Governance

Bob Andrews has practiced law in St. John’s since 1974. A Dalhousie University Law Graduate, Bob also received a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from Memorial University in 1971. He is a King’s Counsel and a Master of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The main focus of his practice is business law, specifically corporate/commercial law, real estate development and financing, labour and employment and business, construction, and labour litigation.

Bob has been a volunteer in the health-care field and other industries for more than 30 years. He was president of the Canadian Mental Health Association, both national and provincial, chair of the Waterford Hospital, finance chair of the Health Care Corporation of St. John’s, vice-chair of the Eastern Regional Health Authority and also recently served as chair of the Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada. He has also served as president of the Rotary Club of St. John’s, the Avalon Minor Hockey Association and the Naval Officers’ Association of Canada, Newfoundland Branch. In 2012, Bob was a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his community service.

Originally from Corner Brook, Bob, and his wife Diana, reside in St. John’s and have four children and eight grandchildren.

Michelle Baikie is currently a grade four teacher in Sheshatshiu Innu School, Sheshatshiu, NL. She graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with her Bachelor of Science in Medical Photographic Communications in 1994. Michelle then pursued her Bachelor of Education (Elementary) degree from Memorial University in 2003, her Master of Education (Literacy) from Mount Saint Vincent University in 2007, and her Master of Philosophy (Educational Research) from the University of Cambridge in 2010.

Her career has included positions as cultural consultant and counsellor, school administrator, ophthalmic photographer at the Toronto Hospital – Western Division, and as a telemedicine coordinator for the Labrador-Grenfell Health Authority. Michelle is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (England).

Michelle has volunteered on numerous boards and committees, including the Grenfell Foundation, Them Days, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, and the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (Happy Valley-Goose Bay Chapter). She has been a re-appointed member of the Memorial University Board of Regents where she serves as vice-chair of the Governance Committee. Michelle is also a member of the Board of Directors for The Rooms Corporation and a board member on the Engineers and Geoscientists Disciplinary Panel.  She was also the former chair of the Governance Committee with Labrador-Grenfell Health Authority.

Michelle is a Nunatsiavut beneficiary and a Labrador Inuk educator and photographer who loves to do photography during her spare time. From 2017 to 2021, Michelle was a town councillor for Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. She served as chair of the Finance, Administration and Policy Committee; member of the Municipal Services Committee; member of the Community Services and Recreational Special Events Committee; and member of the Economic Development and Public Engagement Committee.

Dr. Catherine Bradbury began her career in family medicine where she served her patients for 30 years. A keen interest in the management and administration of public health systems led her to obtain a Diploma in Health Service Management from the Canadian Hospital Association. With the completion of her MBA (honours), Dr. Bradbury migrated towards medical administration, spending 25 years as a medical consultant and associate deputy minister with the Department of Health and Community Services.

Dr. Bradbury is respected as a credible voice in decision making, and has an extensive background in negotiations, mediation, and arbitration. She has served on the Atlantic Provinces’ peer review program of physicians, the Disciplinary Committee of the NL College of Physicians and Surgeons and has been a provincial representative on several national committees including the National Medical Consultants Committee, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, and Government of British Columbia’s representative for a physician arbitration process. Dr. Bradbury also has experience with health-care government having served as a trustee of the Board at Eastern Health from 2020-2023.

In her free time, Dr. Bradbury enjoys quilting, reading, hiking, and practicing/teaching Pilates.

Ms. Bradshaw (P. Eng., FEC, ICD.D) is a professional engineer who graduated from Memorial University in 1981 with degrees in Science (Mathematics) and Civil Engineering. In recognition of her exceptional contributions to the engineering profession in Canada, she was bestowed the designation Fellow of Engineers Canada in 2015 by the national association. Janet is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and holds the ICD.D designation

Janet’s organizational leadership roles have included CEO and Registrar of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland and Labrador, General Manager of the St. John’s Transportation Commission (Metrobus) and General Manager Greater Vernon Services Commission, where she led the Water Utility, Economic Development and Parks, Recreation and Culture Departments in Vernon, British Columbia.  She is a trained facilitator and mediator, having served as a Civil Mediator in the British Columbia Provincial Court System..

