Our faculty

Paula Alphonse is a transformational speaker, personal leadership educator and a status quo disruptor.  She has traveled across the globe inspiring, mentoring and transforming men and women of all ages to reach out and capture their own leadership. Paula wants everyone to recognize the power within that is awaiting to be ignited along with their right to a blissful life.  She uses her 16-plus years’ experience in the management cadre, colorful storytelling, and a memorable sense of humor to provide tips, tools and structures which capitalize on opportunities at-hand. 

Though Paula has held many hats throughout my career: pharmacist, manager, coach, facilitator and author, her passion and purpose in life is to empower people to reach their full potential. She knows that we all have within ourselves the power to create positive impact and the best return on investment for ourselves, our families as well as the organization we work for.  

It is her not-so-secret mission to help individuals move from obscurity to self-realization so they can live their best lives to the fullest. Paula considers herself privileged to be able to see first-hand how helping each other grow actually makes the whole world a better place… one person at a time. 

Dr. Steven Bellemare graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and completed his residency in Pediatrics at the University of Alberta. He currently serves as an investigating coroner in Ottawa. 

Dr. Bellemare is a Certified Physician Executive who brings extensive experience in medico-legal affairs, continuing professional development, and medical regulation. A Certified Just Culture and Highly Reliable Outcomes Champion, his professional interests centre on how the design and culture of healthcare environments influence individual performance. 

Elaine Bernard is a Senior Research Associate and the former Executive Director of the Labor and Worklife Program and the Harvard Trade Union Program at Harvard Law School.  The Labor and Worklife Program (LWP) is Harvard University’s forum for research and teaching on the world of work and its implications for society.

Before being recruited by Harvard in 1989, Bernard was the Director of Labour Programs at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia.  Born in Trenton, Ontario and raised in Ottawa, Bernard received a BA from University of Alberta, MA from University of British Columbia and a Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University.  She has conducted courses on a wide variety of topics for unions, community groups, universities and government departments in Canada, U.S., U.K. and Australia.  Her current research and teaching interests in union leadership and democratic governance.

Recognizing the division among police labour organizations in the U.S. and the need for labour education and networking opportunities for police unions, Bernard worked with police union leaders to establish an annual police union leaders’ seminar in the U.S.  Bernard is a member of the recently established Management Advisory Board for the RCMP with a mandate to provide the Commissioner with outside expertise and advice on transformation, human resources, modern management practices, information technology and other specialized fields.

Iain Christie is the former President and CEO of Neptec Design Group where he worked for 22 years.  During that time, Neptec was a prime contractor to both the Canadian Space Agency and NASA,  and designed, developed, deployed and supported six different sensor systems on orbit aboard the Shuttle and the ISS. 

After leaving Neptec Iain worked as the Executive Vice President of the national trade association representing the aerospace industry in Canada where worked with executives from large aerospace companies as well as with federal government procurement officials from the working level up to Deputy Ministers and ministerial staff.

Currently Iain runs his own consulting company where he specializes in executive coaching and advisory services for entrepreneurial companies.  He also teaches in the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management in the Complex Project Leadership program and is a mentor in the space stream of the Creative Destruction Lab – which is a business incubator at the Rotman School of Business in Toronto. 

Iain is also the  host of podcast called Terranauts about:“People who work in space… without ever leaving the planet”

Bill Cole has represented labour unions in the public and private sectors for almost four decades. His practice has focused on collective bargaining, interest arbitration and organizational development. His clients include police, firefighters, airline pilots, health care workers, steelworkers, and many others in the public and private sectors. He has represented unions in more than one hundred and fifty interest arbitrations as spokesperson or nominee. For negotiations he has assisted clients with a full range of services including advanced training, strategy development, negotiator coaching or being the voice at the table.

Bill is a Senior Research Associate at Harvard’s Center for Labor and a Just Economy where his research includes negotiations and organizational development. He is a regular speaker at Harvard’s Trade Union Program.

He is the co-author of The Art of Collective Bargaining.

Responding to the widely held concerns among union leaders about member disengagement, Bill began examining this question at the doctoral level. His research examines the relationship between leaders and followers, with an emphasis on members’ commitment and participation in their unions. He speaks widely on this topic and works with unions on renewal strategies to build member engagement.

Bill is a “goalie-dad” who spends a lot of time in a lot of hockey rinks.

Melissa Creede helps executives, business owners, and celebrities lead from purpose and create impactful change. With a 30-year career spanning Fortune 50 leaders to vulnerable youth in Uganda, she bridges leadership, heart, and legacy. 

Melissa is an international bestselling author of Beyond Your Inbox: Intentional Leadership in a Distracted World. She helps clients design a bold vision for the future and focus on what matters most, without getting derailed. 

Before becoming a coach, Melissa was a climate change and sustainability executive. She is direct and warm, and known for bringing visionary thinking and practical strategy to complex global challenges.  

Melissa has worked and played in over 60 countries, including hiking in Nepal, Kenya, and Pakistan, installing solar panels in rural schools in Argentina, and backpacking in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Eastern Africa. 

Highly experienced in defence and information technology procurement, complex project delivery, and federal governance, Sylvain Cyr recently concluded a 35-year career as a senior executive within the Government of Canada. He began his professional journey as a procurement officer, supporting the acquisition and in-service support of equipment for the Canadian Armed Forces. This early experience established the foundation for his extensive engagement with Canada’s defence and security community. 

Sylvain later served in multiple Director General roles across Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, and Environment Canada. At Public Services and Procurement Canada, where he was the Director General of the Land and Aerospace Equipment Procurement and Support Sector for the last 10 years of his career, he oversaw major defence procurement initiatives, the acquisition and sustainment of advanced military capabilities, and the governance structures supporting complex, multi‑departmental projects. His leadership also extended to national security procurement, environmental operations, infrastructure and real property management and government‑wide procurement policy modernization. 

During the COVID‑19 pandemic, Sylvain actively supported Canada’s emergency logistics operations for personal protective equipment, coordinating closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada and international partners to ensure the rapid movement and distribution of critical supplies.  

Sylvain’s expertise spans strategic planning, risk management, procurement governance, and the delivery of complex, high‑stakes federal projects. He holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal. 

