other healthcare AI and data science companies.

Prior to CareSpan, Rembert was the Global Business Leader at EXL Healthcare (NASDAQ: EXLS), which focused on healthcare analytics and operations management across care management, payment integrity, and customer engagement. Before his tenure at EXL, Rembert had a long professional career in global management consulting, holding senior leadership/partner roles at Mastercard Advisors, Capgemini Ernst & Young, A.T. Kearney and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). He is Senior Advisor to the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce in New York City, where he served as Chairman of the Board for three years.

Rembert completed Columbia University’s Senior Executive Program and attended the postgraduate program in Business Economics at the University of Bonn, Germany, as a Konrad Adenauer Foundation scholar.  He holds an MBA from the Asian Institute of Management and a B.Sc. from De La Salle University.

Mark Fletcher

Mark Fletcher is a Partner with Grosman Gale Fletcher Hopkins LLP, located on Bay Street in Toronto. Mark is an experienced trial lawyer. He is regarded by his peers and recognized by Chambers and Partners, Best Lawyers, and LEXPERT as one of the top employment lawyers in Canada. He advises and provides representation to both employers and employees in wrongful dismissal actions, executive compensation disputes, and human rights cases.

 

Mark is the co-Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Cases on Employment Law (CCEL) publication. He is regularly invited to speak on employment and human rights law issues by the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario Bar Association, and Osgoode Hall Law School. In 1998, Mark graduated Summa Cum Laude from McMaster University with a B.A. Honours in Political Science and a minor in International Justice and Human Rights. In 2002, Mark received his law degree (LL.B.) from Western University, and in 2011, he received his Master of Laws in Constitutional Law (LL.M) from Osgoode Hall Law School.

 

Mark was born and raised in Burlington. Mark lives in Burlington with his wife Doris, their two daughters, Naomi and Sophia, and their dog T.J.

Deepa Ganatra

Deepa is a registered physiotherapist with over 30 years’ experience treating athletes of all ages. She is currently self-employed as a physiotherapist and a Learning Facilitator for Sport for Life Physical Literacy programs.

A lifelong resident of Hamilton -Burlington, Deepa is very involved in her community as an active member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority (a women’s organization serving the community), Beta Xi Chapter, and BSP Burlington City Council Executive. For over 15 years, she energetically participated in Parent Councils at Fairview Glen Montessori School and John T. Tuck Public School, and served as a team trainer and assistant coach for the G01Y competitive soccer team (BYSC).

 

This is Deepa’s sixth year serving on the Board. She has participated in various Hospital committees and is Chair of the JBHF Diwali Community Garba event. Deepa is honoured to serve her community as a JBHF Board member. Deepa and her husband of 29 years have raised their four children in Hamilton/Burlington since 2001.

Andrea Gordon

Andrea spent the first ten years of her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers providing risk assurance, tax planning and advisory services to various industries including real estate, retail, construction and franchise operations.

Andrea currently leads the Client Advisory Group at GI Professional Corporation, where she provides guidance and hands-on support in bookkeeping, short-term tax compliance, and payroll administration. With a focus on efficiency and clarity, Andrea helps businesses stay organized, meet their obligations, and make informed financial decisions.

Andrea is an avid skier and has a real passion for interior design. She is also a Board Member of The Charity of Hope, working to generate resources to make an impact on the lives of children and youth in communities across Canada. She lives in Burlington with her husband and two small children.

Michael Hatcher

Michael Hatcher is currently the Michael Lee-Chin & Family Industry Professor at DeGroote School of Business. Prior to this, he was the Head of Global Equity at Invesco Canada and the lead manager of the Trimark Fund. While at Trimark Investments, he served as Co-CIO and Director of Research. Michael has extensive experience managing concentrated portfolios across Global, European, US, and Canadian equities and developing equity research teams. His investment philosophy is rooted in identifying and understanding high-quality global businesses and evaluating the attributes of successful management teams.

Michael graduated with a M.Sc. in Econometrics from the London School of Economics, a Master of Mathematical Finance from the University of Toronto, and a B.A.(Hons) Economics from Carleton and a B.A. Statistics from Carleton. He is a CFA Charterholder.

 

Michael and his wife Linda have lived in Burlington since 2002. Their three children were raised in Burlington and are now either at university or just starting their careers.