Always an active volunteer, Janet has served locally as director on the St. John’s Board of Trade, St. John’s Folk Arts Council, Professional Engineers and Geoscientists NL and the City of St. John’s Local Board of Appeal. Regionally, she was the founding chair of Atlantic Infrastructure Management Network and nationally, vice-chair of the Canadian Urban Transit Association. Janet currently serves on the Board of Chartered Professional Accountants.

Born in Winterton and having grown up in Gander, Janet now lives in St. John’s and enjoys gardening, camping and hiking with her husband Scott and their two Havanese dogs. 

Ms. Forsey (FCPA, FCA, ICD.D) graduated from Memorial University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Commerce Honors (Co-operative), and received her Chartered Accountant (CA) designation in 1984. In recognition of her dedicated service to the institute, the profession and the community she was appointed a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Newfoundland in 2013. Ms. Forsey is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and received the ICD.D designation in March 2017.

Ms. Forsey has served as a Board Trustee with Eastern Health from 2015 and as Chair of the Finance Committee since 2017.

Her career has included positions with various multi-national and national corporations. Ms. Forsey was Director of Taxation with Inmarsat, a multinational satellite telecommunications company where she was responsible for tax compliance and planning for the worldwide organization. Prior to her position with Inmarsat, she was Director of Tax for CHC Helicopter Corporation. Ms. Forsey also held a variety of positions with Bell Aliant predecessor companies in Newfoundland (both NewTel Enterprises and Newfoundland Telephone). She articled with Deloitte and was a partner in the tax practice prior to leaving to pursue her career in industry.

Ms. Forsey has been very active as a volunteer, having served as Chair of the CA Education Foundation and as a director of the Board of Chartered Accountants of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as chair of several other committees of the Institute of CA’s. She has also volunteered extensively with school and sports committees and in a variety of roles in her church community.

Ed Goudie is a retired administrator with the Government of Canada. He began his career after becoming a certified electronic technologist at the College of the North Atlantic in St. John’s.

Throughout his 32 plus years with the federal government, Ed held several positions, starting as a technologist with the Canadian Coast Guard, then as maintenance foreman. He later became station manager and rounded off his career as coordinator of operations for the LORAN-C System. During Ed’s time with the Coast Guard, he also spent 12 years as part-owner of a pharmacy.

Ed is a committed volunteer in his home community and has served on the local school board, as board member with the College of the North Atlantic and was a member of the St. Anthony town council. He was also involved in various rural development projects in the community, volunteered with Grenfell Memorial Co-op, and the Grenfell Historical Society and dedicated 27 years to the International Grenfell Association.

Ed has resided in St. Anthony since 1971 with his wife, Betty Jean, where his time is spent enjoying family, travelling and volunteer work. He has three children and five wonderful grandchildren.

Dr. Colleen Hanrahan is a specialist in public policy with a particular interest in human services. She has degrees in Public Policy and Administration, Law, Social Work, and Political Science and has worked throughout the province and nationally.

In 1998, she established a private consulting firm which conducted reviews and evaluations on a wide array of topics including health care, mental health, housing and homelessness, and court services. Dr. Hanrahan has also lectured at Memorial University’s School of Social Work and Department of Political Science.

Combining her knowledge of health care and legal systems, her doctoral research informed the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s decision to transfer responsibility of health services from the prison administration system to the health care system. Dr. Hanrahan resides in Witless Bay and is an active member of the Witless Bay Heritage Committee. She is most notably recognized for assisting in the restoration of a former convent and chapel located in Witless Bay that was originally constructed between 1850 and 1860. Through her efforts, the building is now recognized as a provincial heritage structure, and as one of Canada’s historic places.

In her free time, Dr. Hanrahan enjoys travelling and participating in her two book clubs.

