Board of Directors

  • Linda Garcia

    President and Co-founder

    Linda Garcia is a seasoned professional with over 40 years dedicated to enriching the lives of older adults. Beginning as a speech-language pathologist aiding stroke survivors, she later became a university professor, conducting research and advocating for older adults, including those with dementia. Linda's leadership roles include founding a research institute and leading university health sciences programmes. As she embarks on this new chapter, she is determined to leverage her expertise and skills to ensure that older adults thrive and flourish.

  • Catharina Van Es

    Treasurer

    Catharina spent most of her career working in the financial services industry where she honed her skills of prospecting, presenting and leading teams. After a 40-year career, she retired from BMO Bank of Montreal and found a way to give back to her community through working on projects that benefit older adults. This has been a truly rewarding experience for her.

  • Louise Bélanger-Hardy

    Secretary

    A lawyer by profession, Louise Bélanger-Hardy has had a long career as an academic, specializing in health law, consent and liability issues. She is interested in the human rights of older persons and intergenerational relationships. She advocates for the adoption of an international convention on the rights of older persons, a step that is long overdue to protect people as they age. She has been a member of several research ethics boards and has worked as an adjudicator within the regime regulating health professions in Ontario. She believes ageing is a privilege and is pleased to be part of the work of the MIROIR Foundation.

  • Tim Hutchinson

    Co-founder and Director

    Tim Hutchinson has a longstanding interest in the development of services for older adults. Educated in Social Work and Public Administration, his work experience and professional career encompasses the health and social service sectors, public health and government policy development. As a community activist and advocate Tim is passionate about the importance of diversity, inclusion and health equity.

  • Amélie Gauthier-Beaupré

    Director

    Amélie Gauthier-Beaupré holds a Ph.D. in Population Health from the University of Ottawa where she focused on policy-making that supports older adults’ self-management of disabilities using information and communication technologies.

    Amélie is passionate about supporting older adults to continue to live meaningful lives, as shown through her involvement in numerous scientific publications and research project collaborations, as well as her past entrepreneurial activities. In all her work, she builds on her personal experiences and academic knowledge to deepen the collective understanding on the impacts of aging and, most importantly, to uncover opportunities for diverse groups of older adults across Canada.

Our Supportive Volunteers

Charles Jia

Charles Jia is a BSc graduate from the University of Ottawa, and is completing a Master’s in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of Western Ontario. His previous and current projects have been related to aging, quality of life in older adults, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, clinical epidemiology, and breast cancer.

Ishika Tripathi

Ishika Tripathi is a recent BSc graduate from the University of Ottawa with an interest in aging and health related research. She has been involved in several research projects in the past related to the wellbeing of older adults, people living with dementia and palliative care. She is excited to continue supporting the wellbeing of older adults by promoting joyful programmes through the MIROIR Foundation.

Tom Price

Tom has 30 plus years of senior management experience in both the private and public sectors. His prior positions and consulting engagements have included leadership roles with major hotel; resort brands such as Fairmont and Marriott, Destination Marketing Organizations as well as in the Healthcare sector. Through his unique approach to branding and repositioning, he has helped organizations re-invent their approach to marketing, business development and service delivery. Tom was the recipient of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada’s Innovator of the Year award in 2006 and has received provincial acknowledgement for his digital marketing campaigns. He has spoken at past industry conferences on a variety of topics.

National and International Advisors

Thomas Jelley - Finland (UK-France)

Thomas Jelley is a British-French former lawyer currently based in Helsinki, Finland. Following an MSc in sustainable development he has many years international experience in corporate sustainability, thought leadership and stakeholder engagement. Areas of particular interest include demographic ageing and the changing lifecourse. Having previously enjoyed collaboration with Canadian researchers and practitioners in the field of older adults' wellbeing. He is pleased to participate in the development of the Miroir Foundation.

Emi Kiyota - Singapore (Japan)

Dr Emi Kiyota is an environmental gerontologist, consultant and organizational culture change specialist; with more than 20 years of experience in designing and implementing person-centred care practice in long-term care facilities and hospitals globally. 

Dr Emi Kiyota is a founder of charitable organisation Ibasho, dedicated to co-creating socially integrated, sustainable communities that value their elders, embodying in the Japanese concept of a place where one feels at home being oneself.  She is currently looking into incorporating Ibasho into the Health District@Queenstown in Singapore.

Nidhi Mishra - India

Nidhi Mishra, Associate Professor of Applied Psychology at GITAM (Deemed to be University), holds a PhD in Psycho-Social Gerontology from the University of Allahabad. Her expertise spans national and international research, focusing on diverse psycho-social issues such as health, wellbeing, environmental concerns, and marginalized groups' experiences. With a special focus on aging, she contributed to UNFPA's project on Indian aging knowledge and represented India in the UN International Programme on Aging. Mishra founded Senior Express, promoting active aging in India. With extensive experience in academia and social sectors, she remains dedicated to advancing psycho-social gerontology and inclusive education.