Heather Cross RN MN MScN – Board Chair: Heather is proud to be associated with the WRNPLC in her role as Board Chair. In addition to this role, Heather provides academic leadership for the Practical Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Continuing Education Nursing programs at Conestoga College. She brings to this role experience in direct patient care in surgical nursing and both pediatric and adult critical care as well as fourteen years as nursing faculty. Research interests include youth health and wellbeing, clinical nursing education, and ethical challenges in nursing global health placements. Current leadership projects include increasing access to nursing education through expanding nursing programs and delivery options, implementing projects to strengthen the philosophical foundations of compassionate professional nursing care, and supporting safe patient care through expansion of accreditation and monitoring processes. In her board role, she is committed to supporting health care change that improves equitable access to primary health care and the resources needed for health and wellbeing. She is a graduate of Conestoga College (Diploma RN), University of Calgary (Bachelor of Nursing), University of Toronto (Master of Nursing) and University of Guelph (Master of Science).
Dianne Dal Bello RN BScN MScN APN – Board Secretary: Dianne is a Nursing Faculty Member with the McMaster Conestoga Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) Program. After graduating from the University of Western Ontario MScN Program, she went onto to complete the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Toronto. She worked as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in Gynecologic Oncology for 14 years before moving into her current academic role where she is teaching in Level One and Two of the BScN Program at Conestoga College. While working at the London Health Sciences Center, Dianne was a member of various committees such as Cancer Care Ontario Disease Site, Gynecologic Oncology Nursing Professional Practice. She continues to support the scholarship of teaching through her academic work and participation on committees including Faculty Development and Faculty Representative for McMaster Student Nursing Association. Dianne was born and raised in Cambridge where she currently resides with her husband and two children.
Hellen Jarman RN(EC) BScN MN NP-PHC GNC(C) – Director. Hellen is a Nursing Faculty Member at Conestoga College and a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. She completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Western University. Hellen’s academic work is centred on clinical reasoning and preparing nursing students for entry into the workforce. Her clinical work experience is focused on medically fragile and vulnerable populations in the areas of emergency medicine, internal medicine and geriatrics. Hellen has contributed to local and provincial initiatives to improve transitions across care settings to optimize patient outcomes. Hellen was born and raised in Kitchener where she lives with her husband and daughter.
Aya Kadhem- Director. Aya is a 4th-year undergraduate student at Wilfrid Laurier University pursuing an Honours BSc in Health Sciences with a minor in Psychology. She moved to Kitchener from Ottawa with her family in 2021 to attend university at Laurier. Aya has a diverse professional background in a variety of industries, including early childhood education, insurance, and administration, with a main focus in the medical field, having previously worked in healthcare in Ottawa for a number of years. She has since transitioned to the law, currently working as a full-time legal assistant at Gehl & Gehl Professional Corporation. Aya plans to continue her academic journey to obtain a Juris Doctor and implement her distinctive blend of healthcare and legal experience into a career in mental health law.
Morris Eddy- Director. Morris is the Vice President of Human Resources at AirBoss of America. After graduating from McMaster University with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree, he entered the field of Human Resources and has gained experience in all facets of the profession over the past 30 years. As a Certified Human Resources Leader, his career has spanned several industries and includes both public and private sector experience. Morris is the proud father of two sons. Much of his time over the past two decades was dedicated to volunteering with local sports to support their development. He is passionate about team development both personally and professionally. Now that he has the opportunity, he has a sincere interest in learning more about the healthcare industry and contributing to the betterment of health and well-being in the community.
Modesty Sabourin- Director. Modesty is the Director of HR & Operations for itec group Inc. where she plays a key role in the strategic objectives and direction of the company while driving organizational growth. She gained experience in healthcare while in University working with youth living with disabilities as well as in Long Term Care homes; she then began a career in sales and business development and today works in both Human Resources and Finance. Modesty holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster University in Labour Studies and Social Sciences. She is a proud mother of three young men and is active in the community as a member of the Grand Valley HRPA, Co-Founder of the Cambridge Area HR P2P, and is the executive HR advisor to Walking Tree Wellness Centre. After recently spending more than 8 years as a primary caregiver, she has a sincere interest in healthcare reform and hopes to leverage all of her past experiences to support the initiatives in the region.
Ana Araujo– Director. Ana is a Senior HR Manager, supporting Corporate Operations and South West Ontario for Purolator. Ana is also co-chair of the Women in Operations Network at Purolator. After working in HR for almost 30yrs Ana felt drawn to giving back to her community in some way. The opportunity to serve on the Waterloo Region Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic felt serendipitous as it came at a time when Ana was looking to add to her career portfolio in an intentional way. Having experienced the invaluable support from a Nurse Practitioner at a point in her life, the ability to support the profession and the exceptional work the team at WRNPLC does felt right. Ana will utilize her skills and experience to help advocate for the community she lives in, and hopes to drive support and sponsorship for the WRNPLC through her network.