Board of Directors

Martin Black has been a member of the Hillel Lodge Board of Directors since 2017.  He lends his expertise both as a practising lawyer and with decades of experience in serving on numerous charitable and non-profit boards, for various health, educational and arts organizations.

Jim Farrow has been a member of the Hillel Lodge Board of Directors since 2016 and President of the Board since August 2020.  Jim is a licensed Architect with the Ontario Association of Architects and a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.  In 2015, after 28 years, he stepped away from active full-time practice as a senior architect and firm principal and owner.  He continues with his volunteer activities as an active member of various OAA and other architectural committees as well as at the community level as a board member at Hillel Lodge.  He also does part time architectural and project management consulting through Farrow Levine Inc.

Dr. Janet Dollin has been a member of the Hillel Lodge Board of Directors since 2018.  Originally from Montreal, Dr. Dollin has been a community family physician in Ottawa since 1996 and teaches as an Associate Professor in the University of Ottawa Department of Family Medicine. She is a daughter, a mother, a wife, and a grandmother above all else! Working on the Board of Directors of Hillel Lodge gives her an opportunity to shape needed changes in long term care and give back to her community.

Randy Greenstone is a senior manager with the accounting firm Crowe BGK. Randy has extensive experience in the areas of accounting, tax, audit, business advisory, internal audit, risk assessments and fraud and litigation support. Randy is a CPA, CA and holds a Diploma in investigative and forensic accounting and is Certified in financial forensics.

Moving past her professional achievements, Randy has used her skills to benefit her community. Randy has sat on numerous Board of Director positions including treasurer and vice president.

Daniel joined the Hillel Lodge Board of Directors in 2020.  Daniel is from Long Island, New York and has been living in the National Capital Region since 2015.  Daniel is a communications and policy professional who works with clients on issues related to diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation. In addition, Daniel is a Fellow at the Public Policy Forum and a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

Ruth has been doing volunteer work all of her adult life with many organizations and became a member of the Hillel Lodge Auxiliary over 20 years ago.  Her first job with the Auxiliary was organizing volunteers for the Auxiliary Gift Shoppe, then she went on to Assistant Treasurer, Vice President for 3 years and President for 4 years. She is currently the Auxiliary representative for the Hillel Lodge Board.  Ruth is a mother of 6, grandmother of 21 and great grandmother of 11.  She has a strong connection to Israel as 3 of her children live there. 

Shirlee Engel joined the Hillel Lodge Board of Directors in 2021.  She is a senior multi-platform media, communications and public affairs strategist with 20 years of experience in storytelling, media relations, crisis communications, and public policy. She has a knack for building relationships and helping great organizations navigate the noise to get the attention they deserve.

As an award-winning national news correspondent for Global News, Shirlee covered domestic and international politics, federal budgets, election campaigns, public policy, and the economy. She also worked in the non-profit sphere, leading media relations for the Canadian branch of a global organization focused on fighting inequality and promoting women’s rights.

Francie has over 25 years of experience in communications and public relations, with her last engagement as the Director of Communications for the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.

Originally from Toronto, Francie spent 8 years as a Communications Officer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). She moved to Ottawa in 1989, initially working in communications on the opening of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and thereafter, as a Communications Officer for Ottawa’s local CBC television and Radio stations.

During her 13 years working for Federation, she had numerous opportunities to connect with the staff and residents of the Lodge and was always impressed with the tremendous work it does on behalf of the Jewish community’s most vulnerable. Ottawa in general, and Ottawa’s Jewish community in particular, are fortunate to have such a welcoming and caring long-term care facility that continues to provide excellence in long-term care.  

Her volunteer experience includes working on the annual R.E.A.C.H. auction, serving on the Board of the Soloway Jewish Community Centre, and serving on the Communications Committees of the Hopewell Eating Disorders Support Centre and the National Initiative for Eating Disorders.

Jonathan Mitchell joined the Hillel Lodge Board of Directors in August 2020. Since 2018, he has held the role of Vice-President, Research and Policy, at HealthCareCAN. In this role, Jonathan leads research, advocacy and policy development for member academic health sciences centres, hospitals, and healthcare organizations across Canada. Jonathan also serves on numerous national healthcare advisory committees and has volunteered for local causes in Ottawa and Montreal.

With over 15 years experience in national policy and research roles, Jonathan previously worked for the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), Accreditation Canada, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Jeffrey has been an active supporter of the Lodge since his own grandfathers lived in the Lodge in the late 1980s. Over the past 12 years he has been a top fundraiser and participant in the annual Biking for Bubbies event.

Jeffrey’s mother became a resident in 2015, and his father in 2017. He served as a volunteer member of the Family Council and joined the Board in 2017. He has a deep appreciation and understanding of the work the Lodge and its staff do to support their residents.

Jeffrey has decades of experience in retail business, management and sales. He understands service, staffing and problem-solving in real time, and aims to use these skills to serve the Lodge’s residents. He believes it is important that we give the residents, our community’s legacy, the best quality of care.

Peter Stelcner joined the Hillel Lodge Board of Directors as well as the Audit and Finance Committee effective September 2019.

Attained CPA, CA designation December 1978. Worked in public accounting in Montreal between 1975 and 1987. Moved from Montreal to Ottawa in 1987 and acquired an equity interest in The Starship Group of Companies carrying on business in the courier and logistics platform.  Serving as CFO of Starship from 1987 to present.