BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bill Rodnick, Board Chair

I joined the Valley manor Board in March 2022. I am presently serving in my 9th year as a Councillor for the Township of South Algonquin. I have almost 30 years experience working in the banking and financial services area. I have held various positions within the banking industry such as branch Manager, Financial Planner and Chief Credit Officer. I mainly focused on analyzing financial statements in order to approve and assess risk of large commercial and Agricultural loans.

My wife and I have lived on Aylen Lake for the past 15 years. I have spent the last 7 years working for Northern Credit Union. Recently I, as of December 31 2021, have retired. I am a strong believer in giving back to your community. Thus, the reason for running for Council. I also spent a couple of years on the Board of Directors for St Francis Memorial Hospital. Prior to moving to Aylen Lake, I also co-managed a baseball league for over 300 children and was also a leader for Junior Achievement , which is a program which teaches high school students to start, manage and operate an actual business.

We have 2 adult children and have 3 lovely grandchildren. I am very happy to join this board and look forward to the opportunity of being a part of making life better for the residents and employees of the Valley Manor.

Jill Vermaire, Secretary/Treasurer

I joined the Valley Manor Board in 2019. I have 30 years’ experience working as a clerical front line worker in Health Care. My experience spanned Switchboard/Admissions, Emergency, Cardio-Respiratory and finished my career in Oncology as Clerical Team Lead all at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie, Ont.

In June of 2017, I retired and along with my husband, we moved to our cottage on Aylen Lake.  I have two adult daughters, Alanah and Heather. 

Annabel Marsh, Vice Chair

I joined the Valley Manor Board of Directors in March 2022. My recent return to Canada and to the Barry’s Bay area as a permanent resident, prompted my desire to get involved in the local community. Living and working internationally for 33 years has had a positive impact both personally and professionally. I am no stranger to meeting and working with people within a variety of cultural contexts, and I consider learning as a lifelong journey, and welcome the opportunity to contribute where I can.

Most recently, while living in France [2008 -2021] I did extensive consultancy work for the Aga Khan Development Network [AKDN] in their Academies unit. My work was professional development in nature and took me to Kenya, Mozambique, and India. There I developed programs and worked with local government school teachers, as well as teachers in the Aga Khan academies, to improve their English language teaching proficiency skills. My career in the field of English language teaching and learning, has spanned 30+ years, during which time I lived in Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Wales, and France, and worked in both educational and industrial settings.

I have been involved in various communities. In France, I served a full 6-year term on the municipal council in my local village. I have volunteered in the organization and running of Christmas fairs, and have participated in a variety of amateur musical productions, all for the purpose of raising funds.

I have a BA in Education Studies and an MA in Applied Linguistics

Gwen Brown, Board Member

I was very pleased to join the Valley Manor Board of Directors in January, 2024.  My family have had a cottage in the area for over 65 years and I became a permanent resident in 1990.  The beauty of this community has been a draw since early childhood. 

I have had a varied career in health care including front line nursing and management roles across various sectors.  This cross-continuum experience has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the Ontario healthcare system including long term care.  Within the last 30 years, my roles have focused on knowledge translation, transformational change, integration initiatives, implementation of best practices and the development of strategic partnerships.  Leading interdisciplinary, provincial project groups has given me insight into working with dynamic, diverse partnerships to achieve shared goals.  I have also had the pleasure of leading community consultations and patient advisory groups enabling a greater understanding of and response to identified needs and successes.

My education has included Bachelor degrees in Arts and Education and a Masters in Integrated Studies. 

Outside of the healthcare field, I have had an ongoing interest in supporting the community I live in through various volunteer positions including membership on the Executive for my lake association, the Killaloe Curling Club and, when my children were young, the local school parent advisory council and the Killaloe Library Board.  I very much look forward to working with, learning from and contributing to the Valley Manor Board of Directors. 

Liz Polatynski, Board Member

 I joined the Board in February. I have been in the nursing profession for 50 years starting as a daughter of St Michael's Hospital in Toronto where I developed my interest and commitment to serving vulnerable communities including the urban poor, inner city population, underhoused and homeless and those with persistent serious mental health issues including addictions.

I started as a front line staff nurse and worked for the next 35 years in various positions including critical care, education, and Clinical Leader Manager. I developed an interest in the role of Nurse Practitioner as a means of extending service to vulnerable populations; I have a Masters Degree in Advanced Clinical Nursing Practice; I have practiced for the last 17 years in primary care and as a hospitalist at CAMH for 10 years.

Having retired and moved to Barry s Bay to the family cottage, I volunteered at the Madawaska Palliative Care Hospice and eventually was hired as an NP at the Madawaska Valley Family Health Team. It was my profound honour and pleasure to establish the NP practice with the support of the Board of Directors in order to provide access to care for the members of the community who did not have a primary care provider. Our aim was to provide service to the most vulnerable members of the community . I am currently a locum covering the NP practice.

It is my great pleasure to have been selected as a member of the Board of Directors to assist with the governance of VM; I believe in the strategic vision of caring for the caregivers and look forward to supporting Valley Manor as they step forward into the future.