jbates@opatoday.com

Justin J. Bates began his career in the advertising and marketing business before transitioning into the health insurance industry where he worked as a consultant for a pharmacy benefit manager and as a principal in a health insurance brokerage. He has spent more than 15 years advocating on behalf of the pharmacy sector in various capacities including as Chief Executive Officer of the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada (Neighbourhood Pharmacies). In his current role as Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Pharmacists Association, he brings a strategic, collaborative and transformative leadership approach while advocating and advancing the pharmacy profession.

In addition to a bachelor’s degree in political science and psychology, Justin holds a negotiation certificate from the Harvard Negotiation Institute and has completed the Institute of Corporate Directors program and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management Executive Program: Not for Profit Governance Essentials. He also serves as a Board Director for the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy.

azottola@opatoday.com

Amedeo Zottola joined the Ontario Pharmacists Association in 1995. He is the organization’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Senior Vice President and is responsible for all accounting, revenue, fiscal and insurance issues for the organization. In this role, Amedeo works collaboratively with the organizational leadership team and the Board of Directors to ensure the objectives set out annually are implemented at the staff level.

He is the lead staff liaison on OPA’s Insurance Committee and Audit and Finance Committee, and in his role as CFO, he manages all confidential issues such as materials and contract negotiations.

Amedeo is a Chartered Professional Accountant with a Bachelor of Business Management from Ryerson.

ldavidson@opatoday.com

Lilliette Davidson has spent 15 years working in a wide variety of industries from pharmaceutical, retail and manufacturing to medical diagnostics, laboratory sciences and consumer packaged goods.

She joined the Ontario Pharmacists Association in March 2020 and is responsible for leading the key portfolios within the organization that include Professional Development, and Membership Services. She also leads the development of new business ventures and partnerships with OPA stakeholders.

Lilliette has held senior level leadership roles where she distinguished herself in the key areas of customer experience, digital experience, patient service operations, sales and business development.

Before joining OPA, she was Senior Director, Customer Experience and Inside Sales at McKesson as well as Director, Service and Support. During her 4 years at McKesson, Lilliette played a significant role in creating a new inside sales model & team and led a large-scale pharmacy banner integration for the technology business unit.

Prior to joining McKesson, Lilliette also held key positions at LifeLabs Medical Laboratory and Dynacare

She has served on the Board of Directors for the Barrie Community Health Centre, as VP on the Arts Advisory Board for the City of Barrie and is currently a Board Advisor for Customer Service Professional Network (CSPN). She has an MBA (Lansbridge University), BA (University of Toronto) and has certificates in Six Sigma and Change Management.

She enjoys being a registered yoga teacher and group fitness instructor at Oxygen Yoga and the YMCA. She is a proud and passionate mother and wife and as a family they are very much into sports and athletics.

chair@opatoday.com

Jen Baker was appointed Chair in June 2019.

Jen was first elected to the Board of Directors as the District K (now Eastern Ontario) representative in 2017. A 2013 graduate from the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, Jen is passionate about the need to embrace pharmacists’ expanding scope of practice in both the community and hospital setting. To that end, she has achieved her designation as a travel health specialist and has spearheaded a profitable travel clinic within her community pharmacy.

Jen’s experience as a student advocate and participant in student government is indicative of her enthusiasm for advancing the interests of the profession.

districtn@opatoday.com

Tim Brady was elected as Vice-Chair in 2019. In June 2016, he was elected to the OPA Board of Directors as District N Representative. He has been a member of the OPA Insurance Committee since 2013. He was also a member of the Ontario College of Pharmacists Accreditation Committee in previous years, and has been a Board member with the Essex County Pharmacists Association since 2005 (he served as president from 2010-12).

A graduate of Ferris State University with a BS in Pharmacy, Tim is the pharmacist owner of two independent pharmacies in Essex County. Prior to opening his own pharmacy, Tim worked as a Shoppers Drug Mart Associate for a number of years. During this time, he was also a member of the United Association of Pharmacist Franchisees Board, which advocates for and support Shoppers Drug Mart associates/owners.

Tim was the lead pharmacist in the “We Can Quit” program for smoking cessation, and a member of the 2011 Rotary District 6400 Vocational Training Team to East Timor.

districtm@opatoday.com

Michael graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1990 and is currently the o

r of two Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies on Yonge Street in Toronto. Michael has operated in seven different locations, gaining experience that spans over a wide variety of pharmacy practices (long-term care, methadone, 24-hour, new opening, high and low volume, corporate) and jurisdictions. He was also a district manager for two years in British Columbia.

