Board of Governors

Ian Austin

Dean of the Centre for Business
George Brown College

Dr. Ian Austin is Dean of the Centre for Business at George Brown College and has held the position since 2018. He has more than 25 years of senior level leadership experience in the post-secondary sector. Before assuming the Deanship role at George Brown College, Ian was Principal of the Barbados Community College (BCC) where he had executive leadership responsibilities.

Prior to assuming the leadership of BCC, he was the Deputy Director for Continuing and Professional Education at the University of the West Indies (UWI). He was also a Visiting Scholar at the University of Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

Dr. Austin’s academic specialization is higher education governance and, most recently, he co-authored a book entitled Governance of Higher Education: Global Perspectives, Theories, and Practices.

Ian earned a B.Sc. in Accounting and a postgraduate Diploma in Education from the University of the West Indies. He holds a MBA with a concentration in Finance from Virginia Tech, and a PhD in Higher Education – Leadership and Policy Studies – also from Virginia Tech.

Practice Leader, Strategic Human Resources Consulting
Stratford Managers Corporation

Neil Crawford is currently Practice Leader of HR Strategic Consulting at Stratford Managers Corporation responsible for the financial performance and growth of the practice across a wide range of content areas including Human Capital Strategy, Change Management, Culture, Engagement, HR Effectiveness and Talent Management.

Prior to joining Stratford Managers, Neil was a partner of Aon Hewitt and led its Canadian Talent, Rewards and Performance Practice. For fifteen years, he also led the annual Best Employers in Canada study, conducted by Aon Hewitt and published nationally in Canadian Business Magazine.

Neil has worked extensively with many national and international organizations to define business-aligned people and rewards strategies, measure and improve employee engagement, track cultural change and improve the effectiveness of their HR functions. He is a frequent speaker on employee engagement, leadership, aligning people and reward strategies with business strategy, and creating great workplaces.

Neil is a mathematics graduate of the University of Waterloo and is a qualified actuary. He is also a Chartered Professional in Human Resources.

Allan N. Ebedes

President and CEO
Excellence Canada

Since 2005, Allan Ebedes has led Excellence Canada, formerly known as the National Quality Institute. Working with the Board of Directors, he is responsible for setting the strategic direction of Excellence Canada and delivering on its business plan and mission.

Allan began his business career as a Chartered Accountant (CA) at Coopers & Lybrand, now PWC. He then became a partner at a small furniture and appliance chain, which grew significantly during his ownership, and was subsequently sold to The Brick. In 1979, he started a private career college called the Toronto School of Business, a division of International Business Schools, which grew to become the largest career college in Canada, with 50 locations coast to coast. Allan took the company public on the NASDAQ exchange.

In 2002, Allan founded Management Mentors International, a company dedicated to corporate training and development, coaching and mentoring. He was also appointed as President of the Academy of Learning, a chain of 100 computer learning centres across Canada.

Allan is a CA, CPA and earned an MBA from the University of Toronto (now Rotman School of Management) and an LLM law degree in Global Business through an evening program at the Faculty of Law. Allan is an ICD.D with the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and a group leader with the CEO Global Business Network.

Ruth Mojeed

Founder and Chief Equity Officer
The Inclusion Project

Ruth Mojeed Ramirez is the Founder & Chief Equity Officer of The Inclusion Project and curator of Employment Equity Co-lab. She brings extensive lived experience and grounded expertise to her work in racial equity, diversity and inclusion (REDI). Her research and solutions design focus on an intersectional and inter-generational approach to address complex issues of racial equity, decolonization and gender equality. She leads organizational EDI strategy development, readiness assessment and coaching among multi-level stakeholders in public and private sectors.

Ruth is indigenous to the Yoruba tribe from western Nigeria. She migrated to Canada to pursue a master’s degree in Intercultural & International Communication at Royal Roads University (2017). She also holds certificates in Community Organizing & Leadership (Harvard University); Community-based Participatory Research (University of Victoria); Executive Leadership (Oxford University).

She has contributed to and led many research projects; facilitated REDI competency sessions and; regularly advises and coaches many notable leaders on equity-related issues. Ruth serves on many boards and advisory committees, including Vancouver Foundation’s grants advisory. She is a director on the national board of the Canadian International Council where she leads efforts on inclusive policy development; director on the board of Excellence Canada and; director on the board of Camosun College.

Select profile:

The Black Experience in Multicultural Canada: https://douglasmagazine.com/the-black-experience-in-multicultural-canada/

How Leaders Can Nurture an Inclusive Workplace: https://douglasmagazine.com/how-leaders-can-nurture-inclusive-workplaces/

TV/Documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U4_cKGzYxw&t=225s&ab_channel=ShawTVSouthVI

Gender Equity in STEM Documentary: https://youtu.be/7lie2WCo3Ds

Laura Nashman

Chief Executive Officer
British Columbia Pension Corporation

Laura is the chief executive officer of BC Pension Corporation, one of the largest pension administrators in North America.

