Board of Trustees

Jason P. Shannon has been working with Shannex Incorporated since 1999. In 2001, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer and took over development and operating responsibilities for the organization. In 2006, he was appointed President and COO of Shannex which today serves over 4,000 seniors. Prior to joining Shannex, he practiced law with Stewart McKelvey. Jason also serves currently as a director of the Loran Scholars Foundation and is chair of their Investment Committee. He is a past director of Health Association of Nova Scotia, Chair of the Nova Scotia Continuing Care Council, Atlantic Institute of Market Studies and the Atlantic Institute of Aging. Jason holds both a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie.

Paul Beesley served as a corporate director since 2018. He was Chief Financial Officer of Hudson's Bay Company from 2014 until his retirement in 2017. Prior to joining HBC, he held the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Empire Company Limited from 2000 until 2014. Paul sits on the Board of Orlando Corporation and holds various designations including ICD.D, CPA, MBA from Saint Mary’s University and a B.Sc. from Dalhousie University in addition to having completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Jim M. Dickson is the Chair of Empire Company Limited. He is counsel to the law firm of Stewart McKelvey, with over 30 years of experience practicing primarily in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities prior to his retirement from the partnership in 2016. Jim serves as a director of Clearwater Seafoods Incorporated,Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. He is the past Chair of the Board of Regents of Mount Allison University and past Chair of the IWK Health Centre Foundation. Jim holds a Certificate in Engineering from Mount Allison University, a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Calgary. He is a professional engineer and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2010.

Heather Grey-Wolf is the Chief Development Officer of Infrastructure Ontario, a position she has held since 2021. As CDO, Heather leads IO’s $45 billion Development program. Her portfolio consists of 71 sites across three business lines, including transit-oriented communities, social purpose projects, and landmark projects. Since joining IO, Heather has built a team of development professionals and a portfolio of 100,000 housing units in 110 million square feet of mixed-used real estate. Heather’s expertise is a unique blend of development leadership in both the public and private sectors. She has over 20 years of progressive experience in the real estate and development industry across Canada. Heather is passionate about leading development projects at scale, building team culture, and driving results. Heather has an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, a B.Arch and B.Sc from McGill University, and is a licensed architect with the Ontario Association of Architects.

Michael Vels, now retired, is the former Chief Development Officer of Empire Limited and Sobeys Inc., where he was responsible for leading Empire's real estate, technology, strategic sourcing, enterprise project management and mergers, and acquisitions activities. Michael was previously Chief Financial Officer of Empire from 2017-2021. Prior to Sobeys, Michael was Chief Financial Officer of Hydro One, where he led that organization's Initial Public Offering in 2015. From 2004-2014, Michael served as Chief Financial Officer for Maple Leaf Foods, leading the company's finance, mergers and acquisitions, information technology and communications functions. In 2014, he was named Chief Transition Officer, leading the restructuring of senior management and back-office functions. Michael serves as Treasurer of Canada's National Ballet School. He was educated and earned his Chartered Accountant designation in South Africa and prior to joining Maple Leaf Foods, worked in public accounting and mergers and acquisitions in South Africa and the United Kingdom. He has also earned his ICD.D designation.

Karen has over 20 years of experience in real estate, public financial accounting, reporting and corporate operations. Now retired, Karen was most recently President and CEO of MCAN Mortgage Company. Prior to that, Karen was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of publicly listed corporations DH Corporation (2014-2017) and First Capital Realty Inc. (2004-2014). She held previous positions as Senior Vice President and CFO at Brookfield Properties Corporation, Canadian Operations and Gentra Inc. Karen is currently a Trustee of Northwest Healthcare Properties REIT, where she also serves as an audit committee member, and a member of the Board of Directors for MCAP Commercial LP. She holds a BBA from Old Dominion University and an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a licensed, retired, public accountant (CPA) from Washington State, USA. Karen holds a NACD CERT in Cybersecurity Oversight.

Vivek Sood spent the last 25 years of his career with Empire and Sobeys Inc., where he held various senior positions, including Vice President, Finance & Administration, Senior Vice President, Pharmacy Group, and Executive Vice President, Related Businesses. Prior to retiring in July 2024, Vivek was a member of Empire’s Executive Committee and also Executive Sponsor of Empire’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy, as well as their Enterprise Resource Planning initiative. Vivek holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University. He received his Chartered Financial Analyst Designation in 2004 and completed the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program in 2021. In 2020, Vivek was named CEO of the Year by Atlantic Business Magazine and was inducted into their Business Hall of Fame in 2023. Raised in Crombie’s hometown of Pictou County, Vivek is a strong believer in the power of community and has dedicated much of his career and personal time to developing future leaders, enriching communities, and building partnerships, including various Board roles. He currently serves as Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of 1st (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field Artillery, Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) Regiment.