Lisa Ducharme is a former senior government executive with over 36 years of experience in the national security, intelligence, defence, and public safety domains.   

She served in the Canadian Armed Forces before accepting progressively senior leadership positions at the Communications Security Establishment, the Department of National Defence, Public Safety Canada, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  Most recently, she was the Director of Operations and Acting Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet for Intelligence Assessments at the Privy Council Office, where she led the development of strategic assessments for the most senior levels of government, which included the Prime Minister and the National Security Council. 

Lisa has also chaired interdepartmental governance committees and international intelligence forums.  She was the Canadian chair for several Five Eyes intelligence working groups and led Canada’s delegation to the 2024 Five Eyes Heads of Assessment Conference. 

Her expertise includes crisis operations leadership, national-level intelligence program management, and organizational transformation.  She has received numerous awards throughout her career, which includes three DND/CAF Commander’s Commendations, a CSE Director’s Award, and an RCMP unit citation.  

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Management degree and is a graduate of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Leadership Program.  She teaches intelligence tradecraft at the uOttawa Professional Development Institute and co-directs the Executive Security and Intelligence Leadership Certificate Program at Telfer Executive Programs. 

Sean Finn is a fluently bilingual, proven executive business leader and lawyer. He is a visionary, strategic thinker who identifies goals and objectives, develops and communicates a robust strategic vision, and nurtures longstanding relationships and support from all stakeholders to achieve winning business results. 

A purposeful, bold, and strategic transformational leader, Sean promotes collaboration, transparency, and incites team spirit towards a common purpose. He understands not only the complexities of running a large business but also the impact of government regulations and public policy on meeting goals and objectives. He has devoted considerable energy to mastering government and parliamentary processes and building long-term relationships with elected members and key officials at all levels of government.  

For almost three decades, Sean was at the heart of Canada’s largest railway, CN, and served, for twenty-nine years, as one of its most senior executives. 

Sean is a cross-appointed Executive-in-Residence at the Telfer School of Management and the Faculty of Law (Common Law and Civil Law Sections). He also provides mentorship to members of our student clubs and teaches courses on corporate governance and ethics in the Telfer Executive MBA program. 

Sean’s deep experience in the rail sector is bolstered by the insights he has gained and relationships he has built through leadership positions beyond his responsibilities at CN. He has chaired the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Quebec Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal. He was the only Canadian board member on the US Chamber of Commerce from 2017 to 2023. While a CN executive, Sean served as Mayor of Saint-Lambert, Quebec from 2005 to 2009. 

Sean is a proud Canadian and Quebecer. He grew up in a bilingual family, attended francophone schools, earned his law degree from the University of Montreal, and has been a member of the Quebec bar since 1983. 

A dynamic leader with proven ability to transform vision into action and deliver targeted results, Mariette Fyfe-Fortin is recognized for her leadership of government business transformations and change management initiatives, complex project procurements, and services delivery in sectors ranging from acquisitions/procurement, corporate services, information management, to real property management. Retired from the Canadian Commercial Corporation as Vice-President, Strategy and Organizational Development (2009-14), she oversaw the corporation’s strategic planning, managed government relations and communications, and corporate services. Supporting the President and the Board of Directors, she acquired unique perspectives in corporate governance, investment management, business development and capture, and legal risk management. While in tenure, Mariette was also a member of the Clerk of the Privy Council Assistant Deputy Minister Learning Advisory Committee from 2012 to 2014, dedicated to the development and implementation of the learning and continuous development for Assistant Deputy Ministers and equivalent positions across the federal public service.

Most recently Mariette has participated in the development and taught at the University of Ottawa Telfer School of Management in the Complex Project and Procurement Certificate program (2015-19). She holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Université de Montréal (1978) and has accessed the executive cadre through the federal government Career Assignment Program (1993).

Tanya Gracie has a multi-faceted career in governance, management and strategy with public, co-operative, and not-for-profit organizations. She is both an advisor and a practitioner with extensive professional experience in the areas of governance effectiveness, strategy and strategic initiatives, public policy and stakeholder engagement.  

Tanya is actively engaged in her community, including currently serving on the boards of the National Capital Commission and the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Wilfrid Laurier University an Executive MBA from the University of Ottawa, and is a graduate of the Rotman School of Management’s Institute of Corporate Directors Program and holds the ICD.D designation. 

A lifelong learner with a passion for board governance, Tanya is passionate about learning and engaging with participants and working together to strengthen the practice of good governance.  

Samantha Hamilton is a senior quality, patient safety and risk management professional with over 25 years of experience in a variety of health sectors. She has worked within the pharmaceutical, medical device, biologics, diagnostics, blood, long-term care, home care, and acute care (hospital) sectors. She holds an undergraduate degree in Biology (Microbiology specialization), a Master’s degree in Health Administration and a Master's certificate in Risk Management. She holds a CPHQ designation and is trained as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Samantha is experienced in quality management systems design, quality and patient safety risk management processes, and a variety of quality improvement tools and techniques. She has presented at provincial and national conferences and has served on community health service boards and participated in provincial committees.   

Samantha is the founder of The Ottawa Hospital Innovation Framework for Healthcare Quality Improvement and primary author in the publication of the Innovation Framework for healthcare quality improvement - the foundational method taught in the Telfer Leading Quality Improvement in Healthcare executive program and adopted by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. She is also a faculty member with CHA Learning, is a part-time professor in the Telfer MHA and EHA post-graduate programs, and is Program Director and lead facilitator for Telfer Executive Programs’ Leading Quality Improvement in Healthcare certificate program. 

Samantha is currently the Vice President, Quality and Performance at Bruyère Health in Ottawa. 

Hal Hilfi has over 23 years’ professional experience, with the last 19 years devoted to operations management.  His professional experience is complemented by solid proven leadership and people management skills.  Hal has worked in different industries such as sheet metal fabrication, fibre optics, contract manufacturing, telecommunication, printing and, most recently, health care. 

Hal is focused on developing business systems, process re-engineering, warranty services, contract negotiations, proposal development, client management and process waste elimination, using Six Sigma and Lean principles and tools.  He is a results-driven, strategic thinker with the ability to manage long-term goals in conjunction with the immediate needs of the business.  

