Ty Abraham is joining McMaster Continuing Education as an experienced online educator in business administration. His career spans developing and instructing business courses for colleges and universities across Canada, as well as helping companies maximize their resources to achieve organizational goals.

Throughout his teaching career, Ty has engaged with hundreds of adult learners, with the majority of courses in the area of management and leadership. Ty is passionate about online learning and is always excited to introduce creative teaching strategies to boost student engagement and learning.

Ty possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree, and a Master of Organizational Management (M.Org.M.) degree.

Ty’s goal is to provide you with relevant information to enhance your business knowledge on your journey to becoming a skilled professional.

Dr. Bharat Aggarwal is a distinguished professor known for his expertise in both online and in-person education. With a robust academic foundation, Dr. Aggarwal holds a doctorate in accounting and organizational theory, a Master’s degree in Management, a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics, and a Master’s degree in Law from Osgoode Hall Law School. Additionally, Dr. Aggarwal is a Chartered Professional Accountant and a Licensed Paralegal.

Dr. Aggarwal has extensive professional experience, having served as a senior financial analyst and Controller at numerous Fortune 500 companies. These roles have honed his skills in financial analysis, strategic planning, and organizational leadership. Dr. Aggarwal has significantly contributed to the field of professional accounting education as a lead program developer for the Certified Management Accountants (CMA, now CPA), shaping the certification program’s curriculum and standards.

Beyond program development, Dr. Aggarwal has been a facilitator, mentor, and session leader for the CPA program, guiding aspiring accountants through rigorous certification processes and fostering their professional growth. This experience underscores his deep commitment to mentoring the next generation of financial professionals and enhancing the quality of accounting education.

Priyanka Agrawal, MSc, CBAP©, is an inclusive people leader, educator, strategist and management consultant with 20 years of consulting and industry experience. Priyanka has a proven track record of aligning IT solutions with business needs, promoting change through strategic initiatives and managing business process improvements while successfully leading projects. With a depth of experience in IT and breadth of experience across industries, Priyanka has applied her skills in both public and private sectors. Priyanka is a published author, advisor, recurring speaker and instructor at the Project World Business Analyst World conference and at the IIBA Vancouver chapter. She is also the course content developer for the BA courses at the University of Manitoba and at Simon Fraser University. She previously served as secretary and vice president of membership on IIBA Vancouver’s board of directors. She is certified in ITIL, Prosci Change Management and IIBA-Agile analysis. She also holds the IIBA-Cybersecurity certificate.

Instructor Spotlight: Meet Priyanka Agrawal: Insights from the business analysis mindset

With almost a decade of professional experience, Dr. Ahmad possesses a solid pharmaceutical background as a registered pharmacist, with a Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Florida. Upon graduating from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, she enjoyed meaningful opportunities in retail, hospital and home care settings. She successfully learnt a diverse set of skills, while keeping in tune to critical developments in clinical practice.

In a fast pace environment, she provides genuine care to patients, upholding the significance of identifying as well as resolving medication-related issues. Her approach has extended beyond clinical practice, and into teaching students in formal as well as informal environments.  In fact, she had the pleasure of teaching and learning from students registered in the University of Toronto Doctorate of Pharmacy program (EPE/APPE) as well as students in Sheridan College’s Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies and the Peel District School Board. 

Some of the courses Dr. Ahmad lectured at Sheridan College include Basic Physiology and Pharmacotherapeutics, Introduction to Pharmacology, and Advanced Concepts in Pharmacology.  As an instructor, her teaching philosophy is one that is individualistic and valuable to the student, coupled with self-reflection and continuous learning.

Humad Ali has been delivering critical projects for almost 15 years in various industries like Finance, Insurance, Retail, Entertainment, Real Estate, Healthcare and Ad Tech. He works as Head of Technical Consulting at Basis Technologies an Ad Tech company where he manages implementations for client needs around data analytics, system integrations, and custom configurations. Humad has been coaching Agile methodology and Scrum framework for over 10 years and is a certified ScrumMaster since 2018 and PMP since 2011. Humad has an MBA from IE Business School and a Masters in Information Management Systems from Harvard University Extension School.

Humad provides advisory services to start ups and has research interests in AI, identity solutions, technology trends, digital transformation, product adoption, user engineering, and cloud solutions.

Haitham Amar currently works as a Lead Data Scientist in the field of online commerce and SaaS. He is also a sessional instructor at University of Waterloo teaching various graduate level AI courses. He has been working in the field of data analytics and AI since 2010. He is a member of the Centre of Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (CPAMI) at the University of Waterloo. He received his Ph.D. degree in the field of communication and information systems from University of Waterloo. He also received his MASc. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and his B.Sc. degree in Computer Engineering from University of Tripoli.

His current research interests revolve around market analysis, recommendation systems, machine learning, artificial intelligence, pattern recognition, situation assessment and decision aid systems, vehicular localization, cognitive radios, trip planning and applied game theory.

Tara is a healthcare and information technology specialist, working for Hamilton Health Sciences as the data analyst for their Cardiac & Vascular Surgery Program. Completing multiple projects to enhance the delivery of health care to the cardiovascular population of Hamilton-Haldimand-Niagara-Brant region is her passion.

Tara believes that the quality of data informs real-time patient care and drives program initiatives and improvements. With over 20 years of healthcare data expertise Tara is also certified as a clinical research associate, working with McMaster Vascular Surgeons coordinating their research for the last 9 years. Tara’s most exciting adventure has been mentoring clinical research associate graduates from McMaster University enhancing their practical experience with Canadian research.

Michael Ayers has been involved in senior care and hospitality throughout Canada and the United States for 40 years. He has been an administrator, vice-president of operations and owner of long-term-care and retirement communities and is now an adviser to the retirement home industry as a consultant.

Michael has also been an accreditation surveyor, board and committee member and presently an educator with the Ontario Retirement Communities Association, which represents over 700 retirement communities in Ontario. Throughout his career, Michael has provided educational opportunities for thousands of retirement community staff and managers through in-person and web-based educational presentations. He is a passionate advocate for seniors and for managers and staff who have chosen senior care as a career.

In mid-career Michael honed his hospitality skills as the owner/operator of a small cottage resort, bed and breakfast and apple orchard in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Michael now lives in Ontario cottage country where he and his wife adopt senior dogs who need a loving home.

Afthab is a highly skilled Manufacturing and Design Engineer at Walinga Inc., specializing in developing manufacturing processes for customized trucks and trailers. With expertise in Lean Manufacturing and Design Thinking, he optimizes production processes and implements cost-saving mechanisms. Alongside his industry experience, Afthab has a strong background in teaching and mentoring, having taught Design Thinking and Calculus at Carnegie Mellon University. He holds advanced degrees in Engineering Design from McMaster University, Automobile Engineering from Amity University, and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mahatma Gandhi University. Proficient in tools like SolidWorks and Creo Parametric, Afthab delivers exceptional results with his critical thinking, effective communication, and strong leadership skills. Outside of work, he enjoys oil painting, stop-motion animation, and polymer clay modeling, adding a creative perspective to his engineering problem-solving.

Emily Baillie is an accomplished digital marketing instructor and content marketing consultant. Through her business Compass Content Marketing she provides content and digital marketing strategic counsel to clients including MasterCard, Northern Ontario Travel, United Way, Adoption Council of Ontario, Tourism Simcoe County & more. She is a member of the Canadian Marketing and a Chartered Marketer with over 15 years of experience in the marketing industry. Emily graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with an Hons. BA in Communications Studies and earned a Certificate in Strategic Communications from University of Toronto.

Emily has taught social media and digital marketing courses in the GTA for more than a decade. She also leads digital marketing workshops and corporate training sessions across Ontario. Emily is widely admired by McMaster Continuing Education staff and students for her extensive expertise and dedication as an educator. Emily is the recipient of the 2023 Educational Innovator Award is Emily Baillie, in part for her pioneering work incorporating the use of generative AI into a course content.

Watch Emily’s webinar: Unleashing the Power of AI: Boosting Content Marketing Productivity

Dr. Iris M. Balodis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University and a faculty associate with the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research. She is a core member of the Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research as well as Director of the Integrated Neuroscience of Motivation and Change (IN-MaC) Laboratory.

Her overall research program covers different aspects of reward and stress processing across various at-risk populations. This includes substance-based disorders, such as cannabis or alcohol use disorders, non-substance-based disorders, including gambling disorder, as well as other disorders characterized by problems with impulse control, such as binge eating disorder.

Dr. Min Basadur is Professor Emeritus of Innovation & Organizational Behaviour at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University and Founder of Basadur Applied Creativity. He began developing his insights about creative thinking and complex problem-solving at Procter & Gamble where he received three U.S. patents and created a corporate-wide innovation consulting practice. Min integrated his work into award-winning doctoral research and received his PhD in Organizational Behavior at the University of Cincinnati’s School of Business. His Simplexity Thinking™ system and the Basadur Innovation Profile are used globally by major organizations including eBay, PepsiCo, Fox Studios, Procter & Gamble, John Deere, and NASA, among many others. His books, The Power of Innovation and Design-centered Entrepreneurship, became instant CEO need-to-reads. Min also teaches in popular MBA programs in Asia and Europe and for the Directors College of the Conference Board of Canada.

Sally Bean is the Director of the Health Ethics Alliance & Policy at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Bean earned a B.A. in Philosophy & English, an M.A. in Bioethics and Public Policy and a Juris Doctorate. After law school, Bean completed a two year fellowship in Clinical & Organizational Ethics through the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics. She also currently serves in the following academic capacities: an Adjunct Lecturer in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, an Associate Member of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of Toronto, and an Adjunct Lecturer at Osgoode Hall School of Law at York University. Additionally, Bean serves as a member of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics, Board Member of the Canadian Association for Practicing Healthcare Ethicists and Canadian Bioethics Society, Chair of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Community of Practice, and is a member on the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee. Her research areas of academic interest pertain largely to health institution and health system ethics with an emphasis on health law and policy.

Bio to come! 

Rav Bhathal has spent the last 15 years teaching business and specifically marketing. He has a wealth of industry experience being an entrepreneur and running his own Marketing and Event Management company.

Rav is a strong believer in differentiated instruction, and understands that every student is an individual, varying his teaching style and evaluations to help bring out the best in each student. He uses all his real-world experience in his instruction, providing students with a modern and current day perspective, mixed in with traditional textbook and theory.

Rav holds a B.A., B.Comm, and M. Ed.

In his free time, Rav enjoys reading about all things business, and loves fitness, sports, and music!

Dr. Michael Biocchi completed his PhD, Masters of Science and Bachelor of Computer Science. Michael is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Michael has worked in higher education for over 10 years. He started as a staff member working at a university doing application development. He moved into the role of Manager of IT and then soon after became the Director of IT. During these years, he also taught part-time at both the university and college levels. In 2018, he left his industry job to pursue his teaching career where he is now a full-time professor within a Computer Science department. He has taught a variety of courses including Security and Privacy, Project Management and Artificial Intelligence.

Michael also runs a consulting business. He works with businesses in developing risk assessment, policy creation, business continuity planning, disaster recovery planning, and security awareness. He has provided online training to thousands of people across the world teaching about security and privacy.

Nicole Bleiwas is a senior marketing executive who has a passion for delivering brand and business breakthroughs.

At Coca-Cola, Nicole led business planning and built shopper marketing and revenue management capabilities. Nicole served as VP, Strategy, Insights, and Marketing Operations with Kraft Heinz. In this capacity, she created a consumer-centric insight framework that resulted in the successful launch of new products. Most recently, Nicole launched a Direct-to-Consumer startup, bringing to market an innovative functional beverage brand.

Nicole has a BA in Statistics and an MBA in Marketing.

Jenny Bouras has a Bachelor of Science with a Major in Physiology from McGill University. In addition, she holds a Master of Management and Professional Accounting (MMPA) from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business and a Diploma in Human Resource Management from Concordia University. She holds both CPA and CRHA titles (Chartered Professional Accountant and Conseillère en Resources Humaines Agréés respectively). Most recently, Jenny has completed her second Master degree in Education at the University of Ottawa.

Jenny has been teaching at the CEGEP and University level (McGill, Concordia, UQAM) since 2012. Her areas of expertise are accounting, human resources, business communication and she gives workshops on soft-skills training and job search techniques. She has experience working with students of diverse backgrounds and academic abilities to help them reach their potential. Recently, she worked on the program revision for the Applied Accounting and Administration Program (AAA) in the Continuing Education department at John Abbott College.

Professionally, Jenny has worked in public companies, private companies, not-for-profit organizations and government entities.

Angie is a Registered Dietitian with over a decade of experience in the nutrition field. Building a deep skill set, she has gained experience in hospital settings, clinics, home care, and private practice. Passionate about educating others, she is an educator at both the university and college levels teaching a variety of food and nutrition courses. Her personal mission is to provide nutritional guidance to others so that they may live happier, healthier lives.

Amanda is a health information and privacy strategist who understands the complex needs of any type of healthcare organization, from large hospital systems to private physician practice. Amanda is passionate about supporting leaders in creating privacy conscious environments and managing health information in a world steeped in technological innovation.

Over the last 12 years, she has developed a unique perspective when it comes to the delivery of healthcare. From her beginnings as a hospital unit clerk, to her current work as a Health Information Management professional, Amanda has developed the best inside experience and perspective in order serve her learners.

As a knowledgeable industry professional, Amanda has also worked as an instructor at post-secondary institutions since 2015. Amanda is certified with the Canadian Institute of Access and Privacy Professionals (CIAPP-C) and with the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA). She holds both a Diploma of Health Information Management from Algonquin College/CHA Learning and Certification as Medical Office Assistant and Unit Clerk from MacEwan University. She is currently completing her Bachelor of Health Administration degree through Athabasca University.

Jeffrey Brayley has been enabling people leaders for over twenty years in the provincial government, municipal government, and healthcare sectors.

In his present role as Management Consultant at the City of Toronto, he supports leadership across all facets of HR management including labour/employee relations, strategy development and planning, performance management, organization design and restructuring, change management, disability management, health and safety, and learning and development.

Prior to joining the City of Toronto, Jeffrey worked at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) as a Labour Relations Consultant & Human Resources Business Partner; and, at Scarborough Health Network as a Human Resources Business Partner. In these roles, Jeffrey led the collective bargaining process for the hospitals and was also responsible for labour/employee relations, health and safety, talent acquisition, organizational training and development, along with disability management.

Jeffrey has significant experience representing organizations at arbitration, mediation, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and the Ontario Labour Relations Board. He is a graduate of Durham College where he received an advanced three-year Business Administration diploma with honors. He is a Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) with the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA).

Funlayo Buraimoh is a Project Leader in Clinical Operations with over 14 years of experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry as well as in Academia. She has a BSc in Biochemistry (Unilag), MSc in Biotechnology (Hertfordshire, UK),  Association of Clinical Research Professional Certified Professional ACRP CP® & Certified Scrum Master CSM®.

Her personal core values are being passionate, courageous, and strategic.

She is recognized as a go-to resource person, and problem solver; able to build authentic, credible, and trusting relationships with internal and external clients. Outside of work, she loves hosting events, making sumptuous meals, and Karaoke.

Shanice Burnett is a seasoned professional boasting over a decade of project management expertise in both private and public sectors, including Crown corporations. Shanice’s pragmatic insights derive from active involvement in diverse business transformation projects and change initiatives. Furthermore, she has made notable contributions to academia by previously instructing courses in finance and project management at Seneca College.

Leveraging her extensive project management background, Shanice possesses a nuanced understanding of the everyday application of project management fundamentals. Specializing in stakeholder engagement, change management, and business strategy planning, she offers invaluable insights into team management, collaboration enhancement, and strategic communications.

Shanice holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Entrepreneurship from McGill University and a Master of Arts Degree in Public and International Affairs from the University of Ottawa. Complementing her academic achievements, she is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Certified Scrum Master (CSM). With a fervent commitment to knowledge dissemination, Shanice aspires to convey the diverse applications of this continually evolving field, from orchestrating simple events to leading multimillion-dollar enterprise initiatives.

Lesley Calvin is a leadership coach, trainer, certified eSpeaker, and is highly revered as an emotional intelligence specialist with a warm, impactful approach to her coaching, training and speaking engagements. As a former higher education administrator and leader of people and departments, Lesley has dedicated her passion-driven career to the personal, professional and leadership development of individuals and organizations.

Lesley has a master’s degree in organizational leadership (MAOL), designation as a Certified Professional Coach (CPC), a PCC professional designation by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and certification as a Mastermind Facilitator.

Additionally, Lesley is one of few Leadership Development Master Practitioners with the expertise to administer, assess and train the Energy Leadership Index (ELI) and the Emotional Intelligence Assessment (EQi-2.0) both recognized by Forbes in their top 3 assessments for professionals and leaders. With this unique and specialized combination, Lesley works with individuals and teams to identify strengths and development areas, to elevate results, fuel positivity and foster engagement.

Working with individuals and organizations to build emotionally intelligent high performing leaders and organizations is her mission. Fostering awareness of self and others, increasing empathy, adaptability and a positive mindset in times of change and stress is her deliverable.

Hamilton Candundo has over 10 years of experience in project management as a Project Manager and Instructor. He has managed projects in technology, government, research, and health care industries.

