Board of Directors

 View Gerry's Profile

Gerry retired in 2018 from Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry where he served as Associate Dean of the Windsor Campus from 2011-2018. He maintains the rank of Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry at Schulich Medicine. Prior to his time at Western he was Associate Dean, Learner Affairs at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and before that he managed the Northern Ontario Region for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

Gerry's professional contributions span four decades and include mental health, addictions and concurrent disorders’ training programs, the production of many educational materials regarding community action, methadone maintenance therapy, tobacco cessation, treatment utilization and medical education, and his work has been published in several leading professional journals.

Gerry has also been associated with a number of impactful initiatives at CAMH (Toronto), the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse (Ottawa), Western University (London), the Association of the Faculties of Medicine of Canada (Ottawa), and the Association of American Medical Colleges (Washington, DC). In 2001 Gerry's doctoral thesis was recognized by the US National Problem Gambling Council through their Outstanding Dissertation Award. In 2018 he received The Douglas Bocking Award which is given annually to a faculty member at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry who has made an outstanding contribution to the development of medical education over the last four years.

 View Wayne's Profile

Wayne has had an extensive career in addiction and mental health, working at the Addiction Foundation and then, from 1998 to 2016, at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He was Head of CAMH's Problem Gambling Institute of Ontario and Deputy Clinical Director in the Ambulatory Care and Structured Treatment Program. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto.

Wayne has participated in a wide range of provincial, national and international initiatives related to addiction and mental health policy and evidence-informed practice. He co-authored "A Family Guide to Concurrent Disorders" (CAMH, 2007), "Substance Abuse in Canada" (Oxford University Press, 2010), and "Motivational Interviewing for Concurrent Disorders" (WW Norton, 2013). He edited "Treating Concurrent Disorders: a practical guide for counsellors (CAMH, 2005) and co-edited "Fundamentals of Addiction: a practical guide for counsellors" (CAMH, 2014). He has collaborated on research related to problem gambling, mutual aid recovery pathways, and families affected by concurrent addiction and mental health problems. He led the founding of the Journal of Gambling Issues (JGI), the first online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal focusing on problem gambling, serving on the editorial board since 2000. He is a member of the international Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, and offers workshops and consultation to professionals nationally and internationally.

View Heather's Profile

Dr. Chalmers has been trained in a multi-disciplinary context; specifically, she has degrees in Physical Education, Business, Education, and Developmental Psychology and is an Associate Professor at Brock University. Prior to joining Brock, Heather worked within community and governmental agencies. Given her educational and experiential background, she examines issues and experiences in childhood and adolescence from a varied perspective, believing that a holistic examination of issues will allow for a deeper understanding and an increased likelihood of making positive impacts in the lives of young people. Dr. Chalmers continues to work closely with governmental, treatment, and youth-serving community agencies to help policy makers and agencies integrate new knowledge into their programs and services.

 View Aaron's Profile

Aaron has two decades of experience advising clients, a foundational academic background in business and finance, and global perspective gained through travel. Aaron is a Portfolio Manager & Investment Advisor at RBC Dominion Securities delivering high-quality wealth management solutions to business owners, executives, and their families. Aaron is a Chartered Financial Analyst and graduated with distinction from the MBA program at Ivey Business School at Western University. Aaron serves on the board of Greo Evidence Insights to use his knowledge and experience to give back by supporting an organization researching the best practices for harm reduction in gambling addiction and other aspects of addiction and well-being. Aaron hopes that his work as a director will help alleviate harm and strengthen society by supporting good policy and informed regulation.

 View Jim's Profile

Jim Armour is a Vice President at Summa Strategies. He has extensive knowledge of media relations, communications, advocacy, and advertising. Prior to joining Summa, Jim served as Director of Communications and Marketing at the Canadian Medical Association where he played a key role in their efforts to improve access, reduce wait times, and address Canada’s doctor shortage.

Jim worked on Parliament Hill where he was Communications Director for two Leaders of the Official Opposition, and helped brand the launch of both the Canadian Alliance and the Conservative Party of Canada. He also spent two years with one of Atlantic Canada’s top advertising agencies.

Outside of the office, Jim serves on the boards of the CHEO, the Canadian Pharmacists Association, the Forum for Young Canadians, and the North Grenville Public Library. He also sits on the editorial board of the international Journal of Communication in Healthcare.

 View Elizabeth's Profile

With over 25 years of regulatory experience in Canada’s gambling, liquor, and cannabis sectors, Elizabeth brings extensive knowledge of the complexities of consumer product regulation and public policy to Greo’s Board of Directors. A seasoned public executive, Elizabeth’s particular interests include: issues management; strategic planning and implementation; policy research, execution and evaluation; and stakeholder relationships. Elizabeth is a long-time advocate of collaborative research and education initiatives linked to informed public policymaking, public health and wellbeing. She also serves as the vice-chair of Health in Common, a Winnipeg-based social enterprise that delivers planning and evaluation services across Manitoba. 

 View Heather's Profile

Dr. Heather Lawford is a Professor in the Bishop's University Psychology Department, Co-Director of Research at the Centre of Excellence for Youth Engagement at the Students Commission of Canada, and a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Youth Development. In Dr. Lawford’s role as Canada Research Chair in Youth Development, she examines the developmental roots of generativity in the first youth-centered study of its kind to include an in-depth study of young people who are exemplary in their actions to leave a lasting benefit to society. She will also develop the first measure of generativity in youth. 

Heather completed a post-doctoral fellowship through Brock University and the Centre of Excellence in Youth Engagement, where she engaged in collaborative research projects with youth and community organizations. Through her role as Associate Professor at Bishop’s University she received an award Merit for Excellence in Teaching, Research, and Service and is leading the Online Graduate Certificate Program in Knowledge Mobilization, which includes a 100-hour practicum where a student is paired with an organization to prepare knowledge mobilization tools.

 View Ian's Profile

Ian has 30 years of experience in consumer healthcare, and brings valuable expertise in corporate finance, planning, and leadership in both Canadian and international contexts to the Greo Board of Directors.

Prior to his retirement in 2021, Ian was Finance Director (CFO) for GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Canada, where he led all finance functions. As CFO, Ian acted as a strategic business partner to the General Manager / CEO and various commercial departments and provided finance leadership for joint venture integrations with other major Canadian pharmaceutical corporations. Prior to joining GlaxoSmithKline, Ian developed specialized skills in financial analysis, strategic planning, direction setting, and business development via progressive experience in various directorial and C-suite roles at Novartis Consumer Health. Ian offers a unique perspective on regulatory bodies and consumer health, informed by his experience working across multiple international jurisdictions, including Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the United States.

Ian holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland, and is a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).

 View Piyush's Profile

Piyush is a human-centric strategic leader with over 15 years of experience in wellbeing, mindfulness, international business, and product development. After earning two engineering degrees and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, Piyush worked in the tech industry for Sony, Blackberry, SFX, and Telus. During this time, he developed and launched several novel products still used by millions worldwide. Throughout his life, Piyush practiced yogic and meditative traditions learned in his early life in India. Now an entrepreneur and mindfulness coach, he helps people gain clarity about their goals and how to live in the modern world mindfully. In 2020, Piyush established a mental health foundation in Toronto. He has also educated teens worldwide about mindfulness practices with the Universal Peace Federation.