Hal received a BSc and an MSc in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Dayton, in Ohio.  He also holds a MBA (Executive) from the Telfer School of Management. 

Currently, Hal is responsible for running the operations team at Thermo Fisher Scientific — Microbiology Canada, located in the nation’s capital.  He is responsible for the entire Canadian operation of manufacturing and distributing prepared media (considered as a medical device) that allow health-care laboratories and hospitals to culture and identify micro-organisms.  The product offers solutions to diagnose infectious diseases and tests for potential bacterial contamination in food. 

Hal’s responsibilities include all aspects of the business, including quality assurance, human resources, finance, planning, engineering, practical process improvement (PPI), facilities and supply chain management.  He is accountable for all areas of the site’s business operations, budget, throughput, supply chain, site P&L, site goals and objectives and alignment of the operational performance with the corporate strategy and long-term vision.  Continually influencing positive culture change throughout the organization by fostering an environment of honest and open dialogue, trust, and ownership, and is safety, quality and cost focused to deliver the best performing products at competitive pricing to the customer. 

Theresa Humphrys is the owner and founder of Bold Oak Coaching and Consulting. She is a certified coach, educator and facilitator with a depth of experience as a change leader in healthcare, public and private sectors. Having worked extensively with healthcare organizations across the region, Theresa understands the joys and challenges of inspiring teams, effecting change, navigating workplace politics and making a meaningful difference from within an organization. 

Theresa has a Masters in Human Systems Intervention from Concordia University, Lean Green Belt Certification, and is a certified Integral Coach. She is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation, and certified Tilt365 Master Agility Practitioner. 

Her coaching and facilitation style balances the practical with the inspirational. She has made her career – and her reputation – in guiding, developing and supporting leaders and teams to live their values and achieve their potential. 

In her spare time, Theresa runs, knits and plays the guitar (though not all at the same time). She is based in Ottawa. 

Jennifer Irish is an accomplished former Canadian diplomat and senior international and national security executive, currently serving as a Program Director at Telfer Executive Programs, where she leads its security and intelligence programming. She is the Founding Director of uOttawa’s Information Integrity Lab, advancing the understanding, analysis and mitigation of disinformation, misinformation and foreign influence operations, and currently leads the information integrity practice at Pendulum Geopolitical Advisory.

Over a distinguished 36-year career in Canada’s foreign service and security community, Ms. Irish served in five international postings and held senior roles addressing national and international security, foreign affairs, humanitarian crises, and climate change. She further honed her expertise leading intelligence assessment and geostrategic analysis as Director General of the Integrated Threat Assessment Centre and as Director of Operations at the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat in the Privy Council Office, providing strategic intelligence to senior decision-makers.

She brings that extensive experience to her training, facilitation, and consulting — helping organizations strengthen resilience, sharpen risk and crisis communications, and build effective alliances in a complex and contested information and geostrategic environment.

Dr. Keleigh James is a bilingual family physician with a Master’s in Medical Education and certification in yoga teaching. She works at the Canadian Medical Protective Association as Special Advisor in Physician Support and Wellness, where she develops initiatives that address physician well-being and the impacts of medico-legal distress. 

Dr. James has led the development of education and wellness programs at both institutional and national levels, with a longstanding focus on advancing equity in healthcare. She was the founding lead of an undergraduate medical stream designed to increase access to French-speaking physicians in minority language settings. Her clinical practice centered on equity-seeking populations in both urban and remote contexts, including Indigenous communities in northern Manitoba. 

Her training in contemplative and somatic practices informs a relational approach to leadership, education, and physician support. Compassion – toward self and others – is a core value in both her education and leadership, shaping how she communicates, designs learning environments, and supports healthcare professionals in distress. Her work is grounded in the understanding that professional well-being is inseparable from psychological safety, belonging, and meaningful connection. 

Her educational philosophy draws on adult learning principles and emphasizes self-awareness, reflective practice, and learner agency. As an educator experienced in continuing professional development, Dr. James brings expertise in curriculum design and educational accreditation standards. She is known for a dynamic, inclusive, and intentionally reflective style that supports learners to identify their needs, engage thoughtfully, and build the skills and self-trust required to continue growing beyond the classroom. 

As a former Vice President in the Public Service of Canada and with more than 20 years in the executive rank, Patricia Jaton has extensive knowledge and experience and honed competencies in several areas including executive/leadership development, conflict resolution, values & ethics, employee and organizational effectiveness and well-being, as well as in transformational initiatives related to organizational culture. She now works with various clients as a trained professional coach and consultant, and she shares her passion for people and their growth. 

Over the course of her 34-year career, Patricia created and implemented several new people-centric programs and services – she was Health Canada’s first Ombuds in the early 2000’s – and she worked on Public Service-wide HR policies and guidance as VP, Policy and Communications, at the Public Service Commission from 2017 to 2021. When she was at the Canada School of Public Service, Patricia was responsible for leadership development programs. Moreover, Patricia occupied the position of Deputy Secretary to the Governor General from 2011 to 2017 which allowed her to work on national and international matters.  The various positions she held in several departments allowed her to acquire considerable experience and expertise in dealing with a wide range of people management issues that were both complex and sensitive. 

Patricia is recognized for her engaging collaborative approach with various stakeholders and partners and strong communication/writing abilities in both official languages. 

Patricia is an ICF accredited professional coach who also offers mentoring and career management services including preparing for interviews at the executive level. 

In addition to her university degree, Patricia obtained a University Certificate in Organizational Values and Ethics from Carleton University. She successfully completed the training offered by an institution recognized by ICF to act as a professional coach, and by the International Ombuds Association to serve as ombuds. Moreover, she is certified to administer and interpret the Leadership Circle Profile (LCP) – a 360-degree leadership assessment tool – and she possesses a Certification in Creating Positive Change offered by The Change Lab in Australia. 

Sami Khoury retired from the Government of Canada in 2026 after more than thirty years in signals intelligence and cyber security, culminating in his role as the Government of Canada Senior Official for Cyber Security.  

During Canada’s 2025 G7 presidency, he co-chaired the G7 Cybersecurity Working Group. He now co-chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cybersecurity and Aspen Digital’s Global Cybersecurity Group. A frequent speaker at conferences and international events, he addresses the evolution of the threat landscape, the convergence of state activity and cybercrime, public-private partnerships, and post-quantum cryptography.  