Hamilton has experience in online learning, teaching project leadership, scheduling and stakeholder management. Hamilton also has expertise with various project management information systems including Microsoft Project.

Hamilton holds a Bachelor of Sciences and Health Studies degree, a Master’s in Public Health, and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Pam is thrilled to be joining the McMaster Continuing Education team. She has over 20 years experience in the human resources field, and looks forward to sharing her knowledge and experience as a practitioner with her students. She is currently the chief human resources and equity officer at Wilfrid Laurier University and is a member of the university’s executive leadership team.

Previous roles include Assistant Vice President, Human Resources and Director, Total Compensation. She holds an honours Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, and a Master of Human Resources Management degree from York University.

Tendai is a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) with over 15 years’ experience in the Business Analysis profession. She has had extensive exposure to enterprise-wide projects which have enabled her to sharpen her Business Analysis skills and gain unique insights into how to add value as a Business Analyst. She is currently practicing as a Business Analysis Consultant, Instructor, and Curriculum Developer. She is extremely passionate about the Business Analysis profession and has a special interest in mentorship and development of young aspiring Business Analysts. She holds a Masters degree in Information Systems and is a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO). She has been instrumental in setting up and leading Business Analysis Community of Practices in organizations and enjoys sharing lessons learnt with the wider BA community. Her motto in life – never stop learning! Through learning we gain new insights and are able to influence the course of our lives and others.

Dennis Cheung holds a Bachelor’s of Health Studies at York University and a Masters of Health Informatics at the University of Toronto. He has worked in a number of healthcare organizations ranging from hospitals, non-profits, to government and international organizations. Dennis is currently working at the Canadian Health Institute for Information (CIHI) as a Program Lead within the Architecture and Standards team with academic affiliations with the University of Toronto as adjunct facility for the IHPME department and an instructor with McMasters Centre for Continuing Education, Health Informatics program. Dennis currently teaches interoperability standards and data standards within the field of health informatics.

Gordana works as a research associate at the University of Toronto and a lecturer in the Engineering faculty at McMaster University. She received her Ph.D. (1984) in Physical Metallurgy, from the University of Belgrade, in the former Yugoslavia. As a research scientist, she has worked on projects for Ontario Hydro Technologies, Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI), McMaster University, University of Toronto, Dofasco, Stelco, Dana, GM. Gordana won the International Scientific Exchange Award from the NSERC of Canada and she has over 120 journal and conference publications.. She has taught at CCE since 2013.

Rosemarie (Rosie) Clarke is an instructor in the Applied Clinical Research Program.

She is a Registered Nurse with specialties in Critical Care and Infectious Disease. Rosie currently holds the position of Clinical Research Manager and Project Manager at the University Health Network in Toronto. She specializes in Clinical Research Operations and has over 20 years of experience coordinating and managing clinical research studies. Rosemarie has been responsible for the startup and implementation several clinical trials internationally and nationally including a fully decentralized COVID study. She currently oversees a research team of investigators, coordinators and analysts.

Rosie is a Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) with the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) and has presented at several of their research conferences and education forums.

Laura Cole is a corporate facilitator with a special interest in leadership and soft skills development.  Her experience covers a wide variety of industries including franchises, small businesses, medical and academic institutions and not-for-profits.  With over 15 years experience, Laura is fluent in multiple facilitation techniques to help create an engaging and supportive learning environment.

Laura is the founder of Your Latitude, a corporate training and coaching firm, and a professor with the Business Faculty at Mohawk College.  Laura has an Honours Degree in Communications and a Diploma in Mediation from McMaster University, and has an MBA. 

Karen Ann Conlon is a certified Health Information Management (HIM) Professional with the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA) with over 17 years of experience in the healthcare sector. She holds academic certifications in Health Information Management from CHA Learning and Health Care Leadership and Management from McMaster University. She serves as a committee member for various healthcare organizations within northern Ontario.

Over the course of her career, Karen Ann has worked in various health care settings, in a variety of roles. Some roles have consisted of Information Technology Support, Clinical Application Analyst and Project Coordinator. Currently, she serves the Timmins and District Hospital as the Manager of Information Services/Technology, Admitting, Health Records, Telemedicine and Privacy Officer.

Karen Ann is committed to providing leadership in the areas of HIM, technology and privacy and is passionate about sharing her experience with students as an instructor at McMaster University Continuing Education.

Outside of work, Karen Ann enjoys spending time at the cottage, fishing, kayaking, and hiking with her husband and two teenage children. Completing the family is Journey, the black lab.

Hello! My name is Christine Cooke and I am excited to be your instructor for this course. I have been teaching online and in-person taxation courses at McMaster University since 2013.

I am a full-time professor in the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business at Fanshawe College, teaching all levels of Taxation and Small Business Management in the Bachelor of Commerce – Accounting & Management Degree Programs. I made the switch to Education full-time in 2018 and previously worked in Public Accounting for 18 years, focusing on Small Business Management & Taxation for a variety of clients in many industries.

I hope that I can provide you with a combination of both academic and practical knowledge that you will find valuable!

David Corenstein has 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry in departments such as clinical research, marketing, sales and pharmacy. Over the past 20 years, David worked in Argentina and Canada for the most prestigious international contract research organizations in the international clinical research industry.

He worked in all phases from I to IV and all therapeutic areas including CNS, cardiology and oncology. In addition to his life and immigration experience, David has the need and passion to share the knowledge and skills to succeed in the Canadian clinical research market with the new CRA generations.

Christine Costa is a seasoned Human Resources professional, Organizational Development consultant and facilitator with over 20 years of experience in various roles and industries (including financial services, technology, and higher education). She holds an MBA from McMaster University and is passionate about continuous learning.  She has spent her career coaching leaders and teams to help them reach their full potential. Christine is currently an entrepreneur and owner of “Christine Connects”, a professional training and facilitation practice that helps people create connections with their teams, themselves, and their environment. Christine has been a facilitator/teacher at both the high school and university levels and is currently an instructor with McMaster Continuing Education. In her spare time, she loves making music and spending time in nature.

For more information about Christine and her credentials, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christineccosta

John Costantino currently works at Sun Life Financial where he has held several senior management roles within Finance, Risk Management and most recently as Assistant Vice President (Finance IFRS17) leading the conversion to the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS 17). He has also had finance related roles with the Toronto Dominion (TD) Bank and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP).

Mr. Costantino holds the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) designation and is also a CPA mentor within the profession, where he provides guidance on the competency development of CPA students and facilitates the development of the profession’s values, ethics, and attitudes.

Mr. Costantino also holds the Canadian Risk Management (CRM designation), a Bachelor of Business Administrative Studies (BAS) and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from York University.

John D’Alessio is the director of Operating Technology & Innovation for Stelco. John is an experienced Director in process technology with over 25 years of demonstrated history of working in the mining and base metals and steel industry. John has overseen projects that include metal extraction with expertise in pyrometallurgical processes, process health monitoring and control, process engineering and technology, project engineering, advanced analytics, digitalization, operational excellence, and lean six sigma methods. Mr. D’Alessio earned a B.Eng. degree in Materials Science in 1993 and an M.Eng. degree in 1996, both from McMaster University. Mr. D’Alessio has held a sessional faculty position at McMaster University since 2007 and is currently instructing courses in both the Walter Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology and the MCE Metallurgy of Iron Steel Program. He also held the committee chair position from 2011 to 2017 for the McMaster University Blast Furnace Ironmaking Intensive Short Course.

Mr. D’Alessio has co-authored many technical papers, received the J.F. Moore Prize for outstanding student of Metallurgy for the Class of 1993, has been a member of the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) since 1994, became a Professional Engineer registered with the Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) in 1998, holds the 2006 and 2020 Kapitan Award for best paper, the J. E. Johnson Jr. Award for 2008 and earned his Black Belt for Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in 2013.

Mr. D’Alessio has been actively serving the academic community, continues to serve as a committee member for the McMaster University Blast Furnace Ironmaking Intensive Short Course, and worked closely for many years in liaison with Purdue University Northwest (formerly Purdue University Calumet), Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation, in ironmaking research and is a board member for the Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium (SMSVC) and the Canadian Carbonization Research Association (CCRA).

Dr. Jeff D’Souza is an Instructor in the Applied Clinical Research program at McMaster University. His research focuses on applied ethics, with particular interests in Bioethics, Health Equity, and Social Justice. Jeff is currently employed at The Institute for Better Health at Trillium Health Partners where he works to promote the safety, welfare, and rights of research participants. Jeff previously worked for the Institute on Ethics and Policy for Innovation at McMaster University, where he consulted on a wide-range of health and ethics-related issues – including prophylactic, diagnostic and therapeutic standards of care, reputational risks, and research involving novel healthcare technologies – for various international stakeholders, including partners at the World Health Organization, and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Jeff holds a PhD in Philosophy from McMaster University, a Master of Arts in Philosophy from Ryerson University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Toronto.

Tiffany Da Silva has spent the past 15 years working in all facets of digital marketing. Throughout her career she has worked on over 500 websites and over 150 companies including Achievers, Breather, Canada Post & Shopify. She holds her MBA from Norwich University. In 2012, Tiffany was named one of the Techwomen Canada of 2012 by the Government of Canada and Canadian Consulate General of San Francisco/Silicon Valley. She has spoken all over the world about imposter syndrome in tech, and was named one of Marketing’s 25 most influential leaders on Mashable. Currently, she is a growth marketing consultant for startups & enterprises, as well as, the founder of flowjo.co.

Long Dam is a subject matter expert with the Project Management Institute (PMI) and is a key contributor to the latest PMBOK® Guide – Seventh Edition and is an active member of the PMI Lakeshore Ontario Chapter (PMILOC).

He has 15+ years of Project, Program and Portfolio Management experience from different industries such as leading edge technology, private, public, government, higher education, insurance and financial sector. He is passionate about the community of Hamilton and he serves on the board of directors for the BGC Hamilton-Halton. Long also teaches at a number of other Ontario Colleges.

Long is a life-long learner and have obtained the following Certifications & Credentials through the years:

• PMI Agile Hybrid Project Pro Micro-Credential (AH-MC) – 2020
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) – 2020
• PMI Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) – 2017
• PMI Program Management Professional (PgMP) – 2015
• PMI Project Management Professional (PMP) – 2010
• Management of Portfolio – Foundation & Practitioner (MoP-P) – 2019
• Microsoft Certified Educator – Technology Literacy for Educators: 21 Century Learning Design – 2021
• Microsoft Certified Professional Specialist – (MCP) – 2016
• Information Technology Infrastructure Library v3 (ITIL V3) – 2008

Laura De Luca is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) who leverages her broad range of experience across sectors in her role as an instructor. For over 12 years as an educator, Laura has been engaging students at the undergraduate level and with CPA Ontario (previously CGA). Laura’s concentration is in the areas of auditing and business information systems. 

As a principal consultant, she advises clients on audit, risk, control, and governance. She facilitates training on behalf of the IIA North America to audit professionals globally. Laura’s current academic focus is looking for new ways to integrate technology in auditing applications and engage students in an evolving learning environment. 

Nitin Deckha is an educator, researcher and facilitator, with a PhD in Anthropology. He teaches courses on intercultural communication, social transformation, gender issues, and the transformation of work at the University of Guelph-Humber. Nitin recently completed a Master’s Certificate in Adult Training and Development and is a Certified Training and Development Professional. In addition to teaching, Nitin crafts and facilitates learning in the areas of diversity and inclusion (D&I) and leadership development.

Ivone Defreitas is an experienced human resources management expert and a certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP, CHRL). She began her career in the private sector as a generalist, extending her expertise in people management, labour and employee relations, compensation, change management and leadership development. Over the last few years as the Director of Human Resources and Organizational Development for a federal government organization, she has led a team of human resources professionals, provided counsel and expertise to leadership, and worked with union leaders to ensure a safe and happy workplace for everyone.

Ivone is devoted to teaching and educating her students. She started teaching in 2009 at Centennial College and is currently a part-time instructor at Conestoga College.

As an instructor, Ivone utilizes her experience of over two decades in human resources management and business across various industries and sectors when teaching or preparing courses. Ivone was the recipient of the 2021 McMaster Association of Part-time Students (MAPS) Instructor Award.

Shannon has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University and has obtained her Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional (FCIP) and Canadian Risk Management Diploma (CRM).

Shannon spent the previous twelve (12) years working with municipalities in the Province of Ontario. Her work there was primarily focused on Risk Management including contract reviews, special event risk assessment and management, trail risk assessment and management, training and development for all levels of staff, communications and marketing. In her most recent role, Shannon Devane is Vice President, Risk and Operations at JLT Canada in the Public Sector Division.

Shannon has also presented to numerous conferences and association groups on Risk Management for the Public Sector.

A senior leader in the Information Technology profession with 30+ years experience in the Telecommunications area with strong technical and managerial skills. Guido was instrumental in driving a number of key technical architectures in his various roles as a developer, Director, Enterprise Architecture and Senior Manager/Information Architect . These included establishing, executing and driving the strategy and tactical architecture of large-scale information systems, Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence and Big Data environments.

Guido is well aware of the data challenges faced by businesses and is enthusiastic in sharing his experience and knowledge to better prepare our next generation of IT and business leaders with the proper skills and experience for the new data based economy.

Guido has a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Math and Computer Science.

Mark Dottori is a strategic sports communications and marketing professional and academic with more than 20 years’ experience working for such organizations as the Canadian Football League, the Toronto Raptors, Callaway Golf, and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and most recently, the House of Commons in Ottawa. 

An accredited public relations professional (APR) from the Canadian Public Relations Society, Mark also earned an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and his doctorate in sport communications and strategy at the University of Ottawa.

Mark has taught various courses in sport management at the University of Ottawa, Laurentian University, the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, and Algonquin College, where he organized an academic partnership with the Forces and Families Open (PGA Tour Canada). He has also taught public relations at McMaster University and remains active in the golf industry assisting in the media operation of the RBC Canadian Open and the PGA of Canada Training Academy.

Tim D’Souza has almost 30 years of finance, consulting and leadership experience, helping a wide range of organizations improve what they do.  His experiences span a wide range of industries and companies – from Fortune 10 companies to small non-profit organizations in developing countries.  He started his career working in international development, assisting small and mid-sized non-governmental organizations develop and execute strategy and operational improvements.  Tim then spent about 20 years in the private sector, working in strategy and finance with companies like IBM, Sun Life Financial and Pet Valu. He returned to the non-profit world and served as the Chief Operating Officer at Children Believe, formerly the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada.  He helped improve the organization before moving over to Diabetes Canada, where he serves as Senior VP, Finance and Business Operations.  Tim holds a B.A. from the University of Toronto, an M.A. from the University of Guelph and an M.B.A from Yale University. He is also a trained accountant and holds the CPA, CMA designation.   Tim serves on several boards of directors.  These include the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants of Canada, the Canadian Chiropractic Examine Board and the Ontario Internal Audit Committee. Tim teaches part-time at Nipissing University, Algonquin College. McMaster University and the Insurance Institute of Canada.

Kimberly is passionate about building sustainable, long-term growth through world-class HR practices. She is known for having strong expertise in Strategic Planning, Total Rewards and HR Change Management.  A visionary HR transformational leader, with high energy and high EQ, she embraces the challenge of transforming organizations and leading new, innovative human capital initiatives to gain competitive advantage.

Kimberly has a Master’s of Arts Degree in Leadership and People Strategy from the University of Guelph and obtained her HR Management Certificate from Seneca College.  Kimberly holds a CHRL designation with the Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario along with a Six Sigma Yellow Belt in Change Management.

Kimberly’s HR experience ranges across several industries including Retail, Aerospace, Pharmaceutical and now Senior Retirement Living.  Currently, she heads up the Human Resources division for V!VA Retirement Communities, a premiere brand focusing on independent living communities for retirees where they can “Live, Love and Laugh”.

Diane is an independent healthcare strategist and quality improvement consultant with over 20 years of health sector experience. With a degree in Neuroscience from University of Alberta and an adult education certification from NAIT, she has designed and facilitated several courses for McMaster University. She has implemented various technologies across the health-sector in two provinces and has worked on many healthcare projects in various capacities such as leading strategy work in palliative care and surgical services, developing resources and tools for persons and family/caregivers, co-designing engagement evaluation surveys and websites, and connecting different healthcare organizations working on similar initiatives. Diane currently participates on several steering committees for Interior Health and BC Cancer and is working on pan-Canadian programs with organizations such as Partnerships Against Cancer and Healthcare Excellence Canada. Diane’s specialties include:

Strategic Planning in Healthcare Healthcare Business Analysis [Clinical] Workflow Mapping and Referral Management Health Policy Privacy & Legislation Data Integrity & Quality Assurance Incorporating Person and Family/Caregiver Perspectives into Health System Change Health Technology Implementation and Management Digital Health Optimization Practice Automation Coaching Health Sector Project Management and Course Design Facilitation and Training

Diane believes in Universal, Portable, Publicly Administered, Accessible, and Comprehensive Canadian Health Care and also in giving back to support health system change initiatives.

