Jess Rogers is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO), where she leads a dynamic, member-based organization representing interprofessional primary care organizations across the province.

Jess is a respected health system leader with more than 20 years of experience advancing evidence-informed innovation and meaningful system change across Ontario and Canada. Grounded in primary care, she is known for her ability to navigate complexity and turn it into clear, practical strategy. She works at the intersection of research, policy, clinical practice, and lived experience — ensuring that the perspectives of patients, providers, and communities meaningfully shape decision-making.

Throughout her career, Jess has focused on moving beyond promising pilot projects toward lasting, measurable impact. She brings a strong track record in aligning strategy, partnerships, operations, and advocacy to strengthen organizations and drive system improvement.

Before joining AFHTO, Jess held senior leadership roles including Vice President at the Lung Health Foundation, and leadership positions with the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and for 10 years at the Centre for Effective Practice leading its evidence, guidelines and implementation work. In these roles, she led large-scale, multi-stakeholder initiatives that translated evidence into real-world action — from implementing clinical guidelines and supporting practice change, to advancing integrated knowledge translation and system-level planning. This work included provincial lead for the provinces primary care low back pain strategy and program; director of CEP’s Academic Detailing Program in LTC and primary care, development and deployment of interprofessional clinical protocols to support team based primary care (FHT’s), facilitating clinical practice guideline development and training health care professionals in critical appraisal skills among many more.

Jess has extensive experience advising governments and national organizations, contributing to committees and working groups, and supporting the development of transparent, evidence-based approaches to care delivery. She is equally committed to building strong internal cultures, fostering operational excellence, and supporting teams to do their best work.

As CEO, Jess is focused on strengthening the collective voice of Ontario’s primary care teams, advancing integrated, team-based care, and ensuring members are equipped to meet the evolving needs of communities across the province.

Sahba brings to the role a deep and diverse background in healthcare leadership, policy, research, and analytics, with over two decades of experience in government, academia, hospital, and community settings.  Her career spans from frontline service delivery as a family physician overseas to strategic level and leadership roles at organizations such as the Ontario Ministry of Health, Health Quality Ontario, the Ontario Medical Association, the University Health Network and Lumenus Community Services.  She also brings applied research experience from her time at ICES and BCCHR Institute.

With expertise in performance measurement, policy analysis, evaluation, and stakeholder engagement, Sahba is well-positioned to guide the organization’s strategic data, research and quality improvement initiatives.  Her academic and professional background, which includes peer-reviewed publications, gives her a strong foundation to lead evidence-based decision-making and advance primary care system design in Ontario and beyond.

Naomi brings more than a decade of experience leading transformative initiatives in Ontario’s healthcare system – experience that will be instrumental as she takes on this new, high-impact role at AFHTO. As a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with a Master of Health Informatics, Naomi has consistently delivered results at the intersection of strategy, stakeholder engagement, and system improvement. Her track record includes advancing primary care integration, building strong cross-sector partnerships, and leading evidence-based programs that improve both outcomes and equity. 

She serves on the boards of Unison Community Health Centre and the Canadian Mental Health Association York and South Simcoe. She is deeply committed to transforming healthcare and driving meaningful change within primary care teams.

Chris brings more than a decade of experience in public policy, strategic planning, and organizational leadership across Ontario’s health, social, and regulatory sectors. A seasoned not-for-profit leader, he has built a career at the intersection of strategy, operations, and system change—designing and implementing practical, evidence-informed solutions to complex challenges in health and public systems.

Chris’s experience in member-based organizations has deeply informed his collaborative approach to system leadership. During his tenure at Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) and the Ontario Chiropractic Association (OCA), he worked closely with members to build consensus, translate front-line experience into policy action, and strengthen the collective voice of organizations across the province.

Most recently, Chris served as Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives at the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), where he led strategic plan measurement and governance reporting for the Board of Directors. His previous leadership roles include Director of Program Planning and Operations at the Lung Health Foundation, Senior Program Delivery Manager at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, and Team Lead, Public Policy at Children’s Mental Health Ontario.