Highlights from the 2024/2025 TVFHT Board of Directors

The Thames Valley Family Health Team Board of Directors welcomed several new Directors and Community Committee Members during the 2024 – 2025 board cycle. This enriched the collective expertise and diversity through a competitive recruitment process guided by their Board Skills Matrix. 

The seat held previously by Jesse Lake was filled by Tristan Squire-Smith. The addition of Dr. Sundas Kellow, John Mockler, and Dr. Jim Stewart brought the Board to its full complement of 11 Directors. 

Key governance milestones included the following: 

• Strengthening Governance: New role descriptions were developed which clarified the responsibilities of Directors, Officers, and Community Members, supporting transparent recruitment and onboarding.
• Modernizing Bylaws: A comprehensive review ensured compliance with the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA).
• Policy Renewal: Several policies were updated to reflect best practices, including governance, and compliance. 
• Strategic Plan Extension: The Board extended the Strategic Plan to 2026. Thames Valley Family Health Team, with the support of the Board of Directors, decided to extend the current strategic plan by two years. They knew there was more work to do on TVFHT’s organizational goals. Also, with Executive Director Mike McMahon on secondment, they planned to wait until the leadership team was back to full strength to begin the important work of creating a new strategic plan. 
• Strategic Oversight: The Board supported the communications rebranding initiative and endorsed the Expression of Interest for Integrated Primary Care Team Expansion. 
• Quality & Performance: Approval of the 2025/26 Quality Improvement Plan, with five optional indicators, chosen based on their alignment with the organization’s performance management commitments, data collection capabilities, and key performance indicators. 
• Learning & Engagement: Directors participated in education sessions on sustainable clinical care, system integration, and collaborative care, while also holding generative discussions on the 2024 Employee Engagement Survey to strengthen trust and culture. 

The Board met nine times over the fiscal year and approved its 2024/25 workplan, ensuring continued alignment with governance priorities and organizational transformation.