Dr. Dennis Edogun is a dynamic and results-oriented professional known for his energy, communication skills, and dedication to fostering intellectual development. With a diverse academic background in engineering, business management, and asset management, he obtained his doctoral degree from California Intercontinental University, focusing on entrepreneurship’s role in addressing youth unemployment and poverty. Additionally, Dennis holds an MBA from the University of Leicester and a master of technology in chemical engineering from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria.

With over two decades in the oil and gas sector, Dennis transitioned to education in Canada in 2019. Until August 2023, he served as a full-time faculty member at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, developing curricula and teaching Risk Management courses. Joining Conestoga College in September 2023, Dennis is now a Professor of Supply Chain Management.
Dennis’s research centers on leveraging entrepreneurship to combat unemployment and enhance the economy. He explores how robust supply chain management can augment entrepreneurial endeavors, emphasizing the role of risk management in organizational value enhancement.

Zaki is a data leader at Electronic Arts, missioned to democratize analytics and data products by designing and implementing high-scale data architectures that meet business needs and data strategy. Zaki’s expertise in designing, executing, and driving data architecture strategy has been instrumental in creating several key data architectures in his various roles. He combines deep technical expertise, talent leadership, and organizational leadership for data transformation to build tactical and strategic data architectures at the core of building various big data, BI, and AI products and services.

Zaki graduated from McMaster Continuing Education’s Big Data Analytics Program and obtained his MBA from the University of Derby, in addition to several industry certifications and credentials.

Noam is the Co-Founder & COO at Morpheus.Network, a full-service, global, automated supply chain platform utilizing breakthrough technologies. Noam has played a pivotal role in developing and scaling Morpheus.Network into a global leader in supply chain technology. As COO, he is responsible for overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations, including hiring, business development, marketing and developing and implementing the product roadmap and strategy.

Noam has extensive entrepreneurial experience building and growing companies. He founded CleanForest.co, a full-service web development agency with clients including multinational financial corporations, banks, law firms, hotels, hospitals, startups, and nonprofit organizations.

Noam is a Professor at George Brown College and an Instructor at McMaster University, teaching Software Development and Blockchain courses. He also is a Governing Board Member of the Ethereum OASIS Project and volunteers as a judge/mentor at various startup events.

He helped establish the Crypto Defenders Alliance, a coalition of exchanges, blockchain projects and cybersecurity organizations dedicated to stopping stolen digital asset fraud and theft through deep industry collaboration, best practices, and open-source software.

Kathy has taught adult learners for over 20 years in both professional and higher education settings. After earning several professional designations, she uses her experience to assist students interested in preparing for industry qualifying examinations such as those leading to the CPA, CFP, and CFA professional designations.

She has been teaching students online since 2018 and has developed several online courses in corporate finance and managerial accounting. Kathy feels comfortable with many different pieces of education technology, from online course hosting platforms to course authoring software.

Kathy has experience teaching at Conestoga College, Wilfrid Laurier University and Sheridan College, as well as many years of corporate training. She has taught over 20 different courses in managerial and cost accounting, financial accounting, financial management, corporate finance, personal finance, and personal income tax.

Kathy holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts (Accountancy) from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from Heriot-Watt University. She also holds several professional designations: Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Her personal interests include her family, fitness, and continuous education.

Sr. Project Manager | PMP Certified | Higher Education Specialist

With over two decades of distinguished experience in project management and almost ten years of teaching, I have consistently excelled in leading diverse teams, managing projects, ensuring operational excellence and teaching.  My professional journey, primarily in the IT and Telecommunication sectors, has equipped me with the skills to manage multiple client-facing projects concurrently across various organizations and coaching professionals to excel in their careers.

Education Background:

• Diploma in Computer Science
• Bachelor’s Degree in Education
• Post-graduation in Services Marketing (MBA)
• Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Project Management Expertise:

I possess a comprehensive understanding of the entire project management spectrum, from meticulous planning to flawless execution. My proficiency extends to budget planning and financial control, ensuring optimal resource allocation and project success.

People Management:

I have a proven track record of recruiting, training, and mentoring professionals and project managers. My leadership and people management skills have earned recognition, contributing to cohesive and high-performing teams.

Effective Communication:

One of my strengths lies in bridging communication gaps across various organizational levels. I excel in translating complex technical concepts into clear and actionable information for executives.

Specialties:

• Project Management
• Operations Management
• Customer Relationship Management
• Services Marketing
• Coaching and Mentoring
• Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

My diverse background in project management and my recent years into higher education have equipped me with a unique skill set to drive success in both domains.

Steve Fletcher has been an Occupational Health and Safety Professional for the past 24 years. He believes in lifelong learning and the fact that you are never too old to learn something new. Steve has graduated from three Ontario Colleges, and is a three-time graduate of McMaster University in Human Resources, Labour Studies, and Occupational Health and Safety complimented with a Masters of Public Administration from Western University.

Steve’s career has given him significant experience in the healthcare, education, municipal and industrial sectors of Ontario workplaces. He has been teaching with McMaster in the Human Resources program for the past 15 years and has a passion for helping students thrive and enjoy the learning experience.

Alison Foo specializes in clinical data management, clinical monitoring, stakeholder management and trial management. She previously worked for contract research organizations as well as in the academic/non-profit sector and has worked on all phases of clinical trials. She has mentored many graduate students on how to start a career in clinical research and is passionate about teaching professional skills and simulating real-world experiences. 

She has a BScH from Queen’s University, a MSc from the University of Toronto, and is PMP certified from the Project Management Institute. Her other interests include volunteering, spending time with her rescue dog, learning a new language and cooking.

Dr. Katherine Ford is an instructor in the Nutrition, Health, and Wellness program at McMaster University. She utilizes her experience as Dietitian to bring a clinical perspective to her teaching and research. She is interested in better understanding the impact of nutritional assessment and interventions on patient-oriented outcomes and how to spread and scale effective nutrition interventions.

Katherine holds a Master’s of Science in Nutrition from the University of Saskatchewan and a PhD in Nutrition and Metabolism from the University of Alberta. She is a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Health System Impact Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Waterloo and holds a Mitacs Elevate Fellowship in conjunction with the Canadian Nutrition Society. During her fellowship, Katherine is supporting the Canadian Malnutrition Taskforce with integrating a malnutrition care standard in Canadian hospitals.

Grant Fraser, M.Ed., M.B.A., is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold numerous businesses over the last 30 years. Mr. Fraser began his career working as an account manager for the Bank of Montreal and Royal Bank of Canada before entering the golf business. In 1995, he started the first professional golf management (PGM) program in Ontario at Humber College and was named the college’s “Innovator-of-the Year” for doing so. In 1999, Mr. Fraser departed Humber College to launch the Golf Management Institute of Canada (GMIC), and the PGM program at Niagara College in 2000. For over 25 years, Mr. Fraser has taught hundreds of golf management students the business of golf.

Mr. Fraser is also an award-winning writer and photographer for Ontario Golf News and Flagstick magazine, two of Canada’s leading golf publications. He is the publisher of GolfTheWorld.ca, a golf and travel website that showcases golf destinations around the world. He has been writing about and photographing golf courses since 1995 when he published his first book, called “50 of Ontario’s Greatest Public Golf Courses.” He has written two other books since then entitled Golf Access and Golf Smart and has been on several ranking panels over the years including Score Golf Magazine, Ontario Golf Magazine, Fairways Magazine and the Traveling Golfer.

Mr. Fraser is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA). In addition, he is the past president of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada (GJAC) and past president of the Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC).

As past president, Fraser continues to serve on the board of directors of GJAC as well as the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) and the Golf Management Institute of Canada (GMIC). He is also on the Hall of Fame selection committee for Golf Ontario and the PGA of Canada. In 2018, Fraser served as the Pro-Am Committee Chairperson of the RBC Canadian Open, and in 2019 was made an honorary director of the PGA of Canada.

Rob Fraser has more than forty years of experience at ArcelorMittal Dofasco in Hamilton, Ontario. He has worked in Quality, Metallurgy and Customer Service in the Steel Making, Hot Rolling, Cold Rolling, Galvanizing, Shipping and Commercial areas.

Robert is a graduate of the Mohawk College Quality Assurance Certificate program and a graduate of the McMaster University Metallurgy of Iron and Steel Certificate program, class of 1995.

Ariela Freed is a seasoned digital marketing expert with over twenty years of experience leading teams across North America and Europe. Fusing loyalty, B2C CRM, UX and communications frameworks, with data analytics and technical know-how, Ariela helps businesses devise and implement marketing plans that enhance customer relationships, stand out against the competition, and drive profitable revenue growth. Her extensive experience spans top brands, agencies, and tech start-ups, providing her with a holistic marketing perspective that can be relatable to students with interests across a variety of career paths.

Ariela holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and an MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business. She taught Digital Marketing at BrainStation before joining the McMaster University Continuing Education team. She is excited to help people learn about the exciting and ever-changing world of marketing.

Michelle has worked in the insurance, technology, and banking industries as a Talent Manager over the years, strategizing different ways to source and build talent pipelines. She ran and recruited a Microsoft Business Partnership company in New York for eight years, hiring and sourcing consultants for the financial and entertainment industries. In her free time, she dedicates herself to volunteering for nonprofit organizations, actively seeking opportunities for continuous personal and professional development, and providing coaching to individuals. Michelle continues to be actively involved in identifying and attracting top talent in several industries to support growing companies, collaborating closely with existing teams to streamline and enhance recruitment processes.

Jennifer A. Frost has over 13 years experience in adult higher education and over 20 years experience in business communications. Jennifer is currently a Educational Technology Training and Support Specialist at Sheridan College. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Business in Information Systems, a Master of Business Administration (MBA), and a Master of Educational Technology (MET) with an emphasis in Adult Education. Jennifer has been teaching at McMaster CCE since 2016

Catherine started her Health Coaching business in 2016 after working as a Nurse (RN and PHCNP) in the medical field for over 15 years. She is a Mind-Body Practitioner and Master NLP Transformational Coach who works with people who are tired of being tired and worried. She brings advanced tools and techniques for intelligent energy management and emotional self-regulation. As a result, her clients regain sustained physical/emotional energy, recover faster from illnesses, attain mental clarity, self-confidence, feel more at peace with themselves and happier in their relationships.

Catherine holds a Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner diploma from Ottawa University and is certified as an Applied Neurosciences Practitioner. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Natural Medicine from Quantum University and studying the Ancient Wisdom of Siddha Veda through Ayushakti Ayurvedic Medicine Academy.

As a chronic Lyme disease survivor who healed in record time, she also developed a unique expertise to help Lyme disease sufferers regain their health and life without losing their time or money.

In her spare time she loves to fly her hang glider, ride her bike, kayak, scuba dive and ski with her soulmate Ken.

Shannon Gale, MRSc, R.Kin, HCA Registered Health Coach, is a Registered Kinesiologist and HCA Registered Health Coach with over 20 years of experience in public health and health coaching. She holds a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Science from the University of British Columbia and is a Certified Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition.

With a career dedicated to empowering individuals to achieve optimal health, Shannon brings extensive expertise in motivational interviewing and behavior change. She has taught at the post-secondary level and facilitated hands-on workshops across the South Georgian Bay region, equipping learners with practical, evidence-based strategies to support meaningful health outcomes.

As the founder and CEO of Success in Seven, an online health and wellness coaching program, Shannon combines her industry knowledge with innovative approaches to help individuals navigate their health and wellness journeys. Her work integrates exercise and nutrition science with real-world application, reflecting her commitment to making sustainable health practices accessible and achievable.

Shannon’s passion for active living extends beyond her professional life, as she enjoys hiking, biking, horseback riding, and snowboarding.

At McMaster University, Shannon shares her wealth of knowledge and real-world experience, preparing students with the hands-on skills and evidence-based tools needed to excel in the dynamic field of health and wellness coaching.

Ben Gallivan is a Registered Psychologist (Alberta) and Recreation Therapist who has been working in the field of addiction for over 18 years. During his career Ben has worked as an Addiction Counsellor, Supervisor, and Provincial Co-ordinator for Alberta Health Services / AADAC. In addition, Ben operates his own successful private practice and teaches courses for Mt. Royal and Athabasca Universities. When not at work, Ben can be found spending time with his family and seeking adventure. He holds multiple certifications through the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and enjoys spending as much time wandering through the hills as possible.

Bruce Garrod is among the most active project management trainers in Canada. Beyond coast-to-coast deliveries in Canada, he has also conducted training in Washington DC and New York City as well as in England and most recently the Philippines. His style is one where he brings the theory to life by incorporating his 20+ years of private and public sector experience in project and program management. He has worked with well over 7000 attendees and takes pride in adjusting his approach to the needs of each individual.

Having delivered projects and programs ranging from international telecommunications networks to corporate rebranding initiatives, Bruce has in-depth experience in all aspects of project management. Whether it be schedule, budget and risk planning or leading a team of project managers, he has experiences classroom attendees are sure to benefit from.

Bruce is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP)® with a Masters Certificate in Project Management, an Engineering Technologist graduate and is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI)®.

Cole Gately, MA (he/they) is a part-time instructor at McMaster University both at MCE and the BHSc. (Hons) Program. He has worked in social services, focusing on people experiencing homelessness, both as a frontline street outreach worker, and as an adult educator. Between 2019 and 2022, he was Diversity & Inclusion Facilitation Lead at the City of Hamilton, where he ran workshops for the City’s workforce. During the pandemic he volunteered to serve Hamilton’s homeless population once again as a street outreach worker focusing on encampments. In 2022, Cole and a friend instituted their own consulting firm, Intersecting: Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression Consultant which offers facilitation, online learning, organizational development, and research services to organizations and businesses in Ontario and beyond. In 2010, he graduated from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at University of Toronto with an MA in Adult Education and Community Development.

Laera is currently working in health analytics in healthcare planning, and has over 10 years experience in healthcare, research and epidemiology, focused mostly in Toronto and Southern Ontario.  Laera completed her Bachelor of Science with majors in Biology and Psychology at Sam Houston State University and her Master of Public Health specializing in Epidemiology at the University of Toronto.  

Dr. Marie Gendy holds a medical degree and a master’s degree in pharmacology from Cairo University (Egypt) and a Ph.D. in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Toronto.

As a physician in Egypt, Dr. Gendy worked in clinics focused on women’s health, obesity, and diabetes. She also taught pharmacology in the School of Medicine at Cairo University.

During her Ph.D., she conducted randomized clinical trials exploring innovative therapeutic approaches to address nicotine and alcohol addiction. She also collaborated with the pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer to evaluate drug efficacy in addiction treatment at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto.

As a Post-Doctoral Fellow joining HRI and McMaster University through the Mitacs Accelerate Industrial Fellowship, Dr. Gendy works alongside Dr. James MacKillop at the Peter Boris Centre for Addiction Research and the Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research, as well as on-site supervisor, Dr. Jean Costello, Director of Evaluation.

Dr. Gendy uses an individualized-medicine approach in her research, focusing on advancing treatment for substance use disorders by testing innovative therapies and new tools for diagnosing addiction and comorbid illnesses. She explored heterogeneity underlying substance use disorder and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Her research aims to identify unique levels of craving, impulsivity, and readiness to quit among people with addiction-related illnesses in order to match individuals with targeted interventions that will better meet their personal needs, generating improved care, outcomes, and quality of life.

To follow Dr. Gendy’s work, please visit https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marie-Gendy

Richard Godsmark is the AVP & CIO at an Ontario Higher Education Institution.

Richard has more than 25 years of experience working in Information Technology, with the last 21+ years in the Canadian higher education sector. Richard has both his Bachelor of Information Technology, and Master of Information Technology with Distinction. He also maintains several industry certifications from ISC2 and ISACA such as the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada (CIPP/C), received from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

Richard has been an active member of the IAPP, has held several IAPP KnowledgeNet Happy Hours in Hamilton and was on the IAPP Canadian Advisory Board from 2017-2019. Richard also spent several years on the McMaster Research Ethics Board (MREB) reviewing research protocols involving human participants to ensure that research was conducted in an ethical manner and abided by the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS). Richard has a keen interest in Artificial Intelligence, specifically with respects to the ethical use and the privacy implications.

Giovanna Good is a Registered Nurse who has held many roles in the healthcare sector in Ontario. Those experiences include working in acute care with a focus on maternal-infant-child, working in primary care with a focus on health equity, and working for the majority of her career in public health. Prior to working full time in academia, her most recent role was as the Chief Nursing Officer and Professional Practice Leader for Lambton Public Health for 8 years. In that role, she was responsible for nursing quality assurance, promotion of evidence-informed practice, and professional development of interdisciplinary public health staff.

Her research has primarily focused on building organizational capacity for health equity action at the staff, organizational and systems-level. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was responsible for leading and supporting mass vaccination clinics during in her local community and supporting her organization in case and contact management. In 2023 she began her current role as a professor in the Faculty of Nursing at Lambton College.

Giovanna has taught university community health promotion and supports Master of Public Health courses at Western University, and currently teaches a variety of topics related to nursing at Lambton College.

Giovanna earned her Bachelor of Health Sciences from Western University in 2007, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from York University in 2010, and her Master of Public Health from Western University in 2014.

She is passionate about teaching and mentoring students interested in healthcare and hopes her students have a fulfilling academic experience!

Born and raised in a southern Albertan farming community, Lisa Graham is a woman of boundless interests. Lisa is twice alumni at the University of Calgary, holding a BSc in software engineering and an MSc in biomedical engineering. Lisa’s master’s research delved into the captivating intersection of human-computer interaction within community health programs.