From 2021 to 2024, Sami led the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Canada’s national technical authority for cyber security. Under his leadership, the Centre responded to some of the most consequential cyber incidents in recent Canadian memory and issued joint advisories with CISA, Five Eyes partners, and other international partners.  

Sami joined the Communications Security Establishment in 1992 as a research engineer and rose through its ranks over three decades, serving as Chief Information Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister. This career arc gives him an unusually long view of how the threat landscape has evolved.  

Sami holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and a Master of Applied Science from Concordia University. He works in both official languages and has received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the APEX Award of Excellence for Innovation. 

Alain L'Abbé is a government and Lean transformation specialist. He is also an accomplished and strategic change management and project management professional. He has over 30 years of diverse professional experience (military, public service and consulting) and a wide range of training. His expertise includes leading high visibility multi-stakeholder projects, managing teams, portfolio management, networking, effectively leading and guiding cross-functional staff, and successfully implementing strategic transformation plans and IT transformations. He has a proven track record of effectively mobilizing and leading teams to meet deadlines, objectives and budgets.

Over the past 23 years, Alain has introduced and/or applied Lean thinking and tools in over 36 projects for various public sector organizations across Canada, including Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Canada, Global Affairs, and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Alain offers his services in both of Canada's official languages. 

Daniel Labonté is a retired CEO with over 30 years of leadership experience spanning the private, not-for-profit and public sectors.   He has led diverse teams across sales, marketing, information technology, talent management, organization development and general management.  Since retirement, Daniel has continued to shape the next generation of business leaders by sharing his vast knowledge and experience through individual coaching. Prior to retirement, Daniel was the CEO of MD Financial Management, a wealth management firm dedicated to serving Canada’s physicians and their families.  As MD Financial’s CEO, Daniel completed the successful M&A integration of MD into Scotiabank and delivered the first Canadian pension fund designed specifically for physicians. Post-retirement, Daniel continues his support of MD and the physician community by serving as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Medicus Pension Plan.  

Throughout his career, he has delivered transformational business results by creating environments where individuals and teams can thrive through collaboration and innovation. His inspirational leadership is anchored in his deep belief that truly outstanding organizational success is achieved by developing brilliant talent. His commitment to Executive and Leadership coaching is a hallmark of his career, one that he has been engaging in for over 15 years. He is a trusted leader and is sought out for his unique ability to help people see the unrealized potential within themselves. 

Daniel has applied his experience in strategy and business to various board governance and committee roles including the Investment Funds Institute of Canada, MD Financial Management and MD’s multiple OSFI regulated subsidiaries. Daniel’s creative and unique perspectives drove new methods and approaches to expanding public programs with private sector funding, both at a national and international level.  His ability to navigate complex business situations while maintaining unwavering commitment to people development has been instrumental as he led companies through enterprise and cultural transformation, M&A, divestitures and a global pandemic.  

Daniel earned both a Bachelor of Science and an MBA from the University of Ottawa. He holds a Post-Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University, as also graduated from the Advanced Management Program at the Harward Business School. He is fluently bilingual in French and English, and has an International Coaching Federation certification (PCC).  

Kathy Labrecque is an accomplished Human Resources executive with a passion for leadership, culture and enabling amazing, purposeful employee experiences. Over the past 35 years, she has demonstrated her wide breadth of HR expertise in high tech organizations (startup, mid-size and in global multinationals) as well as in the financial services sector. 

Prior to her retirement, she was the Vice President of Human Resources for MD Financial Management, where she created a best-in-class HR team and a highly engaged workforce. Her strength was partnering with the Board of Directors, CEO and leadership team to create a multifaceted and integrated people driven organization that resulted in MD winning The Achievers “50 Most Engaged Workplaces in Canada” for 6 consecutive years. 

Kathy holds a Business degree from Wilfred Laurier University and is ADKAR change management certified. 

Her passion these days is traveling: she has been to 16 fabulous countries in the past three years. 

Dr. Bernard Leduc is an Executive Physician Associate at Telfer Executive Programs. He possesses extensive experience in the healthcare sector, having commenced his career as a family physician with a comprehensive family practice. He has consistently worked in hospitals across both Québec and Ontario. 

He joined Hôpital Montfort, Ontario's Francophone Academic Hospital, in 1999. Dr. Leduc ascended to the position of Chief of Staff in 2004 and served as President & CEO from 2010 until his retirement in July 2023. His primary focus has always been on providing safe and quality-centered patient care. Under his leadership, the hospital received Accreditation with Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada in 2014, 2018, and again in 2022. 

Dr. Leduc has also contributed significantly to numerous boards, including Health Quality Ontario, Health Pro Canada, and Health Standards Organisation, where he served as chairman from 2020 to 2023. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of the University of Ottawa. 

Dr. Leduc was awarded the Irwin Bean Award in 2004 for attaining the highest standing among practice-eligible candidates on the Certification Examination in Family Medicine of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. He earned his Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from Queen’s University in 2010. 

In recognition of his achievements, he has been honoured with several prestigious awards, including the Order of Ottawa in 2017, induction into the FireStarter Hall of Fame by the Studer Group in 2018, "l’Ordre des francophones d’Amérique" from the Québec government in 2023, and appointment to the Order of Ontario. He is also the recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Leadership Award from the Canadian College of Health Leaders. 

He is married and blessed with two daughters and has one granddaughter. 

Dr. Guylaine Lefebvre is an Executive Physician Associate at Telfer Executive Programs. Dr. Lefebvre completed medical school and her obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Ottawa, followed by a Fellowship in advanced gynecologic surgery at the Mayo Clinic. She practised at The Ottawa Hospital until she was recruited to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto as Chief of obstetrics and gynecology from 2001 to 2015, where she also chaired the Medical Advisory Council. Dr. Lefebvre became the inaugural Joint Chair of Women’s Health for St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto. In 2015, Dr. Lefebvre moved back to Ottawa, joining the Canadian Medical Protective Association as Director of Practice Improvement. In 2021, she became Executive Director of Learning and Connecting at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.  