BC Pension Corporation provides pension services for five pension plans in British Columbia, with assets in excess of $160 billion. It serves over 685,000 plan members, 1,000 participating employers, and pays out more than $5.5 billion per year.

Under Laura’s leadership, the Pension Corporation received Canada Awards for Excellence® (CAE) Platinum certification in Excellence, Innovation and Wellness in 2022 and has been named one of BC’s Top Employers for four consecutive years.

Laura is an active mentor for emerging leaders who look to her for guidance and direction on their leadership practice and career development. Laura participates in the Women’s Executive Network Mentorship and the Women in Leadership Programs and is the inaugural sponsor of the Pacific Pension Institute’s Leadership Lab.
Laura has the designation of Director with the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) and serves on several other boards including Gustavson School of Business International Advisory Board, Excellence Canada, the Conference Board of Canada, Pension Pacific Institute and Canadian Sport Institute Pacific.

Laura is also a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria where her area of research is the impact of sports on women’s career success.

Some of Laura’s recent accolades include being named one of BC’s most influential business leaders in 2022 by Business in Vancouver magazine; the public sector BC CEO of the Year in 2018; one of the Influential Women in Business in 2017; and one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network.

Richard Perri

Senior Vice President, Finance
Spark Power Corp.

Richard is Spark Power’s Senior Vice President, Finance, with over 20 years of financial and leadership experience across various industries, including mergers and acquisitions. He oversees the organization’s financial reporting and accounting and has extensive experience in growth strategy development, along with finance, operations, and IT.

Prior to joining Spark, Richard served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at ADP Canada, Senior Vice President & CFO at Ricoh Canada Inc., and Vice President, Finance, at Pitney Bowes Canada. He is a team-oriented leader, focused on operational excellence and execution, who strives to ensure consistent, high-quality financial services within Spark. Richard serves as Director on the Board of Excellence Canada and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto.

David Rennie

Executive Director, Strategies & Initiatives
Office of the CAO
The Regional Municipality of York

David Rennie is a senior management executive with 29 years of public service experience in the municipal government and not-for-profit sectors. In his current role as Executive Director, Strategies & Initiatives in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer at The Regional Municipality of York, David is responsible for bringing innovative and responsive approaches to work which includes strategic planning, emergency management, customer service, continuous improvement, business planning and administration, and a range of CAO-directed projects.

Prior to assuming his current role, David spent more than two decades in human services positions, including as General Manager of Social Services in the Community and Health Services Department of York Region. During that time David had the opportunity to contribute on the board of the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association where he served a term as president.

David holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Toronto and completed a graduate certificate in Municipal Public Sector Management with the York University Schulich School of Business.

Devin Roberts, Superintendent of Education
Beaufort-Delta Divisional Education Council

Devin has been an educator in the Northwest Territories for ten years, serving originally in the Sahtu region before moving to the South Slave for four years. Afterwards Devin relocated to Inuvik to become the Assistant Superintendent at BDDEC in 2019. During his ten years in the North, Devin has taken on various leadership roles including Program Support Teacher, Principal, Instructional Coach, Regional Inclusive Schooling and Assessment Coordinator, Regional Indigenous Languages Educator (RILE), Assistant Superintendent and Superintendent.

In 2013 Devin graduated from University of Calgary completing a Masters of Educational Leadership degree in Leading and Teaching in Poverty. Devin returned to University of Calgary in 2016 enrolling in the Doctorate of Education Literacy & Languages program. Aside from teaching in the NWT, Devin has taught in London England, Quebec City and in Nova Scotia. Devin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dalhousie University, a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree from University of Maine at Presque Isle and has studied French at Université de Laval. In the summer of 2018, Devin was invited to Harvard University in Boston Massachusetts to speak about his research at the annual ITEC conference. The ITEC conference later published papers from the conference including Devin’s work on Indigenous languages. Devin’s published writings also include an article in the national magazine Leaders & Learners magazine in the summer of 2016.

Devin enjoys going on the land, playing basketball, music and spending time with his family in the NWT.

Gary M. Seveny

Past Chair of Excellence Canada
Co-Founder
PB Capital Inc.

Gary Seveny has been active in the governance of Excellence Canada for several years and served as Chair of its Board of Directors from 2011 to 2016.

