Board of Directors

Tom was just recently elected as Board Chair of the Chesley Hospital Foundation, his second time serving in this capacity. He feels that he can make a strong practical contribution to the Foundation, as he has a long standing relationship with the Chesley Hospital, given that he was born there.

Tom is a strong believer in supporting and giving back to the community. Tom lives and farms in the Dobbinton area. He graduated from the University of Guelph with a BSc in Agriculture, and returned to the family farm.

Tom serves in a number of roles with the Dobbinton United Church, including as Coordinator of the Canadian Foodgrains Project. He is also a long time Director of the Howick Mutual and the former Grey Bruce Mutual Insurance Company, and has experience in many roles as Board Chair, Chair of Audit & Finance, Chair of Conduct Review Committee and Chair of the Nomination Committee.

Tom is a member of Innovative Farmers of Ontario, a member of Bruce County Soil & Crops, and a Past Director of OFA. He is also a member of the Saugeen Field Naturalists, Owen Sound Field Naturalists, Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory and the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere. He is also a member of the Chesley Curling Club.

Tom is married to Karen, who has worked in healthcare for 35 years. They have been involved with many community organizations and fundraisers over the years. Tom enjoys hiking, kayaking, fishing, and exploring the Grey Bruce area.

Ben Rier serves as a Director on our Chesley Hospital Foundation Board, currently in the capacity of Vice-Chair. He is also a Director of Trillium Mutual Insurance Company and an active member of the Tara Rotary Club. When not spending most of his time volunteering, Ben earns a living as a licensed Realtor with Coldwell Banker.

Ben’s experience also includes domestic and international sales and marketing with Elanco Animal Health, and he also owned and served as President of H. Nicholson and Son and Penner Farm Services in Ontario. He is also a former member of the Canada East Equipment Dealers Board of Directors.

Ben was raised on a farm just south of Chesley and currently resides with his family in Tara.

Colleen joined the Chesley Hospital Foundation Board in early 2021, and was recently elected Treasurer.

Colleen is local to Grey-Bruce, having lived and worked here most of her life. She has over 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry. Before recently accepting a Commercial Account Manager role, Colleen worked in multiple retail bank branches throughout Ontario and also completed her CSC, CPH and WME designations while working for a local Investment firm. She is excited to be able to share some of her banking and financial experience with the Hospital Foundation.

Colleen has also been especially active in the Tara community, volunteering on the Arran-Tara Elementary School SCC (parent council), as a Sunday School teacher, and also having been involved with Tara Minor Soccer as Secretary/Treasurer for the past 14 years. She feels very fortunate to be raising her very active household of 4 teenagers in such a supportive and vibrant community!

Colleen is very excited to continue her volunteering in an area she loves, in service to the Chesley Hospital Foundation, as the hospital is such an important part of the community.

Chris joined the Chesley Hospital Foundation in March of 2020 just as Covid 19 hit, just as we went into an emergency lockdown and Zoom meetings became a thing. Recently retired after almost 34 years working for the South Bruce Grey Health Centre, Chris spent the first 23 years of her career at the Chesley site in the Dietary department and the final 10 years at the Walkerton site in the Purchasing department.

Chris brings an inside perspective of the hospital to the foundation. She feels passionately that our small town hospital is vital to our personal health and must be kept up to date. She also believes our hospital keeps our community strong and ready for growth.

Chris and her husband Doug live in Chesley where they raised two daughters and are now the proud grandparents to four adorable grandkids.

Jennifer Isber-Legge has been on the Board of Directors since 2021. Jen lives north of Chesley on Legge Beef Farms and currently works as Grants and Donor Relations Coordinator for Community Foundation Grey Bruce. Past roles in event management, fund development, and volunteer coordination were with Alzheimer Society Grey Bruce, Memorable Designs and her own business, the Bee's Knees Flowers and Cards.

Jennifer has held volunteer positions locally that include the Physician Recruitment Gala, Chesley Medical Clinic Expansion and Bruce County Beef Farmers as well as many roles with minor sports and our local schools.

Jennifer considers herself an "outsider" (gardening, hiking, camping, etc.) and loves to promote and explore her home community with her husband Scot and their children Taylor and Colton. This year she has started logging sections of the Bruce Trail with a goal to complete by 2025.

Bruce is currently a board member with Hospital Foundation and has been serving in various roles since 2011.

He sees his role with the hospital board as an opportunity to give back to the community that's been his home. He believes that the hospital is a vital part of our community and that the foundation serves an important role to help keep our hospital equipped with up-to-date technologies.

Bruce loves his grandkids and appreciates a well-manicured lawn.

Lindsay grew up on the family farm just North of Chesley and cash crops it with his wife Sherry. They have two children, Heather and Matt and two grandchildren, Ava and Shea.

After graduating Agricultural College in 1977 he worked at the BNPD for 36 years, mostly in Mechanical Maintenance Fuel Handling.

Lindsay joined the Chesley Hospital Foundation 6 years ago and is very proud of how the Foundation has grown into the organization that it is today, especially during the difficult Covid times. He is currently the Past Chair, having just completed two years as the Foundation’s Chair.

Lindsay is very active with the Chesley Curling Club and was the president of the men’s division. He is still active in the organization of the club. If you want to curl Tuesday nights, give him a call!

Karen was born in Somalia and raised in Ethiopia and Kenya. After attending high school at Rift Valley Academy, Kenya, she attended Grove City College, Pennsylvania, where she received a B.Sc. in molecular biology. She then attended Linfield School of Nursing, Oregon, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and where she was proposed and accepted for membership in the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. After college, she worked as a Registered Nurse in Family Practice settings with an emphasis on pediatrics and telephone triage.

Karen moved to Chesley with her husband and children in 2003. When the subject of the move came up, she discovered local roots – although her paternal grandparents had met, married, and farmed in Saskatchewan, she discovered her grandfather’s family were from Neustadt and her grandmother’s folks from Durham.

Karen joined the SBGHC Chesley Hospital Auxiliary in 2013 and has been President since 2017. As President, Karen is an ex officio member of the Foundation.

Stephanie (Steph) is the Hospital Representative on the Foundation Board.

Steph grew up in the Grey Bruce area and currently resides with her family in Bruce County. She has been part of SBGHC for the past 17 years as a Registered Nurse and most recently as the Patient Care Manager at the Chesley Site.

Stephanie has a true understanding of rural healthcare and the role that the staff and the members of the community have in ensuring that quality healthcare is provided in our local communities.

Leslie is the South Bruce Grey Health Centre – Board Representative.