Dr. Lefebvre has participated in numerous education, quality improvement, and practice-specific committees at provincial, national, and international levels. She is a past President of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada. She has obtained international recognition for her work in women’s health, through an honorary Fellowship to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of the United Kingdom and she is a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee award. 

Dr. Lefebvre maintains a steadfast commitment to medical education, physician support, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and inclusion. With an innate focus on collaborative approaches, her teams have successfully implemented programs that resonated deeply with healthcare professionals, enhancing their professional journeys and contributing to safe medical care.

Renée is a dynamic and solutions-oriented HR executive with 25+ years of experience in various industries, including healthcare, safety, transport, military, and education. Over the years, she developed an expertise in talent management and development, HR strategies, total compensation strategies, performance management, and organizational effectiveness. She is highly respected by her fellow colleagues and is well known for her excellent ability to listen and to mentor.

Renée’s leadership approach is centered around people, engagement, wellness, and diversity. Not only is she well known for her strong leadership skills, but also her energy, her passion for people and for her genuine desire to make a difference.

Renée has a PhD in Industrial Relations from Laval University, a Master’s in Industrial Relations from Université du Québec en Outaouais and an Honours degree in Economics from Université de Sherbrooke.

Denis Lévesque acquired his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Ottawa. Eighteen years later, he obtained his graduate certificate in executive coaching at the University of Royal Roads (CEC) and his professional coaching certification from the International Coaching Federation (PCC). Denis is a professional who helps companies and leaders ignite growth, improve profitability and achieve results. Known as an engaging coach, speaker, trainer and author, Denis uses his business acumen and expertise in human performance behaviours to spark success.

Colin Lindsay is a procurement management specialist at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management with more than 20 years of experience conducting and teaching procurement.  He has a reputation for communicating complex concepts clearly and with boundless energy. Colin recognized the importance of relationships in contracts after studying best practices in western and eastern contracting. He has designed and delivers the relational contracting curriculum at the School.

Colin has provided procurement advice to hundreds of clients.  He leverages his experience and expertise to enable organizations to successfully procure complex goods and services.  Colin supported projects ranging from revisioning aboriginal procurement, to building a dam in Afghanistan, to establishing multi-billion dollar defence contracts, and everything in between. Colin regularly advises senior management and is known for procurement solutions that are both innovative and mitigate risk.

Colin is a former combat systems engineering officer with the Royal Canadian Navy. He has graduate degrees from the University of Quebec’s School of Management, as well as the University of Victoria. Colin teaches at the University of Ottawa, Université du Québec, Tianjin University, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Guizhou University, and the Canada School of Public Service. 

Mike Lionais, CPA, CMA, is currently the Executive Director of the Costing Centre of Expertise for the Treasury Board of Canada.  He has been an executive with the federal public service for the past six years. Previously, he served in the Canadian Forces for 20 years.  Mike has previously developed and delivered several courses in cost analysis. Mike has received several awards for his work in predictive modeling.

Susie Maloney is a Professional Negotiator, Negotiation Architect/Strategist and a Negotiating and Influencing Trainer. She has worked both the front lines and behind the scenes for very high-stakes negotiations for corporates, multi-nationals, and governments.

Known for keen inter-personal skills and emotional awareness, she is highly sought after by clients from around the world. She provides negotiation strategy preparation, training and consulting, executive team leadership/special advisorship, and training design.

Special focuses: Tactical Empathy and Neurogotiation; applying human behavior principles to strategic persuasion to get the Other Party to meet you at your preferred Outcome. She also loves the study of transferring and application of sport and sport psychology to the business world.

She is a frequent Lecturer and Adjunct Professor at the Business School level and sits on the Judge’s Panel at the Halloum Negotiation Competition in Berkeley, California.

Susie lives with her husband and two children in San Francisco, California.

Dave McIntyre is a business-oriented strategist and advisor known for delivering impact, developing people and teams, and facilitating complex change. Over his 30+ years of professional experience, Dave helped organizations resolve people-related business problems by aligning HR strategies with business imperatives.   

Prior to becoming a management consultant, Dave enjoyed an extensive career as an HR executive at Canada Post Corporation, where he was responsible for leadership development, talent management, and culture change. Augmenting his experience as a practitioner, Dave spent several years in Canada’s largest private independent research organization, the Conference Board of Canada, where he led executive networks and national and international projects benchmarking leading-edge organizational effectiveness and HR practices.  

Throughout his career, Dave has been recognized as a strong customer and employee advocate, a trusted advisor, an experienced coach, an innovative thought leader, a respectful disruptor, an inspiring facilitator, a culture change champion, and a loyal ambassador. Dave is a graduate of the Telfer Executive MBA program and is proud to work with his alma mater as part of the Telfer Executive Programs faculty.

David McLaughlin is a recognized public policy leader with almost 40 years’ experience in senior government, political, and private sector settings at both national and provincial levels. At the public service level, David served as Clerk of the Executive Council, Cabinet Secretary, and Head of the Civil Service in Manitoba, Deputy Minister to the Premier of New Brunswick for Policy and Planning, and Deputy Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs in both Manitoba and New Brunswick. The premier appointed David as deputy minister to lead New Brunswick’s Commission on Legislative Democracy. 

He was appointed president and CEO of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy and acted as executive director to the Council of the Federation’s panel on fiscal imbalance.

At the political level, David was Chief of Staff to the prime minister of Canada and the federal minister of finance. He directed four successful provincial election campaigns. Most recently, David was president and CEO of the Institute on Governance.

David is a published author and regularly writes and comments on Canadian public affairs and governance issues for national and regional media outlets including the CBC, Globe and Mail, Winnipeg Free Press, and others.

David believes strongly in the value and importance of good governance and a strong, effective public service to serve Canadians.

His teaching interests are in the areas of public governance, democracy and politics, intergovernmental relations, and public policy development, and public service learning.

David holds a BA (Honours) from Mount Allison University, an MA in International Affairs from Carleton University, and an MBA from the University of Bath (UK).

Scott McLeod recently retired from his position as the Registrar and CEO for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA). During his time with CPSA, he has focused on building a strong CPSA team that has a culture of learning and continuous quality improvement, supporting doctors in continuously improving the care they provide to Albertans.  

