Jessica is passionate about women and children's healthcare and committed to ensuring the IWK can continue to provide world-class services for generations to come. She has over 20 years of experience as an intellectual property and technology contracting lawyer, acting as a trusted advisor to many of the country's largest organizations on third party risk management, technology acquisitions and licensing, data governance, and transactions involving emerging technologies, including blockchain and AI.

Chris is a partner at Torys LLP, where he has practiced corporate and securities law for 30 years. In 2015, he relocated from Toronto to Halifax to establish and lead the Torys Legal Services Centre, which leverages technology and optimized processes to manage high-volume and recurring legal tasks.

He holds degrees in mathematics (actuarial science), business administration (MBA) and law.

Chris has been a member of IWK Health’s Board of Directors since 2019.

Andrew Jefferies is a partner in Deloitte’s cyber practice, where his focus is the protection of Canada’s critical infrastructure sectors and serving the federal government. With over 25 years in the cyber industry, Andrew was a founding partner in Bulletproof Solutions, a New Brunswick tech startup success story, where he proudly served the businesses and governments of Atlantic Canada for many years.

Karla was appointed to the position of Senior Vice President and Head, BMO Commercial Bank, Atlantic Canada in 2023 where she has responsibility and oversight for commercial banking focused on providing expert advice and customized banking solutions to BMO clients across all four provinces within the region.  Karla has over 25 years of experience in commercial banking supporting various sectors including real estate, mid-market, and corporate clients, both public and private, including debt structuring, syndications, hedging, and full-service