BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Executive Committee
_PNG.png)
Mr. Ray Hupfer (he/him)
President
Ray practiced income tax law in Alberta for more than 30 years. He has retained a part-time counsel role with an Alberta based law firm. He also does some private equity work. He has served on a hospital foundation board in Edmonton and was chair of the board for two years. He is a current board member and Treasurer of a US based foreign aid organization and is past chair of that board.
Ray and his wife permanently moved to Lake Country in 2021 after many years as part-time residents and are proud to make Lake Country their permanent home.
They have two adult sons who reside in Alberta but are frequent visitors to Lake Country. Ray and his wife enjoy all the outdoor activities that Lake Country offers including kayaking, paddleboarding, hiking, snowshoeing and skiing.
Arlene Pagtakhan, MD (she/her)
Vice President
Arlene is a retired family physician. She graduated from the University of Manitoba medical school, did her rotating internship at Dalhousie University and her family medicine residency at McGill University. She worked in different parts of Canada, including in the Arctic and at Community Health Centres in Ottawa.
​
She and her husband moved to Lake Country in 2018 after they had both retired. Since then, she has been involved in various volunteer organizations in the area. Besides currently working with Lake Country Health, she is also a special events volunteer with the Central Okanagan Food Bank.
​
She enjoys skiing at Big White, hiking, walking on the rail trail, reading and baking.
​Ms. Nola Lagace, BSc (she/her)
Treasurer
Nola is a Manager, Sales Support for Royal Bank of Canada. She has spent the last 12 years in the financial service industry, specializing in Commercial Lending for the majority of that time. Nola brings eight years of previous board experience to Lake Country Health, with significant financial expertise to oversee the budget and reporting activities of the organization. She is a proud Lake Country resident with her husband, energetic toddler son, and two dogs.
Mrs. Maeann Effa, RN (she/her)
Secretary
Maeann is a Registered Nurse with a clinical specialty in emergency nursing. She has over three years of experience working in emergency departments across the province as well as providing home health care solutions to elderly and vulnerable populations.
Maeann has also spent time in the field of mental health and substance abuse learning how best to provide necessary resources to under-served populations. She is passionate about expanding health care access to at risk groups, and finding creative ways to bridge the gap between our healthcare system and local community needs.
Maeann is excited to join the LCH board to help further their initiatives. She lives in Lake Country, and when she isn’t working you can often find her hiking with her husband, baking sourdough, or canning fruit from the local orchards.
Members At Large
Ms. Bonny Taylor, RN, MSN (she/her)
Past President
Bonny is Registered Nurse and a Senior Instructor in the University of British Columbia- Okanagan School of Nursing, with a clinical specialty in gerontological and emergency department nursing.
Bonny has a long historical connection with LCH-her mother was one of the founding members of the organization and she has been involved as a volunteer since the organization’s start in the 1980’s. Throughout her time on the LCH board, Bonny has served in various capacities based on the organization’s needs. Bonny lives in Lake Country with her large family, with many grandchildren, and one very spoiled cat.
​Ms. Brittany Egan, P.Eng (she/her)
Past Secretary
Brittany is a program manager for Neovasc Inc’s Tiara and Reducer’s implantable medical devices. With over 10 years of experience in the cardiovascular and neurovascular medical device field, her expertise in HR leadership, risk management strategies, stakeholder engagement, and organizational strategic planning are huge assets for the LCH Board.
Born and raised in Kelowna, Brittany loves the outdoor Okanagan lifestyle. You can typically find her with her husband and two sons biking along the rail trail, hiking up Spion Kop or cross-country skiing up at Sovereign.
​Dr. Cynthia Mathieson, PhD (she/her)
Member at Large
Cynthia is Professor Emerita at the University of British Columbia (Syilx Okanagan Nation territory) with expertise in community and health psychology. As a senior administrator at UBC Okanagan, she held the appointments of Head of Psychology, Dean of the Irving K. Barber Arts and Sciences, and Provost & Vice-Principal Academic. When considering where to contribute her broad and advanced senior administration expertise, Cynthia was attracted to LCH’s successful history of community service and its commitment to a shared future vision. She lives in Kelowna with her husband, enjoying Nordic skiing, cycling and the occasional tennis.
Mr. Marten Youssef (he/him)
Member at Large
Marten Youssef is the Associate Vice President of University Relations with UBC Okanagan. He oversees the campus’ relationship with the public, including in the areas of marketing, media relations, community engagement and ceremonial activities on campus. Prior to joining UBC Okanagan, Marten held various roles globally in communications and journalism, including leading the public affairs team of the United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Marten holds a master’s of business administration from Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, a BA in political science and government from Trinity Western University, and a graduate certificate in journalism from Langara College. Marten moved to Lake Country with his family in 2022.
Mat Marinucci (he/him)
Member at Large
Mat Marinucci is currently the Vice President of Strategy & Planning at FlexMD, a healthcare management services company which builds, owns, and operates its own clinics. Over the past three years, he spearheaded the development of a groundbreaking healthcare ecosystem, introducing innovative co-located Primary Care clinics with Mental Health, Sports Medicine, and Pharmacy services, recently completing the design, funding, build, and staffing of a 5400 sq. ft flagship clinic in Markham, ON.
Mat was previously the Principal of a boutique consulting firm specializing in strategy development, implementation, and execution with over 12 years’ experience across the management consulting, health care, merchant banking, manufacturing, oil & energy, and environmental industries.
Mat is a proud resident of the Central Okanagan and can often be found hiking Knox Mountain or swimming at Paul’s Tomb.
Community Representatives
Councilor Todd McKenzie (he/him/his)
District of Lake Country, Council Member
​​
Mr. Trevor James, CPA, CA (he/him/his)
Director of Finance & Administration, Chief Financial Officer
District of Lake Country