Prior to joining the CPSA, Scott spent just under 27 years with the Canadian Armed Forces. He retired in 2017 as the Deputy Surgeon General.  

Scott McLeod received his MD from the University of Saskatchewan in 1993 and went on to complete his family medicine residency in Regina. He was granted his CCFP in 1995. He also completed a specialty in Aerospace medicine with the US Air Force in 2005. He has a Master of Public Health from the University of Texas and a Master of Public Administration from the Royal Military College of Canada. 

Scott has a particular interest in how health leaders promote and support the delivery of safe, high quality health care.    

Highly experienced in program management, complex projects procurement and governance, Simon Page recently completed a 41-year career as a Government of Canada senior official and member of the Canadian Armed Forces. Simon recently left the Public Services and Procurement Canada department where he oversaw multiple large project procurements, the management of numerous long-term contracts and the associated defence procurement strategy and industry governance. During his tenure, his Branch was also responsible for the management of Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy and innovation in defence procurement. His Branch’s portfolio included all procurement and contract management activities for the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard as well as some smaller scale support for other departments and agencies such as the Canadian Border Services. He also chaired the Defence Industry Advisory Group. 

Simon retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in December 2019, after more than 35 years of service, to join the public service as a civilian and assume the duties of Associate Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel) at National Defence. His time in uniform included a three-year segment as Director General Maritime Program Equipment Management where he overviewed all program management for the sustainment activities for the Royal Canadian Navy including materiel assurance for all ships and submarines.  

Simon also has expertise in critical thinking, resource management and strategic planning. He studied Computer Engineering and is a graduate of the National Security Program at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto.  

Anne-Marie Parent is a healthcare transformation leader, leadership educator, and certified coach with over 20 years of professional experience, including 14 years in the healthcare sector. She specializes in helping organizations and leaders navigate complexity, lead meaningful change, and build the capabilities needed to thrive in evolving environments. 

Anne-Marie is currently a Manager at Deloitte, working at the intersection of strategy, technology, and organizational change. Previously, she held leadership roles at the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), contributing to strategic planning, organizational transformation, governance, change management, and performance improvement. Her career spans the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors, providing a broad perspective on leading change across complex systems. 

With a Master of Health Administration, Anne-Marie is a Certified Health Executive (CHE) and holds certifications in Prosci change management, PRINCE2 project management, and Lean Healthcare (Black Belt). Her expertise is complemented by training in Flow Coaching and Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC), integrating systems thinking, complexity science, human dynamics, and evidence-informed approaches to leadership and transformation. 

As a part-time professor at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management, Anne-Marie brings practical experience and a systems perspective into the classroom. She challenges emerging and established leaders to question assumptions, embrace different perspectives, and move beyond traditional management approaches. Her teaching emphasizes critical thinking, reflection, collaboration, and the leadership capabilities required to navigate uncertainty and drive sustainable change. 

Dr. Tino D. Piscione, M.D., Ph.D., FRCPC is a medical leader and clinician-scientist with over 20 years of experience spanning pediatric nephrology, medical education, and health system improvement. He holds an M.D. from Queen’s University and a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the University of Toronto, where he also completed postgraduate training in pediatrics and pediatric nephrology at The Hospital for Sick Children. 

Dr. Piscione has led strategic educational and change initiatives at the Canadian Medical Protective Association, where he most recently served as Lead of Learning Analytics and Learning Strategy. His work focused on advancing physician education through data-driven decision-making, digital transformation, and cross-functional collaboration. 

Dr. Piscione has developed and facilitated national workshops on patient safety and diagnostic accuracy and has mentored numerous students and trainees in biomedical research. His research and academic leadership have contributed to advancements in understanding and treating childhood kidney disease. 

Recognized for his excellence in teamwork and collaboration, Dr. Piscione brings a unique blend of clinical expertise, academic insight, and strategic vision to improving healthcare quality and physician learning across Canada. 

Roger Reens, B.A., LL.B., B.C.L (McGill University), M.B.A. (Dalhousie University) has been associated with the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa for several years in various roles including Visiting Professor and lecturer in the Business Acumen program. Previously, he was General Counsel and Deputy Executive Director, Office of the Department of National Defence & Canadian Forces Legal Advisor (DND/CF LA), Ottawa. 

He has over 30 years of experience dealing with complex legal issues in government contracting, procurement law, and intellectual property law. He was Department of Justice counsel in the departmental legal services units at the Department of National Defence and at the predecessor of Public Services and Procurement Canada, where he consulted with and advised senior client officials (including Ministers and senior officers in the Canadian Forces) on a variety of matters. He served as legal advisor and participated as a member of the negotiating teams for numerous Major Crown Projects and international arrangements. He has served as Chairman of a MOU negotiating group at NATO. He managed a team of lawyers who provided the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces with legal support on a wide variety of business matters such as environmental law and intellectual property law. He has also served as corporate counsel in a major Canadian corporation and as legal counsel in private practice. He has provided training to clients, professional associations, and colleagues in the law related to intellectual property, memoranda of understanding, contracting, defence procurement, green procurement, Crown law, Canadian International Trade Tribunal, and the International Sale of Goods Contracts Convention Act. 

Roger is a retired member of the Law Society of Ontario and Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society. 

Professor Greg Richards conducts research into organizational performance management, Business Intelligence and Business Analytic practices and outcomes in public and private sector organizations. He leads the Centre for Business Analytics and Performance that explores emerging technical and social issues related to analytics, Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence. He also coordinates the BDO/Interis Public Sector Performance Management research cluster that examines performance strategies unique to public management.

Professor Richards has taught Strategy, Organizational Behaviour, Human Resource Management, Organization Design and Change Management. He currently teaches courses on Corporate Performance Management and Business Intelligence/Business Analytics in the MBA and EMBA programs. In addition, he teaches the Management Consulting course and coordinates the MBA Consulting project.

Prior to his academic appointment, Professor Richards worked at Transport Canada and at Consulting and Audit Canada as well as with Cognos Incorporated. He also has over 20 years of consulting experience and is a Certified Management Consultant, a Fellow of the CMC-Ontario Institute of Management Consultants, and an Academic Fellow of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes.

