ALUMNI SOCIETAL IMPACT STRATEGIC PLAN | TEACHING AND LEARNING
A career defined by integrity
November 7, 2025 ·
Contributed by: Izabela Shubair, DeGroote Contributor
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Even after more than 30 years of leadership, management and clinical experience, Lynn Guerriero easily zeroes in on her career highlights. The first was pursuing a master’s degree while balancing a full-time job and raising three children. The second was when she stepped into her role as President and CEO of Niagara Health at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both milestones also proved to be Guerriero’s greatest career challenges. And despite their differences, she says she approached both with integrity, humility, trust and professionalism.
Now, Guerriero is being recognized for her core leadership values. With her robust health care background, she recently chose to begin governance studies through the Collaborative Health Governance (CHG) program before completing the four remaining modules of the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation. Her achievement earned her the Gil Bennett Gold Standard Award, presented annually to the top C.Dir. graduate who demonstrates dedication to raising professional standards in corporate governance.
“I live and breathe these values, so I’m glad that professionalism is one of the components of the award,” she says. “I hope I demonstrated it in the classroom, and that I continue to bring those leadership standards to everything I do.”
A leader shaped by experience
Looking back, Guerriero says her core principles have guided every stage of her career.
In 2000, she became manager of the Brain Injury Program at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. Coming from a clinical background, she quickly realized she lacked an evidence-based approach to management. That’s when Guerriero discovered the power of mentorship.
“I had a mentor who thought I’d benefit from a master’s,” she recalls. “It allowed me to become a much better manager and jump to director roles. As a woman, be choosy about who you work for and find a boss who supports your goals. Many organizations are supportive of women being amazing leaders and amazing moms.”
Earning her master’s of health science in health administration also propelled Guerriero into provincial and regional leadership. In 2005, she became Senior Director of Community Programs at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, where she spent three years before joining Cancer Care Ontario for the next seven. In 2015, Guerriero moved to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as Assistant Deputy Minister in the Negotiations and Accountability Management Division. Five years later, she was appointed President and CEO of Niagara Health—a role that would test Guerriero’s leadership approach in unprecedented ways.
“It was the first days of the pandemic, and I found myself in a ‘command-and-control’ role, which was very different from my usual collegial leadership style,” she says. “But we still approached it through open dialogue about how the team should function and accountability. It served us well, considering the tumultuous times that were ahead.”
For Guerriero, whose career began in acute care, returning to a hospital setting was more than a full-circle moment; it allowed her to influence change at a system level.
Leading with integrity and inclusion
Since arriving at Niagara Health, Guerriero has played a key role in shaping the organization’s future. She has contributed to planning the new South Niagara Hospital, expanding health care research, and embracing technological innovation to enhance access to high-quality care and patient information. Working closely with the Board of Directors, she is currently leading Niagara Health’s five-year strategic plan.
Guerriero is also a strong advocate for Niagara’s staff, physicians and including diverse patient experiences and perspectives in decision-making.
“I have seen that you only get the best results by involving diverse groups—whether you’re engaging the community or improving the composition of your board,” she says. “I’ve been insistent on focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion at the hospital and on making my executive team more diverse.”
Putting this commitment into practice, Niagara Health joined the federal government’s 50–30 Challenge, promoting gender parity (50 per cent) and greater representation of equity-deserving groups (30 per cent) in leadership roles. The approach helped reshape the composition of its board. The health care provider also introduced its Health Services and Reconciliation Plan – developed through its Indigenous Health Services and Reconciliation Team in collaboration with the community. The plan provides a framework to enhance hospital services and improve the care experience for Indigenous patients and families.
Learning that transforms leadership
Despite the strides she has made at Niagara Health, Guerriero says that starting her tenure during COVID-19 required her to revisit and refine best practices as the health care environment evolved. This insight led her to the CHG program, a health-focused governance offering that can be applied as the first module of the Chartered Director program at DeGroote’s Directors College. The experience strengthened Guerriero’s knowledge of effective governance and built confidence in her role at the intersection of management and board oversight.
“Confidence has an impact on how the board sees you, and the program really helped with that,” says Guerriero, who valued her classmates’ perspectives as much as the curriculum. “The board was supportive, and I think it held weight with them that I wanted to do better. It also helped me to want to branch out and sit on a board, something I would not have contemplated before.”