Michael served as a Board member on the British Columbia Pharmacists Association represe

ng Victoria, B.C. and is currently a finance officer on a condominium Board of Directors. Michael was the recipient of British Columbia Pharmacists Association’s Award of Achievement in 1997 and Shoppers Drug Mart Associate of the Year Award for the Greater Toronto Area in 2017.

districtm2@opatoday.com

Hitesh Pandya joined the OPA Board of Directors as the District M (now Central Ontario – Metro Toronto) Representative in June 2016.

Since 2001, Hitesh has operated pharmacies in the Greater Toronto Area; he is currently an Associate Owner at the Shoppers Drug Mart at Yonge and College in Toronto.

Hitesh is a member of the Insurance Committee at OPA, and a past member of the ICRC and Discipline Committee at the Ontario College of Pharmacists. He has been chair of the Shoppers Drug Mart PEERS committee, which is responsible for advocating and representing Shoppers Drug Mart franchisees in their business and professional interests, from 2009-16. In this role, he represented more than 400 Associate Owners.

He is passionate in supporting advocacy for the profession, and bringing pharmacists together, and is actively involved in the education of undergraduate pharmacy students as an EPE and APPE preceptor.

districtl@opatoday.com

Tim Langford is a third generation pharmacist and president of the Langford Group of Pharmacies which operates several community pharmacies across Ontario. Tim is recognized as a dedicated healthcare professional by his local community, and a proud recipient of the Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Award for Developing Naloxone Strategy.

Tim also serves on the McKesson National Advisory Board of which he has been a member since 2005.

districtp@opatoday.com

Bryan Gray was elected as the District P (now Northern Ontario District – Postal Code P) Representative to the Board of Directors for the Ontario Pharmacists Association in June 2018. Bryan is a practising pharmacist and entrepreneur from Thunder Bay, Ontario. He is the director of Oak Medical Arts – a network of multidisciplinary clinics and pharmacies operating in Ontario; Corozon – a consulting firm offering online accredited programming, documentation and hardware distribution dedicated to pharmacist expanded scope of practice, and; Lockwood Telemedicine – pharmacist-led telemedicine platform.

Bryan attended pharmacy school in Halifax at the Dalhousie College of Pharmacy, graduating in 2013. Following graduation, he completed his Certified Diabetes Educator designation, and completed his Master’s in Business Administration from Lakehead University in 2016.

Bryan has been recognized for his accomplishments with various awards, including: Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy – Wellspring Leadership Award 2014; Canadian Pharmacists Association – New Practitioner of the Year 2015; Ontario Pharmacists Association – Innovative Practice Award 2016.

Bryan currently serves as a Board member with the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy, Canadian Diabetes Association (as the regional delegate) and as the pharmacy representative on the Thunder Bay Primary Care Council.

Bryan’s research and practice interests include: point of care testing – diagnostics and screening; multidisciplinary collaborative care and workflow operations and logistics.

Mandip Khela was elected as the hospital pharmacist representative to the Board of Directors for the Ontario Pharmacists Association in 2018.

hospitalrep@opatoday.com

Mandip completed his Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo; Hospital Residency at Trillium Health Partners; and Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo. He is currently employed at Calea as a Pharmacist Supervisor. Previous positions include: Academic Detailer and Content Developer, Centre for Effective Practice; DUE Pharmacist, Hamilton Health Sciences; Renal Pharmacist, Oakville Hospital; and Consultant Relief Pharmacist at various locations. Previous academic rotations include: Centre for Family Medicine, Hamilton Family Health Team, GlaxoSmithKline, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Wal-Mart Home Office. Mandip’s prior work experience also includes working as a pharmacy assistant at Wal-Mart Pharmacy from 2004 to 2012. Mandip also has experience as a lecturer and pharmacy tutor at the University of Waterloo, and as seminar facilitator at the University of Toronto.

directoratlarge4@opatoday.com

Anne-Marie Greaves was elected to the OPA Board of Directors as the Pharmacy Technician Representative in 2019. Anne-Marie is an experienced registered pharmacy technician with a demonstrated history of working in retail and hospital pharmacy environments where she has filled progressive leadership roles with a focus on mentoring, compliance and skills development of the pharmacy technician. Anne-Marie is a skilled vision focused leader, a tactile thinker who has made a life’s pursuit of personal self-improvement. Anne-Marie brings more than 10 years of hands on experience, optimism and boundless enthusiasm for the progression of pharmacy practice.

cpharep@opatoday.com

Deb Saltmarche became past chair of the Ontario Pharmacists Association’s Board of Directors in May 2015. She joined the Board in 2012 as the Ontario Chain Drug Association Representative, and has since chaired the Audit and Finance Committee and the eHealth Working Group, and been a member of the Audit and Finance Committee and the Human Resource and Compensation Committee. In 2015-16 she chaired the Governance and Nominating Committee and the eHealth Task Force in addition to her responsibilities as past chair of the Board.