Ingrid Richter is a Partner at Threshold Associates.  Her teaching, action research and consulting work has three major areas of focus:  leadership development, facilitating complex, multi-stakeholder change processes and developing change agents so that they can more effectively engage in high impact, complex change.  Her recent client work focuses on leadership and international capacity development supporting sustainability of social innovation initiatives. She has in-depth experience in provincial and federal governments, including as a Senior Fellow at the Canada School of Public Service as well as senior roles in corrections, policing and public safety.  Ingrid was the co-founder of the Canadian Organization Development Institute and designs and delivers leadership programs for the UN Staff College and the UNHCR.  In her spare time she is an active volunteer at Synapcity, (an Ottawa non-profit focused on developing citizen engagement), loves travel, poetry, cooking and learning to play the ukulele.

Patricia Sauvé-McCuan is a bilingual senior executive with extensive experience in financial management, information technology, transformation, project delivery and corporate services across both the private and public sectors. 

Before joining the federal public service, she held senior executive positions in the private sector, including Senior Vice-President roles in IT consulting, outsourcing and project delivery organizations. 

Patricia joined the federal public service in 2004 as Director General of Information Management Projects at the Department of National Defence and was subsequently appointed Chief Information Officer. She later joined the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, where she was responsible for the future direction of financial management and Grants and Contributions systems across the Government of Canada. 

She was subsequently appointed the first Assistant Comptroller General responsible for the Financial Management Transformation Sector within the Office of the Comptroller General of Canada, where she led work to modernize and transform financial management across the Government of Canada. 

Prior to her retirement from the federal public service in 2021, Patricia served for five years as Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President of the Common Administrative Services Directorate supporting the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. In this role, she was responsible for shared corporate services including financial management, human resources, awards administration, and information and innovation services. 

Since leaving the public service, Patricia has provided advisory services in the areas of transformation, modernization, financial management, digital enablement and complex project delivery. She also teaches and contributes to executive development in the areas of CFO and Deputy CFO leadership and development, as well as project and project management leadership. 

Patricia holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Ottawa, earned her Chartered Accountant designation, and holds a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University. 

Prior to retiring from the public service in 2020, Marie was a faculty member at the Canada School of Public Service and led the launch of a new Executive Leadership Development Program for senior public sector executives. 

Over the past 32 years, Marie has held various positions at Environment Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Industry Canada and Finance Canada, where she provided strategic advice and managed a number of programs relating to energy, transportation, environmental and science policy.  Since 2007 she has held executive positions with responsibilities in leading transformational projects, corporate planning, business & vision process reviews and managing inter-departmental initiatives. Over the course of her career, she has launched several people-management & leadership development initiatives.

Marie is an accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and holds a B.Sc., and an MBA from the University of Ottawa as well as a Certificate in change management from Queens University.

Susan Snider is the Vice President, Strategy, Innovation and Impact at the Equality Fund where she experiments at the intersections and edges of global grantmaking, gender lens investing, and feminist philanthropy. Before joining the Equality Fund, Susan had the privilege of working with clients around the world over a 25-year career as a management consultant, helping organizations and teams with strategy, innovation, leadership and learning. She is based in Ottawa, Canada and spends most of her free time having fun with her two boys. 

Through a career spanning more than 30 years in non-profit, government and for-profit sectors, Rhonda St. Croix has co-created and implemented change strategies and solutions to deliver meaningful results and value. She has developed deep experience in change leadership, learning and leadership development, growing high value creating teams, and facilitation. 

She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Office of Learning and Connecting at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Rhonda was previously a senior manager at the Conference Board of Canada, contributing to executive leadership development. She has also served as a consultant/advisor to several mission-based, non-profit organizations. She has held senior positions in the public and private sectors of the telecom industry. She is a certified coach (Integral Coaching Canada) and holds an MBA from the University of Ottawa. 

She is a reformed “change-the-world” advocate whose core belief is that transforming ourselves and growing our own leadership makes the greatest positive contribution to the spaces we work and play in together. She is a change insight junkie, passionate about the future of life/work and on a mission to learn and share the best wisdom to support people to grow, lead, mobilize and thrive in these uncertain times. She is a fitness enthusiast who especially loves hiking and strength training. Rhonda is based in Ottawa. 

Craig Szelestowski is a Lean government and transformation specialist with close to two decades of experience implementing dramatic turnarounds in Canadian government. He started Lean Agility Inc. in 2010 to apply Lean exclusively to government organizations. With his coaching, his clients have reduced lead times by up to 80%, increased capacity by up to 200% and created outstanding levels of employee engagement. 

In his public service career, as Vice President of Human Resources, Lean and Quality, he lead the Royal Canadian Mint’s Lean transformation which helped move the organization through a challenging era of cutbacks and job losses into an extended period of financial and organizational health and stability. During his tenure, the Mint realized tens of millions of dollars of Lean improvements, dramatically reduced the time and effort to deliver its products and services, moving from a financial loss, to a profit of over $68 million. In terms of employee engagement, it improved from 100 grievances per year to 20 per year and was named by Maclean’s magazine as one of “Canada’s Top 100 Employers” from 2007 to 2010. 

Over a period of the past sixteen years, Craig has introduced and/or applied Lean in over 60 projects in more than 25 public sector organizations in Canada.

He is widely regarded as one of Canada’s foremost experts on the application of Lean to both knowledge/project based work as well as to more transactional work such as permits and applications. An excellent speaker and facilitator, Craig has been called upon to share his expertise at numerous conferences across Canada, including: the 2018 Canadian Lean Summit (Results, Not Resistance: Building Buy-in and Execution into your Lean Initiative), the 2016 Conference Board of Canada Public Sector Transformation Conference (Taking a Lean Approach to Deliverology), the 2016 Ontario Public Service Lean Community of Practice Symposium (Banish the Backlog in Non-Transactional Processes), the 2016 Canadian Government Executive Annual Conference (Deliverology: Risks and Opportunities from a Lean Perspective) and the 2015 Canadian Government Executive Annual Conference (An introduction to Lean Government).  

Craig has served multiple times as a part-time professor at the Telfer School of Business at the University of Ottawa. He is currently the co-designer and instructor of Telfer’s White and Yellow Belt Lean Service programs and teaches Lean to Telfer’s MBA students.