Tara Laing has over 25 years of professional communications experience in areas such as strategic planning, issues and crisis communications management and stakeholder relations. She holds a senior leadership role at Marine Atlantic as Director of Corporate Communications and leads the team responsible for the strategic development, planning and execution of employee and external communications for the federal crown corporation. Prior to joining Marine Atlantic in 2002, Tara held various public relations positions within the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Her service included roles in Executive Council, Mines and Energy, Tourism Culture and Recreation, and Industry.

Tara holds a Bachelor of Public Relations degree from Mount Saint Vincent University, a Bachelor of Arts and a Certificate in Public Administration from Memorial University, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) designation. Tara joined the Board of Trustees for the Eastern Regional Health Authority in 2017 and also held the position of chair of the Quality Assurance Committee responsible for overseeing the quality of care provided throughout the organization, including patient and staff safety. She also volunteered with Waypoints, a not-for-profit multiservice agency offering a variety of programs to youth and families at risk including residential, youth employment, outreach, and family support in a variety of roles on their Board of Directors including chair, vice-chair, and member.

Tara lives in St. John’s with her husband, Brian, her daughters and dog, Loki. She enjoys spending time outdoors and is developing a keen interest in gardening. 

Candace Matthews is a communications professional with a background in financial services and community and social development. She has been working in the credit union system for over 12 years and is currently the Manager of Member Experience and Communications at Atlantic Edge Credit Union (AECU). In her role at AECU, Candace and her team work to promote the credit union’s value proposition by strengthening member relations and co-operative understanding. 

As an avid community volunteer and co-op enthusiast, Candace was a founding member of the Growing Our Future Childcare Co-operative (GOFCC) in Port aux Basques. GOFCC was the first new centre-based, non-profit childcare to be established in the province in over 12 years, and the only childcare co-op in the province. Candace also holds board positions with several other community service organizations, including the Status of Women Council, the Community Employment Corporation, the Community Advisory Council, and Autism Involves Me (AIM).

Since joining the credit union, Candace has dedicated most of her professional development opportunities to learning about co-operative and social enterprise management, development, and leadership. Candace is a Prosci Certified Change Management practitioner and a graduate of the University of Victoria’s Public Relations Program. She is also a founding member of Atlantic Canada’s Collective for Emerging Leaders (ACCEL), which serves as a human capital partner of the Atlantic credit union system, giving system leaders access to a network of skilled emerging leaders while also connecting emerging leaders to one another. Candace is currently pursuing a Master of Management, Co-operatives and Credit Unions, through the International Centre for Co-operative Management at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax.

In her spare time, Candace enjoys reading, curling, kayaking, hiking, and exploring beaches and coastlines. She and her husband, Colin, have two sons, Isaac and Sam, and one rescue dog named Rosie.  

David Oxford earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Manitoba and from 2003 to 2012, was a social worker with Child Protection Services which included work in foster care, adoptions, and Youth Corrections Services. He is currently a social worker with the Department of Education, Early Childhood Division, where he inspects and case manages licensed childcare services throughout central Newfoundland.

David is currently commissioner with the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission and the Central Newfoundland and Labrador Appeal Board (Department of Municipal Affairs). He is also a member of the Grand Falls-Windsor Lions Club, the Grand Falls-Windsor Kiwanis Club and is chairperson with Central Newfoundland and Labrador Kiwanis Music Festival. He served as trustee with Central Health from 2019 to 2023; with the Nova Central School District from 2009 to 2012; and as chairperson of the Dover and Area Community Family Coalition from 2008 to 2012.

David is the second youngest of 11 children and is happily married to his wife, Natasha, and the proud father of two children, Noah and Faith.

Retired Justice David Peddle served over 44 years on the bench, the longest sitting judge in Newfoundland and Labrador history. His tenure included 33 years on the Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador and 10 years on the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. He also served as a Deputy Judge of the Territorial Court in the Northwest Territories.

David holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Memorial University and a Bachelor of Law degree from Dalhousie University. He is past president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Court Judges Association, past director of the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges Association, past member of the Judicia Council of the Provincial Court and is a current member of the Central Regional Implementation for Family Justice Services.

His other volunteer activities include past president of the Gander Rotary Club, past co-chair of the Gander Academy 4-way Test Initiative, founding president of YWCA Gander Branch (Defunct), founding president of Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) Gander Branch (defunct), key organizer for the establishment of the Kiwanis club in Gander and director of the Gander and area SPCA.

David resides in Gander.

Dr. David Sutherland grew up in Grand Falls-Windsor. After completing high school, he spent 14 years in Nova Scotia, where he completed a Bachelor of Science at Acadia University, medical school and specialty training at Dalhousie University.

Dr. Sutherland returned home to Grand Falls-Windsor in 1990 and practiced general urology for 30 years until he retired in 2020. His practice covered the entire former region of Central Health. Along with patient care, he enjoyed teaching medical students, and served time in the medical staff executive, and as Chief of Surgery. More recently, he has been studying the Health Accord as a volunteer member of the Grand Falls-Windsor Healthcare Coalition.

He is happily retired with his wife, Joan, in Grand Falls-Windsor. They enjoy travelling to visit their four children and two grandsons. They also enjoy camping, hiking, running, golf, and pickleball.

David Thornhill has over 28 years of experience in the IT industry. In his current role as Senior Vice-President, Group IT with Inmarsat, David leads a global IT team that delivers strategic and innovative solutions for Inmarsat internally and for its international customer base.  Prior to joining Inmarsat, David worked with Bell Aliant and Xwave where he established and led an ERP consulting practice and was the Managing Director for Xwave Ireland before returning to St. John’s to join Stratos/Inmarsat.

David holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration from Memorial University.  He has also achieved the ICD.D designation through the Institute of Corporate Directors.  David is an executive member of the ICD Newfoundland Chapter and a previous Board member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre of Health Information.

David is a Grand Bank native and now resides in Torbay with his wife, Pamela, and daughter, Mackenzie.

Lloyd Walters is a retired educator with over thirty-five years’ experience in the K-12 school system in Newfoundland and Labrador. He has been a teacher, principal, program development and implementation specialist, a school development and strategic planning specialist and an Assistant Director-Personnel in several school districts in Western Newfoundland and Labrador.

He has studied science, education, curriculum development and implementation and leadership at Memorial University as well as program development and implementation at McGill University, Vanderbilt University and Colorado State University.

Lloyd served on the Board of Trustees of the Western Regional Health Authority for six years. and was acting chair of the Authority at its dissolution. He was a member of the Finance, Credentials and Privileges and Executive Committees and chair of the Quality Assessment and Strategic Planning Committee.

He served as a councillor and Mayor of the Town of Burgeo where he founded the Burgeo Transportation Commission, with representation from all local communities. It spearheaded the initiative to build and pave the Burgeo Highway.

Lloyd was also the founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Burgeo Broadcasting System, a not-for-profit community-based company that currently provides television services to the Town of Burgeo and internet service to Burgeo and nearby communities as well as to several communities in the Codroy Valley.

Lloyd has been the chair of the West Newfoundland Regional Appeal Board for the past five years and over that period of time have adjudicated nearly fifty appeals.

He has had extensive experience on volunteer and not-for-profit boards including within his church community, Big Brothers-Big Sisters of NL, Corner Brook Minor Hockey Association and Crime Stoppers Newfoundland and Labrador.  He is a past secretary, past treasurer and Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Mount Patricia Cemetery Association.  He also served six years as treasurer and two as president of the Long Range Shrine Club, Corner Brook and was selected Shriner of the Year for Newfoundland and Labrador for 2016. He is a Past District Grand Master – Western and a Past Grand Junior Warden of the Grand Lodge of Newfoundland and Labrador.

During his leisure time Lloyd loves to spend time in the outdoors gardening, boating, hiking, hunting, fishing and snowmobiling in Western Newfoundland and Labrador. He spends the summers with his wife, Linda, and their children and grandchildren making memories at their cottage on Sandy Lake.