Board of Directors
Members of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario’s Board of Directors, elected from across Ontario, guide the organization’s efforts to improve service and care, fund and advance research, and educate the communities we serve.
Paul Methot, Treasurer
As an agile, entrepreneurial and success driven executive with a career spanning 25+ years of diverse leadership, accountability and enterprise-wide influence. Paul Methot brings a verifiable record of year over year success achieving revenue, profit, cost reductions and market growth. A visionary change leader with a consistent record of transforming challenges into expansive business opportunities. Paul has proven exceptionally successful in building relationships and empowers teams to develop business acumen, leadership skills, and operational expertise.
Paul has a passion for the food service industry, travel, world history, and volunteer work. Paul is a passionate supporter of the Alzheimer Society, continuing to care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Dr. Komal Bhasin
Dr. Komal Bhasin is a seasoned public sector professional with nearly 20 years of experience as a consultant, strategic advisor, and operations leader in Ontario's health and social service sectors. As the founder of Insayva, Dr. Bhasin works at the intersection of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and mental health, using an anti-oppressive decolonization approach when partnering with public sector and not-for-profit organizations that are committed to amplifying their impact.
Komal has worked in a range of contexts including providing one-on-one counselling to individuals and families; community development and advocacy; and leading large-scale strategic and operational initiatives in healthcare institutions and across government. Komal previously served on the board of Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO), and on the board of the YMCA of Greater Toronto.
Komal brings a deeply personal connection to the Alzheimer Society of Ontario Board as she has experience supporting a loved one on their journey with dementia.
Camila Vital Nunes Pereira, PhD - Senior Manager, Development & Communications
Camila is a Black woman born and raised in Brazil. She understood from a very young age that race relations, identity and gender roles were central not only to her family but to herself and that skin color in Brazil dictates your role, future and existence within society. Since childhood Camila has been involved in philanthropy through her family’s community initiatives. Her career in the charitable sector is a means to contribute towards the eradication of all forms of prejudice preventing the advancement and betterment of humankind. Camila is the Senior Manager, Development & Communications at Child Development Institute in Toronto, an avid researcher and consultant on issues of race, gender, diversity, social justice and equity, as well as a coach to Brazilians involved in philanthropy and fundraising in Brazil and Canada. She holds a PhD in Public Policy/Public Administration & International Relations.
Camila is a co-editor and contributor in the book “Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love” a collection of personal testimonies written by 15 Black American and Canadian non-profit professionals about racism and exclusion in the sector. She is a member of the Black Canadian Fundraisers Collective; and serves on the Board of Ciranda Brasileira Community Association, a Brazilian non-profit organization focused on disseminating and strengthening the Brazilian culture and language amongst Brazilians residing in Toronto GTA.
Vanita Varma, PhD
Vanita is a high-performance strategist with 20+ years of executive leadership experience in community healthcare sector. As a visionary and a systems thinker, her expertise includes organizational leadership, operational planning, board governance, change management, policy development & stakeholder engagement.
Vanita is the founding Director of Centre for Innovation in Health and Wellness at Humber College. Her prior roles included CEO of a Community Health Centre and Executive Director of community mental health organization..
Vanita holds a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership and Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from University of Toronto. She currently serves on the Board of Crossroads International and is a coach and mentor at Social Venture Zone at Toronto Metropolitan University and at Massey College, University of Toronto.
Her prior community leadership roles included past Board Chair and member at William Osler Health System, leadership committee of Mississauga Community Foundation and United Way’s South Asian Advisory Council.
Michael Ptasznik
Michael is an experienced Board Director and retired Senior Executive, who served as the Chief Financial Officer at Nasdaq, Inc. and TMX Group Inc. In those roles he had responsibility for finance, strategy, external communications, risk management, ESG, real estate and administration. He has also served on numerous for-profit and not-for-profit boards, including the Accounting Standards Oversight Council of Canada, the Children's Aid Society of York Region and he is currently Chair of the BOX Options Market, LLC. Michael is a CPA and Chartered Director. Having had the experience of dealing with the consequences of dementia and Alzheimer’s with both of his parents, Michael has a keen interest in assisting with the escalating demand for research, care, and support.
Lawrence E. Davis
Lawrence is an experienced finance executive having served as Chief Financial Officer and consultant for organizations undergoing operational and technology transformation mandates.
Chief Financial Officer roles include British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, a $200B+ provider of investment management services for British Columbia’s public sector, the Workplace Safety Insurance Board, one of the largest insurance organizations in North America and Hydrogenics Corporation (NASDAQ:HYGS/TSX:HYG), a provider of alternative energy products (fuel cells/electrolyzers). More recently, Lawrence has provided financial and technology advisory services to financial institutions undertaking business/technology transformational activity.
Governance experience includes Board, Audit Committee Chair and Chief Financial Officer roles for publicly listed corporations (NASDAQ, TSX, TSX-V), public sector financial institutions and not for profit organizations. Community involvement as a guest lecturer at the Rotman School of Management MBA program on the development and use of complex financial models.
Lawrence is a Chartered Professional Accountant (Fellow), Chartered Insolvency and Restructuring Professional (CIRP) and member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D).
Sabrina Hundal
Sabrina is an MD/MBA candidate at the University of Toronto and holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences from Western University. She also completed a Graduate Diploma in Health Research, focusing her thesis on the impact of falls in patients with neurodegenerative diseases.
Sabrina has particular interests in patient education, healthcare strategy, and systems-level change. She sits on the Board of Directors at Lupus Ontario and the Halton-Peel Community Aphasia Programs. She also serves on the Academic Board at the University of Toronto, and as the Fundraising Coordinator at the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Canada.
During her time at Western University, Sabrina volunteered with the Alzheimer Society in Middlesex, gaining firsthand insight into the challenges faced by individuals with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. This experience was deeply personal for Sabrina, as she witnessed her own grandmother's courageous battle with Alzheimer’s. Sabrina is eager to leverage her experience to advance the organization’s mission of improving the quality of life for those impacted by Alzheimer's and other dementias.