An experienced executive level pharmacy professional, Deb has worked in a broad range of environments, including provincial and national advocacy associations, national pharmacy organizations, corporate retail, pharmacy information technology, and retail pharmacy management. She has practice experience in England and Canada, in independent and corporate retail pharmacy, and hospital pharmacy. She specializes in creating strategic and tactical direction, introducing and championing change, and finding and implementing solutions that meet the disparate needs of multiple players in complex situations. She has broad strategic perspective and experience in policy development, and in positioning pharmacy and pharmacists within the healthcare system.

Deb has provided consultation services to a wide range of clients including national associations, retail pharmacy organizations, brand and generic pharmaceutical manufacturers, suppliers to the pharmacy industry, and independent consultancy firms. Since November 2011, Deb has been with Shoppers Drug Mart, where she currently holds the position of senior director, Professional Affairs. Her most recent prior positions include vice-president, Pharmacy Affairs at the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores, vice-president, Policy and Professional Practice at the Ontario Pharmacists Association, and vice-president, Rx Canada.

Deb is a past Board member of the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy.

directoratlarge5@opatoday.com

Donnie Edwards is currently serving as the representative of the Owners Advisory Council (Independent Caucus). Over the last 15 years, he has been involved with OPA in a number of capacities including as interim CEO, past chair and chair of OPA’s External Relations Committee. During this time, Donnie initiated OPA’s Drugs of Addiction strategy, and in 2015, he received the lifetime achievement award from OPA.

Donnie has also been a member of the Provincial Methadone Maintenance Task Force, and the Narcotics Monitoring Working Group. He has served as Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor and Regional Clinical Coordinator for the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy, and is a co-owner and operator at Boggio Family of Pharmacies.

Donnie has been involved in the United Way, AIDS Niagara and other local associations. He has published several education articles on diabetes, hypertension, pain management and addiction. In his spare time, Donnie enjoys coaching local basketball teams.

directoratlarge@opatoday.com

Chris Jordan was elected to the OPA Board of Directors in 2016. As a Director-at-Large, Chris brings invaluable business experience to the OPA Board.

As a former president and CEO with Young and Rubicam, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer for CBC and a Consumer Marketing Director at Coca-Cola, Chris has built tangible brand values for these companies and others including Colgate, Pizza Hut, Pfizer, NHL and Ford.

Chris is committed to building and coaching collaborative teams for the purpose of identifying real brand business opportunities and solutions, ultimately delivering lasting brand value for shareholders.

Chris is an advocate of using data to further develop and implement measurable strategic imperatives and initiatives for large brand-based businesses that are managed through multiple stakeholders.

directoratlarge2@opatoday.com

Eric Morrison was appointed to the OPA Board of Directors in June 2016.

A distinguished journalist, Eric led The Canadian Press from 1997 to 2011. He was the first individual from outside the news agency to be appointed CP’s chief executive officer.

During a period of constant change in the media landscape, under his strategic leadership, CP developed new lines of business and digital distribution platforms while remaining Canada’s pre-eminent source of fast, accurate and unbiased news and information. He made The Canadian Press a leader in new media in Canada. CP and Eric personally won numerous awards for journalist excellence in print, online, broadcast and pictures.

Eric worked for the CTV network for 20 years before moving to CP. He had extensive experience in national and international news, including overseas postings and a variety of management positions. Eric served as vice-president of CTV News, and as executive producer of the CTV National News and producer of Canada AM. He led the team that obtained a 24 hour news speciality licence. During his time at the network, CTV News became the most watched newscast in Canada.

Currently he is executive producer of a BNN program about high tech start-ups and innovation in Canada called The Disruptors, hosted by ex-CBC Dragon’s Den personality Bruce Croxon.

Eric sits on the Board of Governors for the National Newspaper Awards, Board of Directors for WE Charity and The Royal Ontario Museum Travel committee.

Directoratlarge3@opatoday.com

As the former Chief Executive Officer at the Ontario Long-Term Care Association, Candace is a visionary registered nurse-turned healthcare system advocate and senior executive.

She has been a tireless proponent for transparency and open communication and understands first-hand the needs of an intricate healthcare system and the administrative, financial and policy environment in which they operate.

Candace is very familiar with patient care and understands the increasingly complex care required to meet their needs.

Having served on numerous advisory, implementation and operational committees at the provincial, regional and local levels, Candace is exceptionally skilled and experienced in building relationships with government and healthcare stakeholders.

Candace’s expertise is a welcome addition to the pharmacy profession.