Prior to retiring from a career that spanned 35 years, Gary was President and Chief Executive Officer of two financial institutions, Alterna Bank of Canada and Alterna Savings and Credit Union, both headquartered in Ottawa with operations in western Quebec and throughout Ontario.

A recognized leader in the financial industry, Gary has been instrumental in achieving legislative change at both provincial and federal levels. He has been an active spokesperson for industry vision and regulatory change and has appeared before House of Commons Committees and Senate Committees.

Gary remains active in business, as co-founder and corporate director of PB Capital, developing new approaches to creating long-term funding of infrastructure projects under a Public Private Partnership (P3) model. He currently serves on the Boards of Telpay Inc. and ECHO Payment Services and is Chair of Yorkville Asset Management.

Gary has an MBA in Business and Leadership from John Molson School of Business, Concordia University.

Shirlee Sharkey

President & CEO, Saint Elizabeth
Chair of Excellence Canada

Shirlee Sharkey is recognized as one of Canada’s foremost experts on home care and healthy aging. As a registered nurse and the longtime CEO of SE Health, a unique not-for-profit social enterprise, she has dedicated her career to empowering people, championing compassion, and advancing social innovation to forever impact how people live and age at home. In May 2022, Shirlee stepped down from SE Health following 30 years of breakthrough leadership.

Shirlee shares her passion and expertise as a thought leader, speaker, author, and mentor. In 2020, she collaborated with a range of experts to co-author The Future of Aging, a book that has been described as “a brilliant and powerful challenge to locked-in ageist mindsets, policies and service models.” Naturally curious and committed to lifelong learning, Shirlee regularly engages with students, entrepreneurs, and business leaders from other industries. Academically, she is cross appointed to the University of Toronto’s Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation as an adjunct professor.

Shirlee’s commitment to public service is evident in her leadership and involvement on many boards, including University Health Network, the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation, and BAYADA Home Health Care. She also serves as senior fellow of Canada’s top think tank, the CD Howe Institute. Internationally, Shirlee is a Healthcare DENMARK ambassador. Committed to global influence, she has gained and shared health system insights through her experiences in the Middle East, Australia and northern Europe.

Cindy Taylor

Assistant Vice-President (Human Resources)
Carleton University

Cindy Taylor was named Assistant Vice-President (Human Resources) in May 2019, after leading Carleton University’s Office of Quality Initiatives for 12 years.

Over the course of her career at Carleton, Cindy has distinguished herself by establishing a number of initiatives including Carleton Leader, Service Excellence, Ideas@Carleton, Healthy Workplace and Mental Health at Work. She has played a critical role in the university’s Strategic Integrated Planning processes and instilling a framework for continuous improvement and workplace excellence throughout the university.

A respected leader, Cindy joined Carleton with considerable experience in the private sector over a distinguished career spanning more than 30 years in both the higher education and financial sectors. She currently serves as the co-chair of Carleton’s Healthy Workplace committee, is a Strategic Integrated Planning co-chair, and is the past president of the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation: Higher Education’s Network for Change Leadership (NCCI)

Cindy holds a number of certifications including as a Personal and Professional Coach, an Excellence Professional in Quality and Healthy Workplace, and a lead verifier for Excellence Canada.

John Wilson

Founder & CEO
CEO Global Network Inc.

John Wilson leads an exclusive CEO peer group organization that creates opportunities for learning and development through monthly group meetings, targeted one-to-one mentoring, and focused learning events. Over the years, John has coached hundreds of high-performing CEOs to greater success and is dedicated to fulfilling the mission of CEO Global Network: “To significantly improve the success and lives of CEOs and executives, their families, and their companies.” He also wrote the acclaimed business book GREAT CEOs and How They Are Made.

John began his career with Ultramar Canada where he worked for 18 years, initially as VP of Sales and Marketing, and then as CEO of Ultramar Ontario Ltd., before moving to California to run a billion-dollar business as part of the Ultramar team in the United States. In 1993, John started his own business that developed a network of fleet fueling sites across the southwestern United States. He and his partners built the business up from zero into a multimillion-dollar company before selling it in 1998.

John has an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.

Paola Zurro

Canadian Forces Housing Agency
National Defence

Paola Zurro is the Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Forces Housing Agency (CFHA) and has held this position since 2022. She has 20 years of experience in the infrastructure sector. Prior to this appointment, Paola served as the Senior Director of Architecture and Engineering Services, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), as well as the Director of Public Works & Infrastructure, Municipality of Chelsea (Québec).

Paola is a professional engineer licensed in Quebec and Ontario, and holds a Master’s degree in International Business Management and a Master’s degree in International Relations and Communication, as well as multiple professional certifications including the IPWEA Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accreditation (LEED AP:BD+C).