Home » Board of Directors

Board of Directors

Janette Panhuis
Chair

Janette has extensive experience in the healthcare field having started her work career as a registered nurse with Toronto General Hospital and moving through successive health and research management positions to Chief Operating Officer at PHRI, an academic research institute affiliated with McMaster University which she retired from in June 2022. Janette’s previous board activity includes other not-for-profit research network and volunteer activity focused mainly in the school community with Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) including chair of the regional PIC. Living in Georgetown, she places high value in contributing to community, is passionate about healthcare, and is eager to be part of providing quality end-of-life care.

Michele Beals
Director

Michele has extensive experience within the Ontario Health System having held progressively financial and strategic executive roles within three large Ontario Hospitals. She has a Chartered Accountant designation and Masters of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business and will be helping support financial and operational governance at Bethell. Michele currently holds the position of CFO, Vice President of Finance at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and resides in Brampton with her family.

Harmeet Brar
Director

Harmeet is a graduate from York University in Administrative Studies and has been working in finance for over 20 years, currently as a Finance Director for a large construction and materials multi-national. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant registered in Ontario. Harmeet looks forward to making a positive impact with her contributions to the Board. She resides in Caledon East with her husband, daughter, and son.

Barb Di Marco CHRP, CHRL
Director, Secretary

Barb has spent most of her career working in Management positions with Community Living, and non-profit organizations that provide services to people with disabilities.

As an HR Professional over the last 15 years, she brings a wide variety of experience in all aspects of Human Resources. In her latest position before retiring, she worked as an HR Regional Manager with a focus on Labour Relations and is certified in Conducting Workplace Investigations. She looks forward to complementing the Board at Bethell Hospice with this combination of skills and insight. Barb has lived in Erin for the last 13 years and enjoys the quiet serenity of country living.

Darlene Farrow
Director

In 2022 Darlene retired from a 32-year career in telecommunications. Throughout her career she held various senior management positions supporting teams of engineering, strategy, project management, sales support, and customer service operations professionals. Darlene holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo. She is a second-generation Caledon resident. With her husband of 33 years, they raised their 2 adult sons and continue to reside in Caledon East with their teenage daughter. Darlene has seen the impact that Bethell Hospice has made for so many and is happy to have an opportunity to contribute by serving on the Board.

Shellina Haji
Director

Shellina immigrated to Canada from East Africa and completed her high school/post-secondary education in Toronto. She is a graduate from University of Toronto in Computer Science and Mathematics and has been consulting for over 20 years in public and private sectors specializing in eCommerce, ERP and Cloud technologies. Volunteer work has been part of her DNA for over 30 years and has given her time and knowledge to various projects within her community. Shellina enjoys reading, movies, hiking, gardening, yoga and swimming. She is a resident of Brampton for the past 22 years and lives with her husband and two sons.

Alexia Meli
Director

Alexia has been passionately serving her community as an Associate Lawyer at a boutique law firm in Orangeville, Ontario. She has worked at Evans & Adams Barristers and Solicitors since her call to the bar in June 2021. Her practice areas include Residential and Commercial Real Estate, Wills, Trusts, and Estates, Small Claims Court Litigation, and Landlord and Tenant Board Matters. Alexia is particularly recognised for her dedication to assisting those in the vulnerable sector, offering expert legal guidance and compassionate support.

Alexia holds an LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School and an LLB from the University of Leicester. She is a valued member of the Dufferin Law Association and the Ontario Bar Association, where she continues to advocate for and support her community through both her professional and volunteer efforts.

Beyond her legal practice, Alexia looks forward to actively engaging in community involvement and participating in initiatives that support vulnerable populations through the Bethell Hospice Board.

In her spare time, Alexia enjoys paddle boarding, golfing, and spending time with her dog Luna.

Emma Johnston
Director

Emma is an accomplished, results-driven strategic communications leader with over 20 years of experience in the healthcare, not-for-profit, and government sectors. Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, she moved to Canada in 2005 and proudly became a Canadian citizen in 2022.

Currently, Emma serves as the Director of Public Relations and Digital Media for William Osler Health System. She is passionate about advancing her career in the healthcare sector, believing it to be her true calling.

Emma has a proven track record of helping organizations craft and tell their stories thoughtfully, develop and execute strategic communications plans, and build strong media relationships. She excels in crisis communications and change management communications. At Osler, Emma is particularly proud of her role as a team player, committed to building resilient and engaged teams that align with organizational strategic objectives and enhance the institution’s reputation.

In 2024, Emma is excited to complete her final module of the University of Toronto’s Rotman Excellence in Executive Leadership Certificate. In her leisure time, she enjoys family activities, traveling, eating, and some exercise—usually in that order!

Adal Simeone
Director

Adal Simeone is a Senior Human Resources Executive having dedicated her career to leading global strategic HR business transformations, M&A and implementing innovative talent, technology and DEI programs for the public & private sectors. With expertise steering C-Suite and board leaders, she is recognized for broad experience across all facets of HR disciplines and deep expertise in organizational effectiveness and leadership development.

Adal has held several executive roles consulting corporate leaders in defining corporate culture, strategic planning, policy development and crisis management. In her most recent role as Executive Human Capital Leader, she was an integral part of the Executive Leadership Team and HR & Governance Board committee. She played a vital role in defining the company’s strategies for people leadership, culture, talent attraction, compensation, succession, technology, and people analytics and scaling organizational development.

Earlier in her career, Adal held roles at the VP and Director levels traveling abroad across 3 continents, implementing best in class business & HR practices. Overseeing HR operational centers of excellence, engagement programs, disability/ accommodations, risk and compliance for organizations including Government, Professional services, Financial Services, Technology, Automotive, Telecom & energy. She led M&A change strategies and implementations of HRIS and people analytics, changes to total rewards, performance, and succession planning strategies as well as employment investigations and mediations.

Adal is a graduate of University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management. She is a Certified Human Resources Leader with the Human Resources Professional Association for the past 18 years as well as Certified workplace investigator and ProSci change management leader.