Outside of academia, Lisa has built YYC Beeswax, a thriving venture that melds her passion for sustainability with entrepreneurial spirit. Music, an eternal love, finds a special place in her life as well. Lisa teaches privately and performs with The Shillelaghs, a local Celtic punk band, and the Calgary Chamber Flutes among other musical projects. Lisa also teach yoga in Calgary and online.

Curiosity fuels Lisa’s journey, often leading her on numerous adventures around the world where she can capture fresh insights on life and work. Lisa is dedicated to uniting arts and sciences, infusing every endeavor with a blend of creative flair and analytical depth.

Denis Gravelle is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategist at Devant, a subsidiary of Academica Group, leading career and skills development projects in collaboration with industry and academia. An experienced educator and trendsetter, his focus lies primarily on workforce development and skills training in the age of disruption. Denis has held previous leadership positions in adult learning and workforce development at Seneca, Humber and Fanshawe Colleges, and earned his BA from Western and MEd from OISE University of Toronto. He has extensive facilitation experience teaching software applications and training at Fanshawe, Brock, Michener Institute, and in the corporate setting.

Dragica Grbavac brings 30+ years of experience with Management and Boards to develop and implement Risk Management Programs, Strategies, and related Changes. She helps management develop risk awareness and crucial capabilities in direct relation to their organizations. As a consultant, educator, coach, and facilitator, she has worked on 3 continents, working with organizations to achieve their business objectives with much less risk, providing them with measurable benefits.

Jim is currently the Vice- President of the Telco, Agency and Media (TAM) group at Environics Analytics, the largest Predictive Analytics firm in Canada. His role is to develop products suitable for these organizations, especially for the fast-emerging programmatic field. He began his career at A.C. Nielsen, creator of the famous Nielsen Television Ratings, where he had integral roles in the development of the first People Meter survey, and the industry-standard advertising measurement classification system. Jim has also been on the agency side, at DAC Group, where he developed consumer models based on segmentation, and for Generation5, a consumer research firm. In all, Jim has spent over 30 years working with data within the media industry.

Jim has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, focusing on Econometrics from the University of Waterloo, and several certificates in Human Resources and Marketing from Ryerson University.

Janet Guevara is a seasoned privacy professional with more than 15 years experience in healthcare privacy, freedom of information compliance, data governance, risk management and strategic advisory services. Janet is currently the Director of Canadian and Caribbean Privacy and Royal Bank of Canada.  She is responsible for leading a team of privacy professionals to ensure the Bank’s operations are in compliance with the applicable privacy laws.  Janet has held previous leadership roles in multiple sectors and has been recognized for developing practical and sustainable privacy programs that ensure data protection controls are in place.  For over 10 years, Janet has also served as a privacy representative on hospital Research Ethics Boards with a strong commitment to enhance privacy in research. She has completed a Master of Arts in Political Science and has also completed a Health Law Certificate from Osgoode Hall Law School. She is a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) and continues to expand her privacy education as a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

Instructor Spotlight: Meet Janet Guevara: Safeguarding careers in the digital age with Privacy Management

Lisa Gulesserian is a Learning and Development professional with a focus on leadership, career and women at work. She is currently Learning & Development Lead at WTW in Sydney, leading L&D for the investments business across Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and The Philippines.

Lisa has been working in the learning & organizational development space for 17 years, in Canada, Australia and the UAE. In Canada, she worked at the University of Toronto, KPMG and Ernst & Young supporting regional people development initiatives. Lisa spent two years in Abu Dhabi, UAE as a Leadership Development Consultant at Knowledge Group, including a focus on women at work and in leadership.

Lisa earned her PhD in Work and Organizational Studies at the University of Sydney Business School. Her thesis entitled “Rideshare fathers, flexible work and gender roles” examined men, fatherhood, gender roles, flexible work and the gig economy. Lisa currently teaches at McMaster University and the University of Sydney Business School and has taught at George Brown College.

Lisa also holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Toronto, and the Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) Designation through the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA).

Pedram Habibi has a BSc in Physics, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer and Communication Networking, and a Master of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Pedram has worked for many years in telecommunication and other IT domains. He has taught Data Analytics and Technology topics at McMaster University and Ontario Colleges. His interests are Big Data Analytics, AI, ML, Cloud computing, IoT, Cyber Security, DevOps, and Networking.

Jennifer is a value-centred leader, relationship builder and highly skilled facilitator with an incredible breadth of knowledge and experience in developing leaders, project groups, specialist teams and emerging talent.   Her extensive career in a leading Fortune 500 company has provided the first-hand experience in a multitude of functional areas and at all leadership levels. As a respected culture bearer for the organization, she held many leadership roles, including Store Manager, Director of Learning & Development and as Vice President, Human Resources for many years. In these roles, she was responsible for cultivating and delivering innovative programs to build succession, employee satisfaction, expansion and business growth. This work with her team, gained recognition as one of Canada’s Best Employers, year after year.

Jennifer is honoured to partner with the McMaster community and the Continuing Education team. She is a proud graduate of McMaster University and holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Corporate Communications. Today, Jennifer is the owner of J. Hagen & Associates Inc. and founder of TeamTRUST®.  She is a Certified Professional Master Business Coach, Executive Leadership, and Group Development expert specializing in the Integrated Model of Group Development and GDQ and the Hogan Assessment process.  Jennifer’s passion is to support authentic leadership growth by harnessing the best of education, business strategy, and people – together.

Ryan Hamilton has been working in the finance and accounting industry for the last decade, having positions within banking, corporate finance, accounting, and taxation. He has also been working in post-secondary for the last five years, developing and instructing business courses, with a specific focus on personal finance, accounting, and strategy. He is also very passionate about eLearning and online course delivery.

Ryan strongly believes in making education as accessible as possible and integrates Open-Source materials in all his courses. He understands that learning is not a linear process for every student, and enjoys working with learners to find the best course of instruction that will work for them. The use of integrated case studies and real-world scenarios are just some of the ways that Ryan brings relevant materials into the (virtual) classroom.

Ryan holds his BBA (Accounting), and an MBA (Organizational Leadership). He is also a current Doctoral Researcher working towards his DBA (Educational Leadership).

Outside of the classroom, Ryan loves to travel, spend time with his family and volunteer with local social welfare organizations.

Thomas Hammell has been in the risk management industry for over 17 years serving in some of Canada’s largest multinational organisations, from energy to utilities, and currently as risk management director for one of Canada’s top general contractors. He specializes in complex risk management solutions, including enterprise risk management, loss control and site inspections, commercial insurance and project insurance placements, establishing third party credit default management programs and insurance, and providing comprehensive risk analysis.

He holds a masters of business administration, is a fellow chartered insurance professional, a certified risk manager, and holds masters certificates in business performance leadership and risk management, and environmental and social governance. Thomas has been an instructor for 7 years, teaching risk management and insurance at the Insurance Institute and higher education institutions. In his off time, Thomas enjoys hiking, kayaking, and backcountry camping

Owais Hashmi is a Senior Data & AI evangelist who has a passion for using A.I to solve business problems cross-industry globally. Currently employed at Microsoft he helps organizations innovate and progress through their data-driven journey. Owais brings a blend of both industry and academia. His experience spans across industries including Telecommunication, Financial Services, Retail, Startups, Media & Entertainment etc. He holds a Masters in Management Analytics (MMA) from the Smith School of Business and an MBA from Lucas (San Jose State).

Chris Hoquis has been an Information Technology professional for over 20 years, with roles spanning across Software Development and Systems Analysis, to Business Analysis, Process Improvement and Project Management.

He’s been teaching post-graduate level courses for over 6 years in Business, Business Analysis, Project Management, Technology, and a variety of soft skill development classes.

He is the founder of Rally the Locals, a new business dedicated to driving growth for local businesses, through storytelling, promotions, and a custom web platform. He is relentlessly committed to showcasing impact of businesses in the community and crating meaningful connections with people to promote local economic scale.

Outside the office and classroom, Chris has been an advocate for positive mental health through university initiatives across Canada, is a TEDx Speaker (TED.com – Discover your Resilience with Relentless Empathy), is an avid amateur boxer and runner, and enjoys spending his down time learning Spanish.

Catherine Howson is an instructor in the Addiction Education Program at McMaster University. Her expertise involves counselling and treatment for various mental health conditions including substance use disorders, trauma, mood and anxiety disorders, grief and relationship concerns. She enjoys mentoring emerging therapists and provides clinical supervision for graduate students throughout their internships and beyond.

Catherine obtained a Master of Arts Degree in Counselling Psychology from Adler University. She also works as a Cognitive Behaviour Therapist with Lifeworks and has a private counselling practice.

Munaza has over 24 years of experience in the world of clinical trials. She is passionate about EDI principles, integrating them into all her work, with a special focus on the inclusion of immigrants in clinical trials. Munaza’s work experience includes leadership roles at several excellent healthcare institutions, overseeing large complex teams facilitating the start-up, execution, and close-out of clinical research projects in multiple therapeutic areas. She chairs the N2 Public Engagement Committee, where she champions many EDI initiatives. She is on the executive board of ACRP Canada. She is an active collaborator and mentor with IMPaCT trials, a CIHR-funded Clinical Trials Training Platform. She also sits on the Joint Task Force for Clinical Trials Competency at the MRCT Center at Harvard, which has defined the core competency framework for clinical research professionals globally.

Teaching in the Applied Clinical Research Program since 2018, Munaza thoroughly enjoys teaching, and strives to create a culture of learning within the virtual classroom, where students are encouraged to take risks in the discussion, feel confident starting conversations, and therefore drive their own instruction. Instead of using a traditional lecture-style format, Munaza’s philosophy is to engage her students in a two-way dialogue.

Instructor Spotlight: Meet Munaza Jamil: A passionate educator and career motivator for clinical research professionals

Webinar: Empowering Diversity: Immigrants in Clinical Trials

Michael Johnson is a teacher with over 10 years of experience in education. Michael has taught/tutored in primary, secondary, and post-secondary school.

His experience includes roles teaching economics, business, and math at colleges and tutoring mathematics for students in primary and secondary school.

Michael received his Bachelor of Education from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Master of Arts in Business Economics and Bachelor of Arts in Honours Economics from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Michael currently teaches at Mohawk College through teaching business and project management-related courses. Michael is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers.

Caroline is an experienced HR Business Partner with over 15 years in the industry within global organizations where she has held advisory roles leading talent strategy, organizational effectiveness and optimization as well as change management.

For the last couple of years Caroline has been teaching aspiring HR professionals and sharing what the real world of HR is like and how to apply what you learn into a successful HR Career.

Caroline is a life-long learner as she is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Business Administration with a focus on HR and Leadership.

Outside of the office, she enjoys hiking, reading and thinking about the next new dish to try!

Irameet is Post-Doctoral Researcher with University of Toronto Scarborough with a PhD in Management from India. She is teaching various courses in Business Management, Human Resource Management and Career Development at Conestoga College, Sheridan College and Toronto School of Management – Niagara College since 2019.

Irameet is also working as subject matter expert for Business Courses at McMaster University. She is a passionate researcher and her current research work focuses on enriching the online learning and teaching experience. Prior to this, Irameet was working as Associate Professor with various Management Institutes in India for 6 years. She has also worked in India as a Human Resource professional for 10 years in the pharmaceutical and recruitment sector, looking after the functions of recruitment, performance management and training.

Watch Irameet’s webinar: Managing the Hybrid Workforce

Julija Kelecevic, MD, PhD (ABD) is a Regional Ethicist who works for Hamilton Health Sciences. In her role, she supports a number of hospitals and community organizations in the Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (HNHB) and Waterloo Wellington (WW) Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) in the areas of clinical, research, and organizational ethics. Julija is also an Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) with the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University. She also teaches as a sessional instructor for the Bachelor of Health Sciences Honours Program and the Health Research Methodology Program at McMaster University. Julija also conducts research in different areas of applied health ethics, focusing on vulnerable populations.

Carla Keogan has supported Retirement Residences with Quality Improvement, Compliance and Education Programs for over 12 years during her role as Regional Quality & Education Manager with Sifton Properties Limited.  She has in-depth knowledge related to policy & procedure development and regulations that applies to Retirement Residences under the RHA.  Carla has a specialized operational focus in payroll, resident billing, clinical documentation, preventative maintenance, housekeeping routines as well as being the trainer and point person for the various software programs used in the Residence and across the Organization.

Carla has been a member of the Ontario Retirement Communities Association’s Education Committee for over 10 years and is an advocate for quality senior care and experience.

Carla has transformed her quality and education skills into a passion for Customer Experience and recently became a Certified Customer Experience Professional through the Customer Experience Professionals Association.  In her current role as the Customer Experience Manager for Sifton Properties Limited, she is developing the Customer Experience foundation and strategy for all Business Units across the organization.

Teaching and training in the adult learning space is very rewarding and comfortable for Carla.  She enjoys being a part-time Professor at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario and has been teaching Customer Experience Management in the Food & Beverage Management Program for the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts one evening a week since September 2022.

Carla has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from the University of Guelph and spent the first 12 years of her career working for Labatt Breweries of Canada in multiple roles across Canada; Management Trainee & Supervisor, Quality Control Manager, Management Systems Specialist and Regional Training Manager.  She resides in London, Ontario with her husband and two teenage children and enjoys competitive golf and curling.

Stephanie Kersta holds an Honors Bachelor of Science with a specialist in Psychology and a Masters of Science in Psychology. Additionally, she holds a number of certifications, namely, a post-graduate certificate in Addiction and Mental Health Counselling and advanced training in Solution-Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia, Attachment Therapy, and Psychometric Assessments.

As a compliment to her strong clinical education, Stephanie has incorporated additional evidence-based holistic certificates to further round out her training, including certifications in four mindfulness and meditation clinical modalities.

Stephanie holds teaching positions at multiple post-secondary institutions, and she has a clinical psychotherapy practice where she primarily treats anxiety, depression, self-esteem and insomnia. She is also a trainer for ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) certifying individuals in these two important modalities.  With a particular interest in stress and resilience, Stephanie regularly provides workshops and training sessions on stress, wellness, sleep, and mental health.

Amna Khaliq has a Doctor of Business Administration in Strategic Leadership from the University of California Southern, USA. She has an MBA from Cape Breton University in Community Economic Development in Canada. She has a Bachelor of Commerce with Honors from the University of Windsor, Canada. Along with her degrees, she has a Women Leadership Development Certificate from the University of Oxford, England, an Adult Education Learning Diploma from Vancouver Community College, Canada, and an E-learning Certificate from the University of Toronto, Canada. She has taught more than 28 business management courses in online and face-to-face settings at the third, fourth and pre-MBA levels. Her research interest involves economic development, online education, and strategic leadership. She has presented and published her research at many national and international conferences. She is a vice president and board member of the Dawson Creek Literacy Society and a board member of the CBU Alumni Association. Amna Khaliq focuses on practical application in online learning, developing soft business skills and intensive research through her teaching.

Sami Khoury served as a US open source officer, linguist, and analyst for over 15 years. A subject matter expert in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) tradecraft and operations and in large scale public data collection and mining, Mr. Khoury became a sought-after training developer, designer, and instructor, delivering training to intelligence, law enforcement, and military personnel worldwide in diverse subject areas ranging from OSINT procedures, tools, and methods to natural language processing and machine learning.

Sumeet Khullar is a finance professional with over 20 years of industry experience in a variety of roles, including financial reporting, audit and internal controls, and risk management.

His experience includes roles with large Canadian public companies, organizations on the venture exchange and educational institutions. This work is supported by his educational background which includes a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto, an EMBA from the Sandermoen School of Business and articling at KPMG, one of the big four accounting firms.

Sumeet currently teaches at the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business, Fanshawe College, focusing on accounting, tax and auditing courses. He is an active member of the Board of Trustees for the London Waldorf School, an independent school in the heart of London with a unique pedagogy.

Nerissa Knapp possesses over 15 years of leadership in business communications, team development and marketing. She designs and delivers customized programs for organizations to maximize leadership and team effectiveness to foster employee inclusivity and engagement.

Nerissa has experience working in the private and public sectors, including universities and other educational institutions, government municipalities, airports, Ontario Courts, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) and School Boards.

Nerissa has experience designing business and integrated marketing plans, brand management strategies, social media campaigns, product life cycle pricing strategies, digital marketing etc. She has strategically planned and coordinated multimillion-dollar business expansions for various industries, conducted macro-environmental and risk analyses, and translated them into business and financial plans.

As an accredited Mediator and Communications Coach, Nerissa fosters a safe space for clients to be seen, heard, and understood, while sharing challenging stories, especially in volatile situations. She balances the power amongst participants to help to bring out underlying issues in a respectful and emotionally intelligent manner, move participants from positions to interests, to empower them to reach mutually beneficial resolutions.

As a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Assessor and Facilitator, she works with people from all organizational levels, including C-Suite, leadership and management teams, frontline employees etc. She cultivates a DEIA infrastructure to equip organizations with tools to cultivate a more inclusive workplace to create a community of belonging and strengthen access to employment and retention for employees. Nerissa helps organizations to create DEIA action plans by performing workplace climate assessments to identify any DEIA gaps, develop and measure performance metrics, create DEIA curriculum, and deliver DEIA trainings to help prioritize and bridge DEIA gaps.

Nerissa was humbled to be selected as professor/instructor of the year at McMaster University (MCE) in the Business Administration and Marketing programs, where she teaches Business Communications, Leadership and Supervision, and Marketing.

Nerissa incorporates Adult Learning Principles (Andragogical principles) in her material, engages learners via experiential learning and applies concepts to relevant real-life professional experiences. She also incorporates multiple instructional strategies to reach learners with diverse learning styles, using a combination of media and activities. She fosters a safe, positive, interactive, and inclusive learning environment for learners. Nerissa is passionate about facilitating learning and development in adults to empower them to maximize their learning potential to achieve their goals.

Nerissa has also served McMaster University (MCE) and other academic institutions as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on various course development projects that includes developing curriculum, course plans, course learning objectives, module learning objectives, interactive and engaging course content, course evaluations and rubrics.

Nerissa holds an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA), a BA in Marketing and Psychology, advanced certification and training in Conflict Management and Mediation, DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility), Instructing Adults, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness and Career Development.

Paula Kocsis is the Director of Privacy at Unity Health Toronto. In this role, Paula is responsible for staff and patient privacy and freedom of information across the organization.

Paula has more than ten years of experience in various healthcare privacy roles at Sinai Health, University Health Network and Ontario Health (formerly eHealth Ontario). In addition to an MBA in Health Services Management and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from McMaster University, Paula has obtained designations from the International Association of Privacy Professionals and the Project Management Institute, and is Six Sigma Black Belt certified.

Paula is excited to be a part of the Privacy Management Continuing Education Program and enjoys interacting with other privacy professionals and learners.

Kris Krishnan is the President and CEO of GVK International Inc., a firm offering management consulting services. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), a Professional Engineer (P.Eng), a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), and a Project Management Professional (PMP). He holds an M.Eng. from McMaster University and a M.B.A. from the University of Toronto. He has more than 35 years of experiences in a varied industries and has taught at McMaster since 1992.

Dr. Matilda Essandoh Laar is an instructor in the Nutrition, Health, and Wellness Program at McMaster University. Her research interests focus on the role of food environments in the food security and health of mothers and children in low-resource settings; nutrition education in health systems; and the development of monitoring and evaluation tools in the agriculture, nutrition, and health nexus in low-to-middle income countries. She has taught courses in nutrition and public health at McMaster’s School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and in tertiary education institutions internationally.

Matilda obtained her PhD in Human Nutrition from McGill University and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Minnesota, USA.

Nilay Lad is an Executive at Laurentian Bank of Canada and sits on the board of numerous Canadian and UK based start-ups who are solving complex problems within the financial services, insurance and real estate sectors. With over 15 years of experience in leadership roles at top FTSE 100 companies in Canada and Europe, his skill set lies within financial management, product development/strategy, digitalization, thought leadership coaching, direct/digital marketing, campaign strategy, and understanding and surviving the start-up ecosystem.  

During the early stages of his career, Nilay become passionate about coaching, teaching and mentoring others as he realized that giving back and growing others helps him grow personally and drives positive change. Throughout his career, Nilay has led various programs to help grow talent and has spent many years teaching and inspiring students within Canadian institutions and globally.

Melissa Lam is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for education. She has experience in post-secondary education teaching clinical nutrition, food science, and food service management courses to cooks, nutrition managers and nutrition students. She has supported students through mentorship programs, developed curriculum with Health Canada and College & Institutes Canada, and participated in the blueprint committee for the Canadian Dietetic Registration Exam.

Melissa has managed various community programs through planning and evaluating their nutrition initiatives, reviewing menus, and facilitating cooking classes. In the community, she has worked with diverse population groups including individuals of Indigenous status and low socio-economic background.

Particularly, Melissa has a strong interest working with older adults. As an Assistant Food Service Manager with Sodexo, she has implemented the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) guidelines across multiple hospital sites and provided nutrition care to long-term care home residents. At Providence Care Hospital, she has managed and administered the organizational learning management system.

Melissa holds a Bachelors of Science (Foods and Nutrition) degree from the University of Western Ontario, a Professional Masters Diploma in Dietetics from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson), and Master of Education specializing in Health Professions Education from the University of Ottawa. She is registered with the College of Dietitians of Ontario and holds membership with Dietitians of Canada.

Jason Lamb is an education-technology specialist living in Hamilton, Ontario. He currently works at McMaster University as a member of the MacPherson Institute.

Jason holds a Bachelor of Arts in combined multimedia and theatre & film studies, as well as a Master of Education from Memorial University

As a cultural ethnographer and former adjunct professor of sociology at the University of Lethbridge, Paul’s PhD research focused on digital health and the emerging social web. Paul transitioned from academia into the agency world in 2013 as head of digital at Cohn & Wolfe and, more recently, as VP Strategy at Cossette, where he led brand strategy on the Canopy Growth portfolio during the legalization of cannabis in Canada. Paul has owned two independent record labels that have released 100+ albums by emerging Canadian musicians over the last 10 years and has a deep understanding of Canadian culture from years of touring coast to coast.

Instructor Spotlight: Meet Paul Lawton: Developing your brand with style and confidence

Kathryn (she/her) is an HR Professional and Educator who works within the global employment industry. Throughout her career, Kathryn has worked with hundreds of companies. She believes in the importance of educating in all areas of work and life, empowering folks to recognize their potential as a leader and peer. Kathryn has worked with innovative teams throughout her career, been awarded team accolades for innovation and was humbled to receive personal career awards. 

Kathryn is a certified career and employment specialist, adult educator and member of professional associations Human Resource Professionals Ontario (HRPA-CAN) and the Society of Human Resource Professionals (SHRM-USA). She holds a Degree in Adult Education from Brock University and a Master of Education Degree from Queen’s University. She is currently pursuing Doctorate studies in Adult Learning from the University of Calgary. 

She teaches courses in Organizational Behaviour and Wellness in the Workplace. 

Rowena Leung is a Toronto-based Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. For almost 15 years, Rowena has practiced dietetics in a variety of settings including: family health team, diabetes education centre, long term care home, retirement home, industry, media, private practice and hospital. Providing care for the aging population has been a personal passion of Rowena’s since completing her undergraduate studies at Western University; therefore, Rowena has been involved in providing patient centred care for the aging population for almost 20 years.

Rowena is also very passionate about mentoring and educating individuals. She is currently enrolled at OISE and is pursuing a Masters of Education in Adult Education and Community Development. Rowena looks forward to sharing her practical knowledge with students as students engage in this comprehensive course about healthy aging.

Jamie Liddicoat is a Canadian Tax Manager at Hub International. He worked previously for KPMG Chartered Accountants and Deloitte Chartered Accountants. Jamie has been a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) since 2004.  He holds a BComm in Accounting from the University of Northern British Columbia.  Jamie has taught Accounting courses at McMaster since 2009.

Cecilia Lui, Founder & Director, ILIA Connect

Originally from Hong Kong, Cecilia has spent her 30+ years career between Canada and the Asia Pacific working for multinationals across sectors and industries in corporate administration, communications, business development and learning & development.

Cecilia holds an MA in Communications from the California State University, is a Certified Practitioner of Lumina Learning psychometric for self-team/leadership development and has credentials for Coaching, NLP, Career & Business Planning.

Cecilia has been adjunct lecturer at HKUSPACE (International Business Communication Skills) and Hong Kong Baptist University for its Communication Master’s Program.

Paul Maher is a continuing education instructor in the Human Resources Management program. Paul has over twenty (20) years experience within HR Management, Recruitment, Training & Performance Management across military and manufacturing environments. He has been teaching at the post-secondary level since 2006, and with McMaster since 2008. Paul is a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL), holds a Bachelor of Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland, a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University, an HR Management Diploma from Sheridan College, a Strategic Human Resources Leadership certificate from Cornell University, as well as a Master of Education (Post Secondary Studies) from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Originally from Newfoundland & Labrador, Paul is a proud ex-Reservist, and in his spare time likes to stay active in the outdoors, in the gym and in the kitchen.

Umair Majid is a research methodologist and health systems expert. He has collaborated with over 50 organizations worldwide, designing people-centred health services through rigorous research and meaningful engagement with patients, families, and stakeholders. With more than 120 publications, Umair has deep knowledge of health systems and public health issues. His work has been read over 300,000 times and cited more than 1,600 times in the past five years. He serves as the President of The Methodologists (TMT) Corp., a company dedicated to mobilizing organizations to design people-centred health services using rigorous research and meaningful engagement. Umair holds three graduate degrees in health research methodology, program design and evaluation, and health care management.

I am a Certified Payroll Manager and a Chartered Professional Accountant (Certified Management Accountant). My career has included various roles in both Accounting and Payroll. I have been a volunteer with the Canadian Payroll Association for a number of years on various committees and serving on the Board of Directors. I have been involved in instructing Canadian Payroll Association certification courses in the classroom, and online as well as delivering Professional Development seminars. I look forward to getting to know you and sharing our experiences.

Patsy Marshall is President of Train on Track, which specializes in the human side of business (customized training workshops and keynotes), along with organizational effectiveness. She has been in adult education for 38 years and continues to teach at various other schools in Southern Ontario. Patsy has held full-time senior leadership positions in health care and financial services. She holds an M.Sc. and B.A.Sc. degree from the University of Guelph, along with many awards including the J. David Stewart Award from Conestoga College for excellent teaching and leadership, and was the recipient of the Woman of Distinction (Education and Training) Award from the YMCA-YWCA of Guelph in 2012. Patsy has been teaching at CCE since 2016.

Gillian Martin holds a Bachelor’s of Health Administration from Ryerson University and a Master’s of Adult Education (hons) from Memorial University, as well as certification through the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA).

She has primarily worked in hospital settings and Public Health and has held many positions such as Privacy Officer, HIM Coordinator, NSQIP Surgical Clinical Reviewer, Clinical Analyst, HIM Administrator and Clinical Coder. Gillian currently works as a Senior Patient Relations Specialist in the Quality, Risk, Patient Safety and Patient Relations department at Niagara Health in an effort to improve patient experience and safety. Additionally, Gillian is Chair of the Health Information Management Program at HealthCareCan and involved in areas such as program planning, previous learning assessments (PLAR) and faculty/student support. Gillian is also an instructor at HealthCareCan in the biomedical courses which include Medical Terminology, Pathophysiology & Anatomy and Physiology. Gillian is passionate about all aspects of health information and enjoys sharing that passion and knowledge with her students.

Gillian also enjoys engaging in artistic endeavours such as calligraphy, resin and clay art and crafting. Additionally, she loves spending time with her family which includes her two daughters and travelling.

Nancy M. Martini has taught adults in a Continuing Education setting with enthusiasm for 10+ years.  Nancy graciously joined McMaster CCE in 2019 commencing with Management Accounting.  Her work experience of 25 years has ranged from industries of distribution for lighting and decorative surfaces, to manufacture of transport vehicles and housing – in both corporate and family-owned settings.  Nancy incorporates her real-life experiences in all of her classes in an effort to match and solidify learning experiences.  She has one goal in teaching – to facilitate a warm, kind and knowledgeable experience where the student simply learns.  Today Nancy is working full-time as a Director of Finance and Administration for a manufacturing company in Burlington, Ontario; she volunteers at several non-profit organizations including sitting on the school council for her three children.

Jeff May holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics from Laurentian University and a Master of Education from Nipissing University. As owner of The May Development Group, he has provided large organizations with professional development consulting, management and leadership development, and succession planning since 1996. Some of his clients include Agricorp, Guelph Hydro, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Wilfred Laurier University, and many more. In addition to his successful career, Jeff has also taught and/or designed in person and online courses for many Canadian and international schools.  Jeff has taught at CCE since 2011.

Dr. Meghan McGee is an instructor in the Nutrition, Health, and Wellness program at McMaster University. Her expertise covers different lifestyle aspects of nutrition, obesity, and wellbeing. This includes healthy eating, physical activity, sleep, and breastfeeding. She is a talented science communicator and also works as a freelance journalist reporting on nutrition research.

Meghan obtained a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Toronto and is a research collaborator at the Hospital for Sick Children and Sinai Health.

Dario Medina is a Senior Business Intelligence Analyst for Wealth at TD Bank in Toronto. In his role he builds operational dashboards and scorecards for various business lines to support their strategic objectives. Dario has also held senior business intelligence and leadership roles at Scotiabank, Bell before coming to Canada from Peru, Praxair. He has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Software Engineering, a Masters of Software Engineering and an MBA from McMaster University.

Mary Megali (Ph.D, MBA) has led the design, development, and execution of strategic HR projects for Top 50 Employers in healthcare, telecom, and commercial real estate. She has led teams for national and global organizations that have contributed to HR’s plans to align and help achieve corporate objectives.

She is both an HR and teaching professional who is regularly invited to speak at universities and professional conferences on various topics such as HR planning, employment branding, recruitment, and social media for HR.

Dr. Megali holds a PhD, an MBA, Six Sigma Black Belt certification, and is an active member of the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA). Mary is also a systems, digital learning, and investment enthusiast.

Claudia is extremely enthusiastic about supporting individuals in achieving their career-related goals. She has over 15 years of diverse and progressive experience in recruitment, program coordination, and job development for a number of non-profit employment services in the greater Toronto community. She currently works as the Manager of Co-operative Education at The University of Guelph where she ensures that work-integrated learning programs meet the needs of students, employers, and the university. 

Claudia is a graduate of the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Sociology with postgraduate certificates in Human Resources Management and Adult Education. She completed her Master’s Degree in Education at Central Michigan University. 

Rajibul Mian is a Statistician. He has extensive teaching and professional experience in distinguished Healthcare Institutes and Medical Research organizations. He is currently working at McMaster University, Department of Medicine. His professional background and interest encompass Biostatistics, Computational Statistics, Statistical Modelling, Data Analytics, and Data Science.

Rajibul holds PhD in Statistics from the University of Windsor.

Michael Michalski is a member of the teaching staff in the McMaster University/Mohawk College Bachelor of Technology Program (BTECH) where he teaches Human Resources Management and Organizational Behaviour. He has over 30 years of experience in the fields of Finance and Human Resources Management. Michael holds an M.B.A. in Human Resources Management and a B.A. in Economics, both from McMaster University. He has taught courses at McMaster since 1993.

Bio coming soon! 

Glenn Mills has spent most of his professional career in retail running big-box operations, including most recently as general manager of Sport Chek in Toronto. For 10 1/2 years he worked with Golf Town, Canada’s largest golf retailer, where he built and ran the flagship store in Mississauga, taking on subsequent roles as regional manager, Director of Human Resources, Director of Training, Development & Recruitment, and Director of Facilities Management & Procurement. During his Golf Town tenure, he was instrumental to the company’s growth from 1 to 47 stores, and from 12 to 1,600 employees, with $350 million in annual sales. Mr. Mills’ progressive career has been combined with an executive-level education in HR, legal issues and organizational behaviour. He possesses superb purchasing and general management experience covering all areas of retail store operations.

Elizabeth is a dynamic Instructor and Facilitator with over 15 years of experience helping young adults to navigate the labour market, using a variety of teaching methods to accommodate diverse learning styles. Her experience includes resume development, interview preparation, networking, career advising, instructing and mentoring students. Elizabeth’s passion is to help and motivate students to jumpstart their own careers. Elizabeth possesses a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering, Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing Management, Master in Business Administration, and Certificate in Instructing Adults.

Brian Mossop is the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club – host of the 2023 LPGA CP Women’s Open and 4-time host of the PGA Men’s Canadian Open.

Brian has over 15 years of diverse general management experience at public, semi-private and private golf clubs in both for profit and non-profit settings. Brian’s educational background includes a golf operations diploma from GMIC, an undergraduate degree from UBC and a Master’s in Business Administration from Queen’s University. Brian is also actively involved in the club management development space and is the President of the Pacific Branch of the Canadian Society of Club Managers (CSCM).

Brian has extensive experience in planning, implementing and executing strategy in diverse settings and is particularly passionate about developing others, marketing and financial strategy.

Ahmed Mostafa has extensive research and development experience, leading technical efforts to identify and implement innovative visual analytic solutions to real-world problems. Ahmed is an expert in software design and implementation including system architecture and technical mentorship. Prior to his work in the industry, he completed a PhD degree from the University of Calgary, where he studied novel approaches to designing and prototyping immersive environments. His work was evaluated through practical use cases in various disciplines including medical education and oil and gas. Ahmed has successfully taught university-level classes and organized technical workshops in addition to his research and professional experiences, demonstrating his profound enthusiasm for teaching and encouraging students through experiential learning methodologies.

Bradley Munro is the Principal at RS4 Marketing Group, a Toronto-based consulting firm. His previous positions include Vice President of Rogers Communications and General Manager of Bell Canada. He holds an M.B.A. from Queens University. Bradley has taught both in-class and online marketing courses at McMaster since 2008.

John Nashid has over ten years of experience in teaching, health care and consulting sectors.  John works a project manager with the Strategy Department at SickKids hospital providing strategic support across all programs. He has previously worked at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton as a Quality Consultant, providing strategic and continuous quality improvement support.  John received his MBA and Bachelor of Kinesiology from McMaster University, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Certified Managerial Accountant (CMA).  John has been teaching at CCE since 2016.

Tarek Nasr is a member of the Ontario College of Pharmacists and a professor at Sheridan and Selkirk colleges. He has been active in the community pharmacy field for over 15 years where he always strives to provide sincere patient care through counselling, medication review clinics and specialized methadone/suboxone dispensing.

Nasr lectured many courses such as pharmacology, pharmacy dispensing, pharmacotherapeutics, and professional practice in both in-class and online environments. He truly enjoys the experience of interacting with students from every province through NAPRA’s National pharmacology Bridging program, and he prides himself on contributing to the success of hundreds of students across Canada while taking their big step towards becoming certified healthcare professionals and members of the College of Pharmacists in their provinces. Part of his teaching interests include course development and the gamification of education, and he is currently engaged in developing the advanced dispensing courses in Sheridan college. In the meantime, Nasr is the academic advisor for both the pharmacy tech and the community pharmacy assistant programs in Sheridan College’s Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies where he genuinely gives full support to students to reach the best of their abilities.

Ramy is a Canadian engineer, designer and maker. Ramy leads strategy and design teams, working directly with end-users to create innovative and differentiated customer experiences based on user insights and advanced data analytics. Combining tools and practices from the worlds of Design Thinking and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Ramy ensures that delivered solutions meet end-user needs and leverage the incredible potential that data can provide in the Design Thinking process.

Ramy has worked with some of the world’s most influential brands including Apple, Nike, and Air Canada. Currently, he is working with one of Canada’s leading banks as well as a commercial real estate developer to build internal innovation best practices. Prior to that, Ramy led the Retail Innovation team for Mattel, working with brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Fisher Price to create engaging new user experiences.

Ramy is in his first year of teaching Design Thinking, but has previous teaching experience at the Universities of Waterloo and Toronto.

Nozwelo Ndebele is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA) and Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE). She has over 15 years of accounting experience which includes teaching in the post-secondary sector, working in Public Accounting, and the private sector. Nozwelo graduated from Brigham Young University Utah with a Master Of Accountancy. 

Saeed’s (Sam) professional career started at US Naval Academy and Maine Maritime as an Engineering Officer. Later, he worked for over 20 years at GE aviation as the Director of global sales for the military fighter jets, small commercial aircraft, helicopters, maintenance services, spares and ground equipment programs.

Saeed’s professional career include senior executive management roles in the Defense, Aerospace, Power, Energy, Education, and Business Consulting industries such as Sr. adviser/consultant at TPG, senior business management consultant at Siemens for Smart Grid, Sr. consultant at Toronto Hydro on Energy Efficiency/Conservation Demand Management and Sr. consultant at Southern California Edison on Demand Side Management & Energy Efficiency.

Saeed (Sam) has a degree in Marine Engineering (Steam & Diesel) from Maine Maritime, a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, a MS degree and PhD in Industrial Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston Massachusetts. His educational experience includes teaching assignments at US Army, Northeastern University, University of California, University of Toronto and Ryerson University. He also has over 30 professional certifications and diplomas including Professional Engineer (PE), Engineering Leadership Programs (ELP), Manufacturing Management Programs (MMP), Project Management (PM), Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Energy Systems Auditor (ISO 50001), Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt (GB), Blackbelt (BB), Master Blackbelt (MBB), Sustainability Management, Occupation Health & Safety (OSH), Global Procurement, Supply Chain Management (SCM), Operations Management (OM), Total Quality Control (TQC), Product Development Management (PDM), Quality Management System (QMS), Manufacturing Materials & Processes (MMP), Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF), New Product Introduction (NPI), Organizational Change Management (OCM), Professional Negotiation Management (PNM), Product’s Commercialization program among others.

Saeed (Sam) is currently Academic coordinator for Sustainability Management & Enterprise Process Excellence and Green Economy certificate programs, Course/program developer and lead instructor at Ryerson University. He continues with senior consulting assignments within the private, public industries and government agencies based on demand.

Quang Nguyen is a data scientist with experiences working for IBM Canada in Advanced Analytics and AI practice as well as IBM Quantum Computing Ambassador team. He also did several postdoc research in academic institutes such as Korean Astronomical and Space Institute, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics. He finished his post and undergrad in Europe.

Jonathan Nituch is a business technology leader with diverse skills in business analysis, project management, continuous improvement, and data management. Jonathan has been teaching these topics at Canadian post-secondary institutions for the last 12 years. He is currently the Director of Enrolment Services and Operations in the Registrar’s Office at NAIT. Jonathan has been an agent of change in a variety of industries, including consumer packaged goods, distribution chain, professional services, telecommunications, and higher education. He has worked with companies both large and small. Jonathan is recognized for his engaging teaching style. “It’s important for students to connect the material to their own experiences, and also to hear about each other’s stories. These stories bring the material to life by providing real-world relevance.

Jonathan holds an MBA in Management Analytics, is a Project Management Professional PMP®, and a Certified Business Analysis Professional CBAP®.

Christina Nolan is a marketing/business consultant. She has worked in marketing and communications for over fifteen years in financial services, where she has managed everything from online banking and product offers to niche marketing offers for Students, Youth and Newcomers.

In her spare time, you can find her with a camera in hand or with her hiking shoes on. She is a firm believer in giving back and volunteers with the Alzheimer’s Society Music Project as well as TIFF if time allows.

Dr. Jeffrey O’Leary works at the Canadian Marketing Association as the Vice President of Finance and Learning. Prior to this he has worked at Karl Storz Medical Devices, Maple Leaf Foods and Wolseley Canada in various Marketing, Sales and Finance roles.

He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick, a Master of Business Administration and has earned the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and Chartered Marketer (CM) designations.

Currently Jeff teaches online, online self-study, and virtual courses at McMaster.

Gail Ordogh is currently a Digital Marketing Manager, Integrated Communications specializing in Social Media with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. In this position she is the business lead and subject matter expert for National and Regional campaigns for brands like LOTTO 6/49 as well as the Chairperson of the Inter-Provincial Lottery Corporation Social Media Working Group. She has had the opportunity to work on beloved brands like The Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, Coca-Cola, Molson, and Carnival Cruise Lines. Gail holds a B.A.A from Ryerson University, and B.Ed from Niagara University and AQ Qualification from Queen’s University for Communication Technology.

Gail has a keen understanding of the evolving media landscape and the significance of effectively delivering messages to a wide body of audiences. Her students describe her as an outstanding instructor who consistently goes above and beyond. Gail’s ability to talk with and encourage her students through difficult times has been much appreciated by them. Gail is the recipient of the 2023 Instructor Award from the McMaster Association of Part-time Students.

Watch Gail’s webinar: Get a Handle on Social Media & Marketing Programs Online Info Session

Kelli Orr has over 20 years of experience in education at the secondary and post-secondary levels. She has been a Continuing Education Instructor at Queen’s University for 15 years and has taught Human Rights, History and Social Justice at the secondary level for 20 years. During the past five years, Kelli completed her M.Ed with a focus on Equity and Social Justice, and taught at five colleges in varied disciplines. Kelli has had the opportunity to write courses in Anti-Discrimination, Equity and Interpersonal Communications. She taught primarily Critical Thinking and Ethics, Global Studies and Human Sexuality at St. Lawrence College, Conestoga College and Ontario Learn. She has also recently had the opportunity to teach other instructors/professors in the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Program at Centennial College, Assessment and Evaluation. Kelli has also started teaching a Multicultural Course at Conestoga College.

Kelli holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree and Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University and completed her M.Ed at Western University.

Mark Peco is a seasoned educator, consultant and team builder with expertise in data management, analytics and process improvement. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering from the University of Waterloo and works with clients to identify and implement key capabilities needed to drive impact from their investments in data and analytics.

As a faculty member with leading organizations Mark develops and delivers courses, seminars and workshops to business and technology professionals on a broad range of data related topics. He teaches companies on a global basis how to implement and govern “intelligent” business solutions.

Mark is a Certified Business Intelligence Professional (CBIP) at the mastery level and maintains his professional focus at the intersection of business, operations, and technology. He enjoys advising and facilitating management teams as they learn new concepts, how to shape new data-driven business strategies and how to achieve success.

Per Pettersson brings a wealth of industry experience spanning across telecom, networking, and cloud-native technologies. With an impressive background that includes pivotal roles at Ericsson, Kaloom, VMware, and currently at the cloud-native startup Skyramp, Per has cultivated a deep expertise in web technologies, Kubernetes, and various development tools.

Driven by a passion for problem-solving, Per is constantly on a quest to discover and learn new technologies. This enthusiasm extends into his teaching, where he aims to demystify complex concepts and empower students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the fast-evolving tech landscape.

As an instructor, Per combines practical industry insights with a hands-on approach to learning, making him a valuable guide for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of modern technology infrastructures and development practices.

Mike Piczak has been an educator, trainer and consultant since the early 1980s. He has taught at Mohawk College and McMaster University for over 30 years in addition to conducting numerous training sessions in the corporate setting.

His interests and teaching include interpersonal skills management, strategy formulation, intra/entrepreneurship, sustainability, six sigma methods and project management.

He has a dozen publications to his credit in addition to a number of conference papers on various aspects of engineering/management education. Finally, he regularly updates a student manual for learning Microsoft Office Suite products.

Bio to come! 

Meagan Pilo is a Human Capital Management Specialist and Organizational Development Practitioner who is passionate about people and learning. Throughout her career, she has worked in various streams of HR, such as thought leadership, employee relations, performance optimization, wellness programs, succession planning and talent management.

As a naturally strong communicator and facilitator, she has developed and delivered courses and workshops to enhance engagement and provide ongoing learning opportunities to leaders at all levels. She has worked in such industries as consulting/advising, construction and engineering, academia and life sciences. Her firm belief that people are the most important asset in any company has led her to pursue a career focused on enriching the entire employee lifecycle experience – from hire to retire.

She holds an Honours Bachelor Degree from McMaster University and a Masters Degree in Education from York University. She has certifications in many psychometric platforms, including Myers Briggs (MBTI), Personality Dimensions, Thomas International (DISC), Predictive Index and Coactive Coaching. She is an active member of the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA).

In addition to spending quality time with her family, Meagan is also an avid reader and writer who enjoys yoga, mindfulness and the natural environment. As a McMaster graduate, she is thrilled to be teaching at her alma mater.

Carolyn Plater-Zyberk works on an emergency crisis team at Mackenzie Health Hospital and Trillium Mississauga Hospital. She also operates a private counselling practice specializing in addictions and mental health with a focus on youth and young adults. She is a member of the College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers and the Ontario Association of Social Workers. Carolyn holds a B.A. in Psychology from York University, an Addiction Careworker Diploma from McMaster University, and a M.S.W. from the University of Toronto.

Heather Pollex has been involved in education for over 35 years, having worked full-time in a series of progressively senior educational roles in the health care sector. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from McMaster University; a B.Sc. in Nursing from the University of Toronto; a M.Sc. in Teaching from McMaster University; and a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) from the University of Toronto. Her doctoral research focused on organizational culture and change.

She has been a sessional instructor at McMaster since the early 1990’s.  In 2018, she assumed the part-time position of Experiential Learning Coordinator to support instructors as they incorporate experiential learning in their respective courses.

Steve is an Ottawa-based housing research consultant and part-time lecturer at Carleton and McMaster. Widely recognized as one of the leading housing policy experts and thought leaders in Canada Steve has over 35 years of experience in the housing sector, initially in the non-profit sector, local government and with CMHC before establishing Focus Consulting Inc. in 1994. Since then he has completed over 200 research reports covering all aspects of housing as well as urban issues, both in Canada and internationally.

Steve regularly advises several national and provincial housing associations, many municipalities and provinces on housing programs and policy, development of comprehensive housing strategies and financial feasibility.

His recent publications include: Current State of Rental Housing in Canada’s Cities, Chapter 5 in The Future of Affordable Housing: Planning and Design Innovation (2020), editor Sasha Tsenkova, University of Calgary, Recovery for All Proposals to Strengthen the National Housing Strategy and End Homelessness (2020) for the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness; and Envisioning a Modernized Social and Affordable Housing Sector in Canada (2018).

As a senior business leader, Brian is passionate about connecting strategy to execution, delivery excellence and growth. Brian’s career spans more than 25 years, working across Canada, US, Europe and India developing and executing strategy, leading transformation programs and nurturing high performing, inclusive teams in both project and operational roles. Brian is a life-long learner and enjoys coaching and teaching in both formal and informal venues.

Brian is an active consultant/advisor, project leader and board member and volunteers in the community with a focus on community and youth development and active living. Brian holds an MBA from the University de McGill and an HBBA from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Sarah Precious is an educator, facilitator, and leader in engagement and mental health, with a Master’s in Leadership and Community Engagement. She teaches Sustain 2SS3 at McMaster, has taught at Mohawk College and facilitated training and presentations on mental health, suicide prevention, Developmental Assets, and co-designed various trainings with individuals with lived and living experience. With over 15 years of experience, she is a strong advocate for community engagement and believes in the power that co-designed services can have on transforming services and systems. In addition to teaching Sarah serves as the Manager of Engagement and Communications for the Greater Hamilton Health Network and provides consulting services.

Skye is currently employed with the Saskatchewan Health Authority as a Certified Health Information Management Practitioner working in Acute Care and Mental Health.

She holds a joint Honours Bachelor of Arts in History and Ancient Greek and Roman Studies and graduated from Fleming College Health Information Management Program in 2014. Immediately after graduation, Skye moved to Saskatchewan to begin working for the former Prairie North Regional Health Authority. While there, she was a member of the NACRS Implementation Committee, to implement NACRS coding in the health region, which has expanded to most Acute Care facilities in Saskatchewan.

After the provincial amalgamation into the Saskatchewan Health Authority, Skye currently sits on the Provincial Coding Steering Committee. She is currently working on her Coding Specialist Program with CHA Learning.

Ryan Price is an artist and educator living in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with an extensive background in traditional and interactive media. Ryan holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in photographic studies from Ryerson University as well as a master’s from McMaster University in Communications and New Media. He has worked as an instructor as several post-secondary institutions and was the design director of a weekly newspaper, overseeing editorial production. Ryan has many passions, all of which tie into art, technology, and education.

Adam Prokop has taught and developed accounting, finance, general business, and operations courses at several Canadian universities. He has worked in a number of different sectors including finance, energy, real estate, and government. He currently works as a Senior Risk Analyst and consultant in the real estate industry.

Mr. Prokop holds the Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designation, the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CMA) designation, the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from McMaster University, A Master in Finance (MFin) from Queen’s University, a Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Organizational Psychology from University of London, and a Master of Science (MSc) in Supply Chain Management from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Deirdre Querney is a Registered Social Worker with the City of Hamilton’s Alcohol, Drug & Gambling Services and has been a counsellor in the field of addictions since 2000. She is certified by the Canadian Problem Gambling Certification Board (CPGCB) and the Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Federation (CACCF).

Deirdre holds a B.A. in Psychology and a B.S.W., both from McMaster University, as well as an M.S.W. from the University of Toronto. She has taught at the CCE since 2003. Deirdre’s current research interests include spirituality and addictions, the neurobiology of problem gambling and motherhood and addictions.

Sally Ramsammy is a financial leader with over 25 years of experience in accounting and management in the manufacturing and higher education sectors.  Sally started and expanded her accounting career in automotive manufacturing with Dana Corporation and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC).  Sally has also obtained an array of experience in higher education by working in various financial roles (research finance, fundraising finance, faculty finances) in southern Ontario colleges and universities.

Sally holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Diploma in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University as well as achieving her CPA, CMA designation from the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and CHRP designation from the Human Resources Professionals Association.

Gurprit Randhawa is the Lead (Senior Manager) for Learning Strategy and Design in the Department of Learning and Performance Support at Island Health in Victoria, BC. In this role, she leads the design of evidence-based learning strategies to facilitate organizational changes, such as the adoption, use, and optimization of the electronic health record (EHR). Prior to this, Gurprit was the Manager for Clinical Improvements & Informatics at Island Health and led the Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE), EHR Adoption, Use, Research & Development (EAURD), and Provider Learning and Knowledge Translation (PLKT) teams.

Gurprit has a B.Sc. (with Distinction) in Health Information Science, M.Sc. (with Thesis) in Health Informatics, and Ph.D in Health Informatics from the University of Victoria (UVic), as well as a graduate certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (LATHE) from UVic’s Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies. Her research work focuses on electronic medical record adoption and use, end-user support, and quality improvement.

Gurprit received national recognition from COACH (Digital Health Canada) as the recipient of the Founding President’s Award (2010) and the Steven Huesing Award and Scholarship (2016).

Jill Reiner is a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) passionate about building people and culture strategies to optimize and accelerate employee performance and business growth and success. With over 25 years’ experience working in Human Resources, Jill’s diverse human resources and people development background includes talent and performance management, leadership development, change leadership, and individual and organizational effectiveness. Her broad industry experience spans the performing arts, engineering consulting, health care, high-tech design & manufacturing, non-profit organizations, and financial services.

Jill’s education includes a BA in psychology, postgraduate diploma in Business Administration, certificate in Human Resources Management, and a postgraduate certificate in Applied Organizational Leadership & Development.

Lawrence Reiter has almost 20 years’ experience in the Pharmaceutical Research Industry in Clinical Operations, Project Management, Quality Assurance and Compliance. His experience includes monitoring and project management across a wide variety of therapeutic areas to include drug and device studies across all phases.

Lawrence has worked in multiple regions around the world and manages global studies in over 40 countries. In addition, he is accredited by and remains in good standing with the Society for Quality Assurance as a Registered Quality Assurance Professional in Good Clinical Practice (RQAP-GCP).

Lawrence is an experienced lecturer in GCP having been directly involved in the setup and running of a non-profit training organization in South Africa that provided training across global regions to both Sponsor and site staff. 

Somayeh is a visionary executive advisor with more than a decade experience as entrepreneur, sustainability professional, process excellence and optimization specialist as well as being a proven professional architect.

She has master’s degree (M.Arch) in sustainable design with extensive experience and expertise in sustainable architecture. Driven by her strong passion, she pursued education at wider perspective of sustainability leadership and business management. She obtained her credential in Green Economy and Sustainability Management & Enterprise Process Excellence programs from Ryerson University as well as Business Sustainability Management program at University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She is also a LSS certified Blackbelt (CBB) from American Society of Quality (ASQ).

Somayeh won the sustainability first place award in 2008 at the MIPIM International competition in Architecture Design and has been collaborating with Pictet and Cie Swiss Bank on the Prix Pictet project on sustainability.

Somayeh is currently a lead instructor and course development specialist for the Sustainability Management, Lean Six Sigma continuous improvement and Green Economy certificate programs at Ryerson University. She is pursuing her academic ambition to be an academic lecturer in sustainability within global universities and continue her consulting and entrepreneurship activities within the global markets.

With nearly two decades of distinguished experience in finance and accounting, Lily is a seasoned professional currently serving as the Controller at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and as a Partner at Sutton Accounting Group, specializing in CFO fractional services. Holding a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation, Lily has led transformative projects that significantly enhance financial performance and operational efficiency.

Beyond her corporate roles, Lily is deeply committed to education and mentorship. She teaches accounting at McMaster University and finance and accounting at the prestigious American University, powered by Arizona State University. Her teaching at AUK is particularly meaningful, as it supports individuals in conflict-affected regions by providing them with premium degrees and opportunities for educational advancement.

Lily’s career journey and dedication to education underscore her commitment to shaping future financial leaders and making a positive impact in both academia and the professional world.

Peter Sacco is a part-time post-secondary instructor. He is a member of the Ontario Association of Counselors, Consultants, Psychometrists, and Psychotherapists, as well as the Canadian Mental Health Association. Peter holds a B.A. in Psychology from Brock University; an M.A. in Counselling from Niagara University; an M.A. in Theology from the Southern California Graduate School in Theology; and a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from American Pacific University. He has taught at McMaster since 1997.

Dr. Behnam Sadeghi, Pharm D, MPH, PhD is a pharmacy doctor with a master’s degree in public health and a PhD in health research methodology from McMaster University. He is an assistant professor in the anesthesia and health research methods, evidence and impact departments at McMaster University and a research methodologist at Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Pain Research and Care.

Behnam is also part of various professional organizations, including Cochrane Anesthesia group, Cochrane Iran advisory board, International Epidemiological Association, and GRADE Working Group. His research focus is evidence synthesis methods (including systematic review and meta-analysis, network meta-analysis), evidence-based medicine and clinical practice guidelines, and comparative effectiveness and safety of interventions in pain management, peri-operative care and anesthesiology.

Elisa Salmoni Way is a communications manager with the Government of Canada. She has worked in marketing and communications for over fifteen years and has worked across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors leading a variety of digital marketing files. She currently leads the website, intranet site, social media and advertising files for an economic development agency and is working with her team to expand their digital marketing efforts and metrics. Elisa has successfully managed teams in sales, marketing, communications and retail environments as well as seven-figure operating budgets. Elisa has taught marketing, market research and economics part-time at the post-secondary level over the last ten years.

Elisa graduated from Laurentian University in 1999 with her B.A. Honours (English) and in 2001 with her M.B.A. In 2006 she earned certificates in Teaching and Training Adults and Volunteer Management from Humber College. Elisa is a current member of the International Association of Business Communicators.

Ankit is a financial risk manager with over 12 years of experience in credit risk, investment analysis and reputational and strategic risk management. He has international experience and has worked in credit rating agencies, corporate banks, and crown corporations.

Ankit enjoys teaching and mentoring students and has been engaged in various capacities in the academia for the past 10 years.   

Ankit holds a Bachelor of Commerce and MBA degrees (earned from state university in India). He also holds CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) and FRM (Financial Risk Manager) designations and is an active member of the local CFA society.

Val Sarjeant is a Health, Safety, Wellness (HSW) Specialist with the City of Hamilton and has worked for over 30 years in the HSW field primarily in the government sector. He is a graduate of the Safety Engineering Technology program at Humber College. An advocate for safe and healthy communities, Val chair’s the MentorAction Working Group, a program of Interval House of Hamilton, to engage men as leaders in the campaign to end gender-based violence through the implementation of communication and mentorship strategies. He is also a physical literacy instructor with McMaster’s Department of Athletics and Recreation for the last 8 years.

Adrian Seeley is the Senior Director of Media Sales at Narcity Media Group and has cultivated 15 years of experience helping small to midsize Canadian publishers with their digital advertising and online presence. To begin his career, Adrian was one of the first social community managers in Canada on behalf of several Fortune 500 companies, winning multiple awards personally and for clients. After launching his own business, he transitioned to social media buying, managing publisher networks, stacks, and ad sales for small to medium-sized Canadian businesses, helping them generate significant revenue growth.

Eric earned a Bachelor of Science (Zoology/Botany) and a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) (Physiological Psychology) from the University of Manitoba, followed by a Master of Science (Psychology/Electrophysiology) from McMaster University. He worked for ~9 years at the Research Institute of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto (Division of Neuroscience) studying the basic physiology of patent ductus arteriosus, then returned to Hamilton in 1998 and joined the G. Singh lab at the Hamilton Regional Cancer Centre. In that lab, he developed and applied a variety of animal models relating to angiogenesis and breast/prostate cancer bone metastasis.

In 2004, he enrolled in the Medical Sciences Graduate Program at McMaster and completed a Doctor of Philosophy (with distinction) in Physiology and Pharmacology, with a research focus on glutamate intercellular communication and the persistent skeletal pain that results when cancer spreads to bone. During his PhD, he discovered and characterized a connection between the normal oxidative stress protection mechanisms of cancer cells and the bone pain and pathology associated with bone metastasis. He followed his PhD with a Post-Doctoral Fellowship (Bone Metastasis Pain) in the department of Pathology & Molecular Medicine. After working for several years as a staff Research Scientist in Pathology & Molecular Medicine, he is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia, teaching full-time, primarily for the Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) program. He teaches courses in all four years of the BHSc program in Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Pain, Cannabis, Information Literacy, and Research Skills. Eric is also the Chair of McMaster’s Animal Research Ethics Board.

Eric lives in Dundas with his wife and two adult sons. He spends his free time making stained glass art, reading, hiking, and watching any airplane that goes by (he used to be a pilot). Eric is also an avid amateur photographer.

A list of his research publications can be found via his Publons/Web of Knowledge Researcher ID (http://www.researcherid.com/rid/K-6765-2013).

Nigar obtained her medical degree from the University of Istanbul and completed her post-graduate training in Internal Medicine and Nephrology. Following her Master’s in Clinical Epidemiology, she pursued her PhD in Health Research Methodology at McMaster University. Her PhD research focused on the application of GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) methodology in chronic kidney disease mineral and bone disorders.

Her expertise in research methodology includes clinical trials, prognosis research, evidence synthesis and knowledge translation. Additionally, she has contributed to a variety of educational activities, including teaching graduate-level courses.

Nigar has an advanced certificate in Teaching and Learning. She has over thirty publications in peer-reviewed journals. Nigar is passionate about teaching clinical trial methodology, including the design, execution and analysis stages.

Joydeep is currently employed at ArcelorMittal Dofasco as a Senior Research Leader, Primary Processes – Continuous Casting. He earned his Master’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology He earned his Ph.D. at the Department of Material Science and Engineering from the University of British Columbia in 2002. He has been teaching at McMaster since 2007.

Adrienne Serrao is an Intercultural Coach and Trainer, bringing over 20 years of experience working with senior leaders. Having lived as an expatriate herself for 8 years in China, Adrienne has first-hand awareness of the challenges of living and working overseas. She has worked with a wide range of clients from all sectors, conducting both workshops and leading intensive coaching assignments for those relocating to Canada.

In addition to her intercultural experience, she brings over 16 years of experience in leadership and professional development, both face to face and virtual. Adrienne is also an ICF-certified coach, with CCPC designation from the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and has specialized in career coaching for over 15 years. Adrienne holds a MA in Leadership and Organization Development, is EQI 2.0 certified (Emotional Intelligence) and holds a certificate in Global Inclusion.

Mian Shah is a goal-oriented leader with passion to spread the power of artificial intelligence. He earned his MSc in Artificial Intelligence with Robotics from University of Hertfordshire (UK) in 2013.

He has worked in the industry for the last many years and is currently employed with Oracle Corp as Software Developer helping with development of chatbots and NLP systems to solve business problems. Mian also teaches data science and programming courses at Sheridan College and has taught previously at Humber and Durham colleges.

Mian’s areas of interest include Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, Blockchain technology and systems automation. Mian enjoys completing fun hobby projects such as turtle-bot navigation, object recognition, automated doggy door, 3D printed robot arm, etc.

Nadia Sheikh is an audit and business professional with over 20 years of experience in both private and public sectors. Her experience includes financial auditing, internal audit, internal controls frameworks, risk management, and leading a variety of projects. She has worked with large Canadian public companies, financial institutions, and the Ontario government. Nadia is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor’s in Commerce. She also obtained her Chartered Accountant designation with Deloitte, one of the top four accounting firms. In addition to her professional work, Nadia is passionate about building capacity, mentoring and coaching. She has mentored her colleagues at work, participated in mentorship programs as an Alumni of UofT, and has been involved in a variety of CPA endorsed events.

Rehan Sher is a seasoned Human Resources and Project Management Professional with over 20 years of experience.  In January 2014, he became the Founder & CEO of the Human Resources and Project Management Corporation (or HRPM Corp. for short), a global firm specialized in providing Corporate Training & Consulting Services.  Since its inception, HRPM Corp. has assisted hundreds of professionals, both locally and internationally.  In addition, to his professional work experience, Rehan develops and teaches synchronous and asynchronous courses to Post-Graduate Students at leading institutions across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Rehan has an Honours BA in Economics from the University of Toronto, an MA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario, and a MASc in Management Science from the University of Waterloo.  He also has a Master’s Certificate in Learning & Development from Schulich’s Executive Education Centre and holds both the PMP & CHRL Professional Licenses.

Watch Rehan’s webinar: Preparing for change: How ready is your organization?

Coming soon!

Alex Shum is an accounting professional with experience in audit, data analytics, risk management, financial reporting, and financial planning and analysis.

He holds a Bachelor of Business Administrations degree and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Schulich School of Business (York University). He is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) as well as a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).

He has previously worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in their external audit practice before transitioning to Walmart and Canadian Tire as an Internal Auditor.

A 33-year veteran of the packaged goods, retail, agency and sport administration industries, Scott Simmons is a seasoned C-suite executive who has held senior leadership positions in sales and marketing with a focus on both business development and client retention. Simmons has served as CEO of Golf Canada (2007-2017), an organization consisting of over 1,400 member clubs and 300,000 individual members. Most recently, he was appointed President of Ontario Craft Brewers, the association representing small, independent craft brewers in Ontario. Scott has also worked in senior leadership positions at Brewers Retail Inc. as well as Proctor & Gamble.

Lorraine Simpson-Spence, M.Ed, CHRL, has been a key contributor in adult education, distance education and human resources management for the past 14 years. She holds a Master of Education in Open, Digital & Distance Education and a Bachelor of Human Resources and Labour Relations from Athabasca University. She is also a Certified Human Resources Leader and has held both leadership and single contributor roles in corporate human resources management.

Lorraine teaches online and face-to-face at the post-secondary education level and has worked extensively on the instructional design, development and delivery of various human resources online courses. She is passionate about supporting adult learners from diverse backgrounds in achieving their academic and professional goals and believes it is a privilege and an honour to be a part of their learning experiences.

Her current academic interests include student success, lifelong learning, instructional design, online learning, constructivism, community of inquiry, qualitative research etc.

Melissa Singh is a Senior Manager of Data Science at TD Bank in Toronto. In her role, she leverages Big Data technologies to build out platforms to support an Enterprise Data Lake and Machine Learning use cases. Melissa has developed a deep foundation in Big Data Analytics through various roles at TD including Big Data Engineering, Data Science and lead for a Big Data Centre of Excellence team. Before joining TD, she worked as a Software Engineer at IBM and holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Software Engineering from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.  

Glenn Skrubbeltrang is a Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) and a university lecturer. He holds a BA from Wilfred Laurier University and an MBA from Brock University. He has taught both online and in-class accounting courses at McMaster since 2009.

Eleanor Smith, a 1996 Humanities Graduate of McMaster University, has been working in the of the field of Information Technology since 2000, when she started working at Dofasco as an Oracle Database Administrator. Eleanor was proud to have been part of the team to deliver their first electronic steel ordering solution . Since 2000, she has performed various roles involving software engineering, project management and infrastructure architecture. Eleanor enjoys teaching technical topics and has been known to inject literary references to Catcher in the Rye in her classes. Past teaching engagements include programming courses at Mohawk College; and in the summer of 2017, Eleanor traveled to Chennai, India to provide corporate training to new hires for Fidelity Investments.

Glenn Smith is the Sole Proprietor of Zeitgeist Marketing Ltd, a company that provides consulting and interim/contract marketing, business planning, management and implementation services. Previously he worked as VP of Strategic Marketing at Diageo Canada Inc. and VP of Marketing at World Wrestling Entertainment Canada. Glenn holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.B.A., both from McGill University.

Karim is Statistician by training, a Certified Analytics Professional, an active member of the American Statistical Association, and a DASCA certified Senior Data Scientist. He’s also a former Fulbright scholar at U.C. Berkeley. His past teaching experience includes Big Data Analytics courses and Capstone project supervision at Ryerson University and Sheridan College. Karim has also held multiple senior analytics positions in the public service of Canada and Ontario. He’s most passionate about non-linear dimension reduction methods.

Rod Speake has 27 years of established leadership success in the golf industry and 17 years as a Class A Superintendent. Rod is currently working at DLF Pickseed Canada where he is a professional sales representative. Rod graduated from Seneca College’s Golf Management program in 1995 and has worked at many golf courses including: Cedar Brae Golf and Country Club Bay of Quinte Country Club, Westview Golf Club, Deer Creek Golf Club and Mill Run Golf Club. Rod’s work experience is in golf course maintenance and project management. He has completed many projects over the years such as new clubhouse construction, bunker renovation, tee deck construction, and an award-winning, million-dollar creek diversion project.

Volunteering is also something Rod has done throughout his career. He has served as vice-president of the OGSA, conference chair for the OGSA show, supported the CGSA, and coached minor hockey for the past 8 years – currently for the Minor Pee Wee AAA team of the Clarington Minor Hockey Association.

Rod has lived in Bowmanville for the last 3 years with his wife Patricia and two children, Patricia is a dental hygienist, Braydon has just started High School and Kailyn is in her first year at the University of Guelph. Summer time is spent golfing and spending time with the family at the boat in Bobcaygeon.

Linda Spence is a Senior Human Resources Consultant, with many years of experience in a variety of HR leadership roles. A gifted consultant, facilitator and trainer, Linda has a unique ability to help organizations align their HR policies and practices with their mission, vision and core values, and to support these efforts through the implementation of current best practices. Her expertise is in delivering supervisory and management development programs.

Linda is also the lead facilitator in McMaster University’s successful New Manager Orientation Program. A graduate of one of Canada’s top business schools, Linda combines business savvy, experience in a variety of HR leadership roles, skill as a facilitator and trainer, and her talent as an actor to turn ordinary learning experiences into engaging and memorable adventures.

Chris Spraakman has 15+ years of Business Analysis and Project Management experience in the public sector, higher education, insurance, and financial service industries. Using this experience, he has taught Business Analysis and Project Management for the past 6 years.

He is passionate about current issues in Business Analysis and he has spoken at a number of industry conferences and has had his research published in academic journals.

Chris previously studied at York University’s bilingual campus (Glendon College) and York’s Schulich School of Business. He is a Sergeant in the Canadian Artillery Reserves where he has served for the past 25 years and where he was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for leadership.

Claire St. Pierre is a Licensed Public Accountant based in Hamilton, Ontario. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Certified General Accountant (CGA) who has taught all levels of financial, management accounting, taxation, and finance courses. Claire has also acted as a SME for various courses and authored program audit case studies and online materials for CGA Canada and CGA Ontario.

Craig Stephenson has a unique blend of formal training and education in various courses in the area of social sciences and law at the university level, as well as practical teaching experience at the college and university level. He graduated from McMaster University in 1987 with of a B.A. in Social Science. From 1988 to 1991, he attended University of Toronto Law School, graduating with his LLB. He was called to the bar in 1992.

From 1993 until, 1998, Stephenson ran a successful sole practitioner legal practice in Brampton, Ontario. He practiced in a variety of areas including Corporate and Small Business Law; Real Estate Law; Estate Law; Employment Law; Administrative Law; Tort Law; Small Claims Court Law; Criminal Law and; Family Law.

In 1998, he decided to devote himself to teaching full time and since then has taught law courses at both the college and university level, in conventional classroom formats, as well as online and through distance learning. Stephenson also has done private corporate training through the Canadian Institute of Traffic and Transportation, in the area of Transportation Law.

In 2017, he co-authored Canadian Business Law Today, a textbook specifically designed for courses that require concise business law coverage. Fundamental topics of Canadian business law such as the court and legal system, tort law, contract law, employment law, property law, and business organization are introduced and discussed, with Stephenson being the lead author on all chapters dealing with contract law.

Lori Stephenson is the principal consultant of Pivotal Learning, a coaching and facilitation company that helps individuals at all levels become more professionally and personally effective. She specializes in the areas of leadership and team development, coaching, emotional intelligence and facilitation. Lori’s experience spans human resources, operations and communications for Accenture and CIBC. Her clients include groups in both the private and public sectors. She holds a BA from the University of Western Ontario, Certification in Adult Education, Public Relations and numerous assessment tools. She has been an instructor with McMaster since 2012.

Instructor Spotlight: Meet Lori Stephenson: Applying Emotional Intelligence to personal and professional performance

Vidhi Thakkar has completed her PhD in Health Policy from the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation. Vidhi is a recipient of the CIHR Health Systems Impact Fellowship, where she is a leading a project on supporting caregivers in the BC Healthcare system. Vidhi also received a Masters of Science in Experimental Surgery from McGill University and her Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honours) at McMaster University.

She has worked for more than 7 years in the health system with organizations with provincial Ministries of Health, hospitals, several universities, and Cancer Care Ontario. Her research interests include evidence-informed policy making, health informatics, health data, patient engagement, and health care accountability.

Vidhi was actively involved with the Canadian Association of Health Services and Policy Research and was also a board member for the Justice Emmett Hall Foundation. She has also won the Gordon Cressy Leadership Award at the University of Toronto. Vidhi currently teaches HTH 110: Health Informatics Data Analysis, HTH 400: Epidemiology, and HDA 102 and HDA 103 in the Health Analytics program. She brings to the Department her expertise in student advising, student leadership development, and Health Data Analytics.

Instructor Spotlight: Meet Dr. Vidhi Thakkar: Mentoring students in the ever-growing field of health analytics

Valerie Thompson is a Senior HR Leader and Business Partner with over 25 years of global, multi-industry experience. She has been an instructor with McMaster University’s Centre for Continuing Education since 2018. Valerie holds both the CHRP and CHRL professional designations through the HRPA, as well as additional change management, agile and workplace mental health and well-being certifications.

Visit Valerie’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vthompsonchrl

Lucas Thung worked with public and private organizations in industries such as fiber optic, cement, automotive, consumer packaging, healthcare and higher education. He provides training and teaches various courses (i.e. communication, project management, statistics, strategy, information technology, finance, quality management, reliability, Lean Six Sigma, law, marketing, risk management) for corporations, colleges and universities. Lucas is passionate about teaching and enjoys interacting, motivating, and learning together with his students.

Lucas holds Master’s degrees in Business Administration (MBA), Engineering (MEng) and Information (MI) from University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and Faculty of Information. He also holds various certifications / designations including Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB), Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE), Professional Engineer (PEng), Project Management Professional (PMP) and Stanford Certified Project Manager (SCPM). Lucas is a volunteer and a member of American Society for Quality (ASQ) and Mensa Canada.

Jason Tome is an Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream) in the Department of Management at the University of Toronto Mississauga. For the last decade, Jason has been teaching and developing accounting, finance, general business, and strategy courses at several Canadian Universities.

Prior to teaching, Jason worked in the finance industry, having positions within investment banking, sales and trading, wealth management, and consulting. As an Associate Advisor at Wells Fargo, Jason was responsible for developing expert financial advice and strategic insights for small and medium sized enterprises regarding mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, capital raising, and other complex transactions. As a Derivatives Trader at the Royal Bank of Canada, Jason worked with institutional clients, including investment firms, hedge funds, and corporations, as well as individual clients to develop customized derivatives solutions and sophisticated investment strategies. Currently, in addition to teaching, Jason is the Chief Investment Officer of a private investment management firm focused on alternative investments including private equity, real estate, and derivatives.

Jason earned the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation from the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association, the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) designation from the Canadian Securities Institute, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from McMaster University with a double major in Finance and Strategic Business Valuations, and a Bachelor of Commerce (BComm) from Toronto Metropolitan University with a double major in Finance and Economics.

Jodi Travers is a Human Resources Professional currently working as a Labour Relations Manager for the Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario (ECAO). In this role, her main responsibility is to provide counsel and advice on all labour relations matters including the collective agreement, grievances, and collective bargaining. She also provides training on labour relations in the construction industry to ECAO members and assists with other functions including government lobbying and member events. She was elected to the Ontario Construction Secretariat Board in January 2019 where she works with other trade representatives on initiatives and research that positively impact unionized trades in Ontario. 

Jodi was previously employed in a variety of Human Resources and Labour Relations positions for the Ontario Government over a fourteen-year period, specifically at the Ontario Energy Board, Ontario Clean Water Agency, and the Ministry of Labour. In these roles, she provided advice and consultation to managers and employees on workplace health, safety, WSIB, and wellness-related matters, and on all aspects of labour relations, including grievances, discipline and harassment, and all aspects of human resources including employee engagement, talent management, leadership development and recruitment.

A significant strength, and one on which Jodi prides herself, is working collaboratively with labour partners and industry affiliates to find mutually beneficial industry solutions. 

Jodi completed her B.A. at McMaster University in Labour Studies and earned a post-graduate diploma in Human Resources Management from Seneca College. She completed the Advanced Program in Human Resources Management at Rotman School of Management and is currently taking courses at Stitt Feld Handy Group to obtain an Executive Certificate in Conflict Management from University of Windsor Law School. Jodi earned a Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation in 2014.

For more information about Jodi and her credentials, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joditravers/

Carol Tristani is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and a Professor at a leading Ontario community college. She worked previously for the Certified General Accountants of Ontario. She holds both a BSc in Mathematics and an MBA from McMaster University, as well as a B.Ed. in Adult Education from Brock University. She has taught for over 20 years and currently teaches Financial Accounting courses at McMaster.

Frank Tristani is the Principal of FNT Management Services Ltd., a consulting firm specializing in management training, executive coaching and strategic planning. Previously, he spent over 30 years in the banking industry working with a major national bank. Frank is a Certified Financial Planner, a member of the Canadian Institute of Financial Planners, and a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers. He also holds a designation from the Canadian Securities Institute and a BComm from McMaster University. He has taught in-class and online courses at McMaster for the last 6 years.

Dr. Anna Tubina is an instructor in Health and Wellness Coaching program at McMaster University. Her expertise lies in the areas of health behavioral change, motivational interviewing as well as principles and fundamentals of health and wellness coaching profession.

Anna is a Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach, Registered Health Coach with the Health Coach Alliance of Canada, as well as Certified Appreciative Inquiry & Change Practitioner. Additionally, Anna is certified to work with Highly Sensitive People.

For the last several years Anna has dedicated herself to the field of positive behavior change, in health & wellness industry as well as in the corporate settings. In her private health coaching practice, she focuses on helping people with Sensory Processing Sensitivity to make health-promoting lasting lifestyle changes and establish healing self-care practices.

Anna holds a PhD in Applied Economics from Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia, and has a decade of combined experience in academic teaching, organizational change & development workshops and health and wellness group coaching facilitation.

Rouzbeh Vatanchi has been helping businesses improve performance through practical, effective and fully-compliant talent management strategies.

As a Senior HR Business Partner and an educator, Rouzbeh oversees the HR function for a number of entrepreneurial businesses and teaches aspiring HR professionals, as well as business leaders how to effectively, and successfully, align their people strategies with their business objectives. For Rouzbeh, delivering real value to learners and peace of mind to his clients is the most rewarding part of his career.

Outside of the office, Rouzbeh enjoys hiking, reading, and sampling overpriced craft beers!

Dr. Kelsey Vercammen is an instructor in the Nutrition, Health, and Wellness program at McMaster University. Her research portfolio focuses on nutritional epidemiology, with particular areas of interest including causes and points of intervention for obesity and food insecurity. Kelsey currently works as an Epidemiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada. Prior to this, she worked as an Epidemiologist for The Regional Municipality of York.

Kelsey obtained her PhD in Population Health Sciences and Master of Science in Epidemiology at Harvard University. She is also an alumnus of McMaster University, where she obtained her Bachelor of Health Sciences.

Andrea is a Senior Human Resources Leader and Business Partner with over 20 years of experience in consulting, designing, implementing and communicating HR and Total Rewards programs. She has worked in diverse industries with executive leaders and employees to develop and implement effective total reward strategies.

Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts from York University (Glendon College) and a post-graduate certificate in Gerontology from Laurentian University. Andrea is a long-standing member of the Human Resources Professional Association and holds both the CHRP and CHRL professional designations.

Van Vu has been a McMaster University Continuing Education instructor since 2010. She is a member of the College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, the Ontario Association of Social Workers, Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Federation and International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy.

Van holds an MSW from Wilfrid Laurier University, specializing in individual and family counselling. Van has completed post-graduate training in addiction, trauma, and sex therapy. Van is also trained and has practice experience utilizing Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)- for couples, Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Somatic Integration and IFS-informed, Solution Focused and Narrative Therapy, Family Systems Therapy, and Mindfulness.

Van currently owns and operates therapywvan Inc. She provides clinical consultation services and virtual therapy to Ontario’s individuals, couples, and families. Van’s past clinical work experience included forensic assessment services, mental health treatment, outpatient addiction and trauma counselling, and couples/relationally focused therapy. She also has over ten years of experience as a Probation Officer in community and custodial settings.

Van’s unique ability to foster connection and learning extends beyond the therapeutic relationship. She guides learners through the complex terrain of theoretical approaches and treatment modalities, deftly integrating theory into critical self-reflexive practice. Van has developed and facilitated workshops, groups, and staff-in services on various topics. She previously instructed for the MSW program at the University of Windsor and the BSW program at McMaster University, and she also taught at Sheridan College.

Dr. Li Wang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesia, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, and a faculty scientist and health research methodologist with Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Pain Research and Care, McMaster University. Dr. Wang’s research interests focus on acute and chronic pain, health research methodology, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Dr. Wang’s teaching philosophy is informed by a learner-centered approach that promotes active learning and critical thinking.

Rated in the top five Leadership Workshops at Microsoft’s INPSIRE global conference, Communication Specialist for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and an international speaker, facilitator and improviser, Nancy Watt delivers creative and memorable instruction. Her ‘Pracademic’ approach applies evidence-based research with experiential learning using the tools and techniques of improvisational theatre. By harnessing humor we learn that the currency of comedy is a learning modality and this teaching tactic builds connection and community. Her speaking engagements and workshops have been delivered extensively throughout the tech, legal, engineering, and corporate sector. She’s delivered to academic departments at Harvard University, Princeton, MIT, Rutgers, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Caltech, University of Chicago, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, and McMaster University. Her work is referenced in academic papers for pedagogical experiential learning and a psychology journal outlining a pilot experiment lowering social anxiety disorder amongst at-risk youth in Hamilton, Ontario.

She’s from Second City’s Improv Conservatory and Sketch Writing Programs in Toronto and Chicago. She has a B.A. in Psychology/Sociology from McMaster University, a Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology, an Applied Improv Practitioner, and a graduate of Cornell’s Executive Program in Diversity & Inclusion.  In addition to EQi 2.0, she was in the first graduating cohort of AQ, Adaptability Quotient from AQai. Nancy delivers her proprietary program, H.A.P.P.I.E., How to Apply Positive Psychology Improv Exercises.

Rebecca Wilkinson is a certified HR leader and professional (CHRL and CHRP) passionate about continuous learning, performance management, and employee development. A believer in authentic leadership, value-added behaviours, and high levels of productivity, Rebecca excels at challenges, creative problem solving, and customer service in the strategic HR function. Rebecca has an MA Ed., Adult Education from Central Michigan University, completed her Post Graduate Certificate in Human Resources at McMaster Continuing Education and Seneca College after receiving her BA, History from University of Waterloo.

With more than 20 years’ experience in Human Resources, Rebecca has developed a career in a variety of leadership and strategic total rewards roles in the International Chemicals, IT/Healthcare, Small Business Economic Development, and Automotive industries. An experienced public speaker, Rebecca has been teaching future human resources professionals throughout the Ontario College system since 2012.

Rebecca is an active volunteer with the Human Resources Professional Association, Theatre Sarnia, Royal Canadian Air Cadets, and is the current Board chair for the Inn of the Good Shepherd, the main foodbank and shelter system in Lambton County. When Rebecca is not active at work or in the community, you will find her exploring her interests as a passionate cook, an avid knitter, travel enthusiast, amateur film critic, and parent.

Konrad is a Human Resources Professional currently working as a Senior Consultant in Labour and Employee Relations for the City of Toronto. Previously, he was a Labour Relations Business Partner for Coca-Cola where he was responsible overlooking Central Canada. With passion for labour relations, he has experience with many aspects of Human Resource portfolio, ranging from recruitment to strategic thinking and planning, which comprise the balance of his work today.

Konrad’s management qualities are his commitment in working in a transparent, collaborative and inclusive manner, which allows him to build lasting relationships. His ability to strengthen the relationship between the union and management, as well as to motivate and advise is invaluable and necessary to support the long-term success of its business.

Konrad holds a MBA from the University of Liverpool. He also holds a post graduate Human Resources Management Certificate from Ryerson University. He earned his Bachelor of Science at the University of Toronto, double majoring in Psychology and Crime & Deviance where he also studied two years of Chemical Engineering.

Elizabeth is a solutions-oriented leader with expertise in organizational design, change management, policy development, and regulatory oversight. She has been instrumental in driving innovation and operational excellence, contributing to CMI’s emergence as one of Canada’s fastest-growing companies and a leading, respected private lender. As the architect of CMI’s talent strategy, Elizabeth has achieved gender parity while significantly expanding the company’s workforce. Her industry contributions have earned her recognition as a Canadian Mortgage Professional Woman of Influence in both 2019 and 2022, as well as a Woman of Distinction at the Canadian Mortgage Awards in 2021. In 2023, Elizabeth was named among Canada’s top 50 executive leaders as a recipient of the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Best Executive Awards. Most recently, she received the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award from Athabasca University.

She has earned an MBA, a Bachelor of Commerce in Management, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and is currently pursuing a Master of Laws in Business Law. Elizabeth holds several industry-leading certifications and considers herself a lifetime learner. Since 2019, her passion for education and dedication to eliminating barriers to learning drives her in her role as instructor and course content developer with the McMaster University CE’s Business and Marketing programs.

Elizabeth is a dedicated mental health advocate and Co-Chair of the Canadian Lender’s Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion roundtable where she advocates for advancement and empowerment of marginalized groups in the financial services sector. She is also a lifelong volunteer, currently serving terms as a Canadian Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (CNETS) board member, where she spearheaded the establishment of a mental health committee focused on patient and caregiver advocacy, and is a former national board member and treasurer of CIM Chartered Managers.

Wei is a seasoned and pragmatic leader in business-technology transformation, with a strong background in consulting, modernization, and change management. Her expertise lies in product development, strategic management, business analysis, and program/project governance, particularly within the financial services sector, focusing on capital markets and wealth management.

Currently, she serves as a Director at Scotiabank, where she plays a leadership role in shaping global wealth management product strategy. In her previous roles, Wei managed global capital markets engineering and consulting teams, focusing on large-scale business platform modernization.

Wei holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, specializing in Consulting, Strategy, and Change Management. She also earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Toronto and is a certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM).

Carlos Zegarra is an experienced instructor with over 20 years in the IT industry, serving as a project manager, technical lead, and software developer, alongside 10+ years of experience as a programming and math instructor. He specializes in teaching Java, JavaScript, Python, and full-stack development, with a passion for creating excellent software and sharing his knowledge with learners from all backgrounds.

Carlos holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and a Master’s in Applied Computing from the University of Windsor. He is pursuing a PhD in Software Engineering at McMaster University, focusing on innovative microservices architectures.

Carlos has taught in diverse educational environments, including boot camps and university-level courses, engaging over 1,000 students. His expertise covers Java, the Spring Framework, JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, and DevOps tools like Docker and Jenkins. He also brings valuable hands-on experience in cloud technologies such as AWS.

His teaching philosophy focuses on making complex concepts accessible through practical, real-world examples, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills in his students.

When not teaching, Carlos mentors IT professionals, helping them navigate the Canadian job market through his role with the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). He is dedicated to empowering his learners and guiding them to succeed in their learning journeys.

Patricia Zima is an Instructor at a leading Ontario college. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and holds a B.Comm. from the University of Toronto. She has taught at McMaster since 2012.