2025 Board Governance BootCamp

He provides tax advice to Canadian private companies and their shareholders on topics such as reorganizations, intergenerational transfers, purchase/sale of businesses and estate planning.

Ameer also has experience advising trusts, not-for-profits and charities.

Aglukark is Canada’s first Inuk artist to win a Juno Award (her work has earned her three), a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement, and to be named an Officer of the Order of Canada. She also holds several Honourary Doctorate degrees and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Featured in Chatelaine, Flare, Saturday Night, Modern Woman, Billboard, and The New York Times, Alglukark has also been named one of Maclean’s magazine’s “100 Canadians to Watch”. She has performed for Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, Canadian Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Brian Mulroney, French President Jacques Chirac, as well as several other dignitaries. Equally important to her are the people she has performed for and spoken to on reserves, in small towns, and in villages across Canada and the Arctic.

During her 25-year journey as a singer-songwriter, Aglukark was able to reflect on who she is, where she comes from, and the importance of discovery — discovery of history, culture, and self. This time has provided Aglukark with the profound knowledge that the Inuit are an extraordinary people deeply grounded in a culture forged by their Ancestors. Their journey is what shaped them.

He has a BA and MA in Accounting from the University of Waterloo

Dickinson is the founder and general partner of District Ventures Capital, a venture capital fund that invests in innovative companies in the food and beverage and health and wellness sectors. Under her leadership, they have become a leading force in the industry, with a portfolio of ground-breaking companies transforming the way we live and eat.

In recognition of her leadership and entrepreneurial prowess, Dickinson has been honoured with numerous awards and accolades. She has been inducted into the Southern Alberta Business Hall of Fame and the Marketing Hall of Legends, recognized as one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100, and honoured with the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee and Platinum Jubilee medals. Dickinson also served as an honorary captain of the Royal Canadian Navy for over 10 years.

Beyond her business ventures, she is a sought-after speaker, three-time bestselling author, and philanthropist. She has starred on CBC’s Dragons’ Den for over 16 seasons and is known as “the funder”.

Rob Donelson is the former Interim Executive Director of the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation and recently retired following a 41-year career leading award-winning advancement programs at four universities and two hospital foundations in three countries. Most recently, Rob served as Executive Director of Advancement at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Prior to this, he was Executive Director, Development & Alumni Relations at University College Cork in Ireland, and Vice-President, Development & Alumni Relations at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada. He has also led multi-million-dollar campaigns with two hospital foundations.  His experience in all aspects of the donor cycle is extensive.

Acknowledged for his leadership in charitable accountability, Rob led the first registered charity in Canada to earn the Ethical Fundraising License and the first university to earn the Standards Accreditation Trustmark from Imagine Canada. He has spoken at several national and international conferences of the Canadian Association of Gift Planners, Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE), and the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy, and served on the Board of CCAE. He was named the Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Golden Horseshoe Chapter, and received the Mission Legacy Award of the St. Joseph’s Health System.

Fred Galloway is the President of the firm and the principal consultant. Based on the customized needs of each assignment, the firm has worked with other larger and smaller consulting firms to align the right expertise and experience necessary to successfully complete assignments.

Over the years, the firm has worked successfully with land use planners, landscape architects, engineers, architects, financial analysts, and numerous other disciplines in order to meet client requirements.

Fred holds a Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Recreation from the University of Waterloo, a Master of Science Degree in Recreation

He began his career with successively more senior roles at the YMCA of Montreal. His first position as President & CEO was with the YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington from 1993 – 2002. He served in the same capacity at the YMCA of Greater Toronto (2003 – 2009) and YMCA Canada (2010 – 2015). In each of these roles, