Menu
Our Guiding Light

Board of Directors

Our volunteer Board of Directors provides governance and strategic oversight for the organization.

Our Board is comprised of members who bring professional skills, knowledge, and expertise to guide the organization.

The Board sets the mission and strategic direction, ensures strong financial stewardship, oversees organizational performance, and holds the CEO accountable.  

Meet Our Directors

(biographies coming soon)

Michael Sherwood, Chair

Michael Sherwood, Chair

Lisa Delaney is a lawyer in the litigation group at Cox & Palmer’s Halifax office. She maintains a diverse litigation practice, with a focus on commercial disputes and insured claims. Her experience includes contractual matters, debt recovery claims, expropriation, real property disputes, estate litigation, and actions involving property damage and personal injury. Lisa has worked with financial institutions, government bodies, and a broad range of commercial enterprises. She has appeared before all levels of court in Nova Scotia. Beyond her work at Cox & Palmer, Lisa has been a member of The Advocates’ Society’s national Young Advocates’ Standing Committee (2020 - 2024) and Atlantic Regional Advisory Committee (2020 – 2025).

Lisa Delaney

Lisa Delaney is a lawyer in the litigation group at Cox & Palmer’s Halifax office. She maintains a diverse litigation practice, with a focus on commercial disputes and insured claims. Her experience includes contractual matters, debt recovery claims, expropriation, real property disputes, estate litigation, and actions involving property damage and personal injury. Lisa has worked with financial institutions, government bodies, and a broad range of commercial enterprises. She has appeared before all levels of court in Nova Scotia. Beyond her work at Cox & Palmer, Lisa has been a member of The Advocates’ Society’s national Young Advocates’ Standing Committee (2020 – 2024) and Atlantic Regional Advisory Committee (2020 – 2025).
Dr. Alexa Yakubovich is a social epidemiologist whose mixed-methods research program aims to advance a rigorous understanding of what causes and can prevent violence against women and gender-based violence more broadly. She holds a PhD in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation from the University of Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Dr. Yakubovich is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University and Affiliate Scientist with Nova Scotia Health and the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at Unity Health Toronto. In addition, Dr. Yakubovich serves as an Associate Scientist with the Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit, a Scholar at the Healthy Populations Institute, and a Research Fellow at the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research. She is actively engaged in multi-sector research that informs service design and policy reform across Canadian and international contexts. Board of Directors for the Halifax Refugee Clinic; Board of Directors for the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre on Family Violence Research. Dr Yakubovich serves on the NECHC Board of Directors as she is committed promoting health equity and wellbeing in our community and working with others who share in this vision.

Alexa Yakubovich

Dr. Alexa Yakubovich is a social epidemiologist whose mixed-methods research program aims to advance a rigorous understanding of what causes and can prevent violence against women and gender-based violence more broadly. She holds a PhD in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation from the University of Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Dr. Yakubovich is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University and Affiliate Scientist with Nova Scotia Health and the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at Unity Health Toronto. In addition, Dr. Yakubovich serves as an Associate Scientist with the Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit, a Scholar at the Healthy Populations Institute, and a Research Fellow at the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research. She is actively engaged in multi-sector research that informs service design and policy reform across Canadian and international contexts. Board of Directors for the Halifax Refugee Clinic; Board of Directors for the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre on Family Violence Research. Dr Yakubovich serves on the NECHC Board of Directors as she is committed promoting health equity and wellbeing in our community and working with others who share in this vision.
Ken Power

Ken Power

Michael Haddad

Michael Haddad

Lisa is the President of NovaGlide. She has extensive experience in strategy and operations, helping teams navigate change and set clear priorities. She focuses on practical approaches that strengthen collaboration and support long-term success. Her background in strategic planning and organizational leadership supports NECHC’s purpose as leaders in community-driven health and wellness. Raised in Northern New Brunswick, Lisa is fluent in French and brings a strong appreciation for Acadian culture and inclusivity. She holds an MBA from Saint Mary’s University and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Nova Scotia Regulator of Dental Hygiene, Dental Technology, and Denturism, as well as Saint Andrews Arts Council. "I believe NECHC truly is a leader in community-driven health and wellness. I feel privileged to get to contribute to the impactful work being done here."

Lisa Caron

Lisa is the President of NovaGlide. She has extensive experience in strategy and operations, helping teams navigate change and set clear priorities. She focuses on practical approaches that strengthen collaboration and support long-term success. Her background in strategic planning and organizational leadership supports NECHC’s purpose as leaders in community-driven health and wellness. Raised in Northern New Brunswick, Lisa is fluent in French and brings a strong appreciation for Acadian culture and inclusivity. She holds an MBA from Saint Mary’s University and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Nova Scotia Regulator of Dental Hygiene, Dental Technology, and Denturism, as well as Saint Andrews Arts Council. “I believe NECHC truly is a leader in community-driven health and wellness. I feel privileged to get to contribute to the impactful work being done here.”
Mary Lynn VanTassel, CPA, CA, serves as the Executive Lead, Health System Sustainability at IWK Health, where she brings a wealth of expertise in financial management, operations, project and change management. In this role, she is responsible for developing, translating, and implementing IWK Health’s sustainability strategy, which is aligned with both provincial transformation efforts and the organization’s strategic goals. She also oversees Environmental Services and Waste Management. Before assuming her current position, Mary Lynn held several key leadership roles at IWK Health, including Director of Financial Services & Treasury and Acting Chief Operating Officer (COO). During her time as Acting COO, she co-led the strategic initiative focused on environmental sustainability, which sparked her passion for sustainability and played a pivotal role in the creation of the Health System Sustainability portfolio. Before joining IWK Health, she spent 12 years in a range of financial and operational leadership positions at McInnes Cooper. Mary Lynn earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in accounting from St. Francis Xavier University. She obtained her Chartered Accountancy (CA) designation, now Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), in 1999 while working at Grant Thornton LLP. It was during her time at Grant Thornton that Mary Lynn developed her connection with IWK Health, as she was involved in the annual financial statement audit for IWK Health and the IWK Foundation. Outside of her professional work, Mary Lynn is actively engaged in her community. She currently serves as a Board Member and Chair of the Financial Oversight and Risk Committee for the North End Community Health Center, as well as a Board Member and Secretary for the Nova Scotia Chapter of the Financial Management Institute (FMI). Mary Lynn lives in Halifax with her husband Bruce, their two sons, Alexander and Joshua, and their dog, Cooper.

Mary Lynn VanTassel

Mary Lynn VanTassel, CPA, CA, serves as the Executive Lead, Health System Sustainability at IWK Health, where she brings a wealth of expertise in financial management, operations, project and change management. In this role, she is responsible for developing, translating, and implementing IWK Health’s sustainability strategy, which is aligned with both provincial transformation efforts and the organization’s strategic goals. She also oversees Environmental Services and Waste Management. Before assuming her current position, Mary Lynn held several key leadership roles at IWK Health, including Director of Financial Services & Treasury and Acting Chief Operating Officer (COO). During her time as Acting COO, she co-led the strategic initiative focused on environmental sustainability, which sparked her passion for sustainability and played a pivotal role in the creation of the Health System Sustainability portfolio. Before joining IWK Health, she spent 12 years in a range of financial and operational leadership positions at McInnes Cooper. Mary Lynn earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in accounting from St. Francis Xavier University. She obtained her Chartered Accountancy (CA) designation, now Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), in 1999 while working at Grant Thornton LLP. It was during her time at Grant Thornton that Mary Lynn developed her connection with IWK Health, as she was involved in the annual financial statement audit for IWK Health and the IWK Foundation. Outside of her professional work, Mary Lynn is actively engaged in her community. She currently serves as a Board Member and Chair of the Financial Oversight and Risk Committee for the North End Community Health Center, as well as a Board Member and Secretary for the Nova Scotia Chapter of the Financial Management Institute (FMI). Mary Lynn lives in Halifax with her husband Bruce, their two sons, Alexander and Joshua, and their dog, Cooper.