Craig offers his services in both of Canada’s official languages; he served as the Mint’s Official Languages Co-Champion from 2004 to 2010.

As an Executive-in-Residence, Professor Marc Tassé teaches in the MBA and Executive MBA programs, as well as at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa.

Over his 35-year career, Mr. Tassé has held senior positions at Deloitte and KPMG, as well as central roles in intelligence and law enforcement agencies. He has also worked with leading international organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank Group, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Economic Forum and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Over the course of his career, he has received many prestigious awards for his significant contributions both nationally and internationally, including the King Charles III Coronation Medal. In addition, his unparalleled commitment and considerable contributions to his field of expertise have earned him the designations of Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA) and Fellow Chartered Governance Professional (FCG), the highest distinctions in this discipline.

Mr. Tassé sits as an independent member of various boards of directors and trustees involving a wide range of organizations. He has also been selected for prestigious committee appointments by the Government of Canada, and he regularly participates in hearings before parliamentary committees in the House of Commons and the Senate.

Christina Tector draws on over 20 years of experience working in the federal public service in the fields of leadership and organizational change. She is passionate about facilitating, supporting and accompanying leaders to discover their own personal development edges, fulfill their potential and elevate the teams of people they lead. Christina cares deeply about creating a climate of trust, compassion and authenticity for healthy humans to thrive in healthy systems.

Christina delivers leadership programs through the Canada School of Public Service, the University of Ottawa’s Telfer Executive Programs & the Global Learning & Development Centre at the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR). She works with teams to support them to strengthen both their relationships and their impact. Christina also coaches clients individually and in small groups, to help them re-discover their own sense of agency and inner guidance.

Christina is a lifelong learner. She is an Integral Associate Coach, a Qualified Mindfulness-Based Symptom Management teacher.  She is a certified Emotional Intelligence (EQ-i) Feedback Facilitator and Action Learning Group Facilitator. She holds a Masters of Education Degree in Counselling Psychology from McGill University.

Kristopher Tharris is an experienced educator, facilitator, and leadership consultant with over 15 years of practice in creating engaging, learner-centered environments. Known for his ability to translate complex ideas into clear, visually compelling models, he specializes in using technology to enhance learning, ensuring it is grounded in both theory and practice. Kristopher has lived and worked across North and South America, Europe, and Africa, bringing a global perspective to his work. He is fluent in French and English and holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Western University), an MBA (Royal Roads), a Master of Educational Technology (UBC), and undergraduate degrees in Education and Spanish Literature (Trent University). He is also a Certified Management Consultant (CMC Canada) and LEGO Serious Play facilitator. His recent work includes collaborating with the International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent on a global resolution related to first aid, teaching at the University of Western Ontario in the Faculty of Education and leading innovation strategy workshops for the United Nations Environment Programme.

Stephane Tywoniak is professor of Complex Project Management at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa (Canada). He has over twenty years' experience teaching strategy, systems thinking, entrepreneurship and project management. His academic coordination track record includes: La Rochelle Business School (Project Management and Entrepreneurship Master's majors) MBA Director (Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Brisbane, Australia -2014/15); Academic Director and Founder, Executive Master in Complex Project Management (QUT, 2007/08 and 2012/14), PhD Coordinator (QUT School of Management, 2008/10).

He has extensive experience in executive education and consulting with major project-based organisations in government and industry (Australia, UK, Canada, USA).

His main research interest is the strategic interactions between business and society in complex projects/programs and strategic decision making, with a specific interest on how business organisations gain, maintain, and lose legitimacy. He has been published in Organization, International Journal of Project Management, and other international journals. He serves as the associate editor for project management on the editorial board of Systems Research and Behavioral Science, and as the associate editor for institutional theory and strategy on the editorial board of Journal of Management and Organization.

Rachel Wernick is a Fellow with the Public Policy Forum (PPF), a Mentor with the Action Canada Leadership Program and the Program Director for the Policy Leadership Program at the Telfer Executive Campus.  Rachel is one of Canada’s leading practitioners in social and employment policy having gained experience in a variety of executive roles at Canadian Heritage, the Privy Council Office, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Public Works and Government Services Canada. She retired from the federal public service in May 2023 after a distinguished career that culminated in her role as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of Skills and Employment at Employment and Social Development Canada. 

Rachel is known by colleagues for her collaborative leadership and by staff for her commitment to developing and empowering team members at all levels.  She is a strong proponent of the benefit of human-centered design and has a proven ability to lead multi-partner initiatives that take something from policy idea or challenge through to actionable options for implementation. Rachel’s excellent reputation as a policy leader resulted in her appointment as Co-Champion of the Clerk’s Policy Community initiative; a role she held for five years.  Rachel has channeled her passion for policy into developing a curriculum that offers government executives access to current tools, leading edge thinkers and leadership lessons from recent experiences on complex policy initiatives. 

Dr. Alex Wilner is an Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, and the Director of the Infrastructure Protection and International Security program, at Carleton University. He teaches and writes on strategic foresight, deterrence theory, cybersecurity, national security policy, and emerging technology. His books include Deterring Rational Fanatics (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015), Deterring Terrorism: Theory and Practice (eds., Stanford University Press, 2012), and Deterrence by Denial: Theory and Practice (Cambria Press, 2021). Among his several dozen journal publications, his research on foresight includes an assessment of Canada’s emerging foresight landscape published in Foresight (2020), a review of foresight’s application to Canadian international development assistance in Development Policy Review (2024), a critical assessment of Canada’s foresight-to-standardization framework in International Journal (2024), a study of Canadian “Cyber Futures” published with the Defence & Security Foresight Group (2020), and a scientific exploration of scanning for value changes, published in Futures & Foresight Science (2022). Prior to joining Carleton, he was recruited into public service through the Recruitment of Policy Leaders (RPL) program; he worked at Policy Horizons Canada (2014-2015), where he gained invaluable experience applying foresight to public policy. Alongside his academic work, he consultants regularly with government departments seeking to establish foresight capacity. Since 2017, he has trained over 1400 public servants in strategic foresight and has assisted several government departments and agencies establish foresight units and teams, including at ECCC, GAC, AAFC, SCC, IDRC, NRCan, PHAC, DND, the Department of Justice, and members of Canada’s intelligence community.