Board of Directors

Heather Cross- Board Chair

Sandra Hett RN, BaS, BScN, MN – Vice Chair: Sandra has worked in a nursing capacity, primarily in the Emergency Department in St. Michaels Hospital and Southlake, moving to leadership roles early in her career. She experienced progressive leadership opportunities at several Toronto hospitals and continued that path at St. Mary’s General Hospital and to her current role as VP Clinical Programs and Chief Nursing Executive at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Her leadership focus and contribution has been valuing patient experience and viewing models of care with the lens of clinical outcomes, patient experience and all members of the inter-professional team practicing to achieve their full scope of practice.

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.

Giordano Modesto- Director: Giordano is a Community Legal Worker at Waterloo Region Community Legal Services, a community legal clinic specializing in ‘poverty law’. He focuses on direct client service, community development, public legal education, and law reform work. He has been instrumental in the implementation of the Legal Health Checkup program at WRCLS, as well as various outreach and legal education activities in Waterloo Region. Prior to this, he was a student at Wilfrid Laurier University, graduating with a B. A. in Criminology in 2015. Outside his work in the community legal clinic system, Giordano lends his talents as a bassist to three Hamilton area bands.

Karen Gehan- Treasurer: Karen has accumulated extensive experience through her work in a wide range of clinical settings and roles throughout her nursing career.  After graduating from Queen’s University School of Nursing, she spent several years working in the ICU in Toronto, the Niagara region, Hamilton, and in Bermuda. She earned a role as a Clinical Educator for the Emergency Department and ICU Programs while living in Bermuda. On return to Canada she joined St. Mary’s General Hospital as a Clinical Educator in the Surgical Program.  She subsequently gained valuable management experience as Program Manager of the Surgical Program at St. Mary’s.  After completing the Nurse Practitioner program at McMaster, Karen worked as one of the original Nurse Practitioners at the Waterloo Region NPLC and has now been at Kitchener Downtown CHC for several years as a Nurse Practitioner. Karen completed a Master of Education degree at Brock University, where her thesis focused on continuing education of nurses.  She has experience as a prenatal instructor and has taught nursing continuing education courses at several community colleges.  Karen is an enthusiastic lifelong learner, who is passionate about accessible quality health care for everyone and the importance of quality improvement initiatives in healthcare.

Michelle Godin- Director: Born and raised in Kitchener, Michelle graduated from the Registered Nursing Assistant Program and Diploma in Nursing program at Conestoga College in 1992 and 1996, graduating with honours and receiving an Award of Distinction. She then went on to complete a BScN and a Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate at McMaster University in 2007. A lifelong learner, she is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Leadership at the University of Guelph. Michelle started her career providing home visits and eventually became a Case Manager for the Community Care Access Centre. She has a wealth of nursing experience, ranging from providing emergency care in remote Northern Nursing Centres to being a clinical instructor in the nursing program at Conestoga College. For the past 13 years, she has provided primary health care at the Boardwalk Medical Clinic in Waterloo. Her repertoire of experience also includes working with the College of Nurses Quality Assurance Program as a Peer Assessor and a contributing writer of questions for the jurisprudence exams. She is currently a preceptor to BScN and Nurse Practitioner students, sharing her knowledge in helping to educate and train the next generation of nurses.Michelle continues to develop and enhance her leadership skills in providing holistic primary care throughout the lifespan. She is passionate about clinical research and improving everyone’s access to quality, universal health care. An avid outdoors lover and sportswoman, she enjoys hockey, golf, baseball and kayaking

Brandee Faulds- Director