Call for Nominations - Board of Directors (Finance Role)

Touchstone Institute Board of Directors - Call for Nominations (Finance Role)

Touchstone Institute’s Board is a governance board responsible for setting the organization’s strategy and measuring meaningful performance against strategic goals. The Board is composed of eight (8) members that together contribute to the advancement of Ontario’s health human resources mandate by creating pathways for internationally trained healthcare professionals to practice in Ontario with a view to creating greater access to health services
across the province and in Canada.

Touchstone Institute is a non-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors and receives financial support from the Government of Ontario, in addition to generating revenue through direct business to business contracts seeking competency assessment and learning solution services. . It’s the largest assessment centre of its kind in Canada, providing professional competency assessment and learning programs to support the delivery of high-quality health care. Touchstone Institute works closely with physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers who provide subject matter expertise to assess and improve the level of competency across individual practice. Touchstone Institute has become an integral part of the commitment to internationally trained health professionals seeking entry into training and practice in Ontario and has expanded to provide assessment, certification, and quality assurance programs for practitioners across Canada.

Call for Nominations

Touchstone Institute is currently seeking to fill one Board position with a qualified candidate who possesses strong financial acumen for November 2025. This is an exciting time for candidates to be a part of the Board as Touchstone Institute initiates work on its 2025-2030 Strategic Plan that builds upon past achievements and looking for growth opportunities in the years ahead.

Touchstone Institute is committed to building a diverse Board that includes candidates who possess a mix of desired skills and experience, and individuals who identify as persons with a disability, people from a visible minority group, people who identify as LGBTQ2S+, people who identify as non-binary, and individuals who are indigenous. In addition, Touchstone Institute is working toward achieving gender balance amongst Board members, with no one gender representing more than 50 per cent of seats.

At a minimum, all candidates should possess a general set of attributes, including, but not limited to:

• Collaboration and teamwork


• Good communications skills


• Commitment to service, and


• Be informed or directly involved in Ontario’s health sector and/or health services delivery.

Ensuring the Board is skilled to perform the work is also imperative to delivering strong strategic results. Our annual competency assessment of Directors is key to informing our recruitment priorities to bridge any skills gap identified. As a result, our current focus for Board recruitment will be to identify a candidate who can serve as Chair of the Board’s Finance and Audit Committee. The Candidate should have strategic financial expertise with a financial designation (e.g., CPA) and experience working at a senior or executive level within a public or private sector organization. 

In addition, the Board would consider experience in one or more of the following areas of focus an asset:

• candidates with experience living, working in rural/remote Ontario, and


• candidates who are diverse in background, including those who identify as racialized and/or 2SLGBTQA+.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to this important cause, that will ultimately benefit Canadians by ensuring broader access to qualified health professionals, especially in rural and remote areas. Touchstone Institute is seeking candidates with diverse skills, experience, and perspectives to ensure the program benefits from a richness of advice.

Director Responsibilities

Touchstone Institute is a governance Board, responsible for setting the organization’s strategy and driving the organization to achieve strong results against the strategic priorities. Board members are ambassadors who are actively engaged in developing long-term strategic goals and evaluating the performance of the organization in achieving them. Board members also ensure financial health, identify and manage risks, and establish policies to guide the organization.

As a Board member, candidates can expect to participate in quarterly in-person Board meeting held in Toronto, Ontario at Touchstone Institute’s office at 145 Wellington Street West. In addition, members may be asked to sit on a Board committee and attend strategic retreats annually. Committee meetings are held between board meetings and report on its activities to the Board. Committees have terms of reference and a set work plan for the year. In total, members should expect to commit at up to 5 hours per Board cycle in the performance of their Board responsibilities (including preparation time and time spent at the Board meeting), the amount of which may vary depending upon each member's assignment.

Eligibility to be a Director

The following persons are excluded from being considered as a Director at Touchstone Institute:

• a person who is not an individual (a corporation cannot be a director)


• a person who is less than 18 years of age


• a person who has been found under the Substitute Decisions Act, 1992 or under the Mental Health Act to be incapable of managing property


• a person who has been found to be incapable by a court in Canada or elsewhere


• a person who has the status of bankrupt


• a person who has not met the requirements of Touchstone Institute regarding the passing of a criminal, financial and credentials record check.

Applying to the Board of Directors

The deadline for receiving candidate nomination packages is 4 pm (ET) on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. Candidate packages shall be delivered by email to Touchstone Institute at [email protected] with the subject line: Touchstone Institute Board Members Nomination Package 2025. Touchstone Institute will confirm receipt of each nomination package via email to each candidate. Please ensure you receive this confirmation.

Selection of Board Members

The successful candidate will be selected based on their experience or expertise, with a view to having committee members with diverse skills, experience and perspectives to ensure the organization will benefit from a richness of advice. A general orientation to the work of Touchstone Institute will be provided to the new Board member. Based on recommendations of the Board’s Governance and Nominations Committee, Touchstone Institute’s Board of Directors will elect the successful candidate at its November 2025 meeting. The successful candidate may be expected to attend the October Board meeting in Toronto. All successful candidates will be required to obtain and submit a clear police check, along with a financial and educational credential check if elected to the Board.

Term of Appointment

The successful candidate will serve an initial term of up to three years and will be eligible for another three-year extension. Touchstone Institute staggers appointments to ensure ongoing continuity of Board members.

Remuneration

Board members receive an honourarium for their service as a Board member. In addition, they receive reimbursement for approved expenses incurred.

More detailed information about Touchstone Institute can be found at www.touchstoneinstitute.ca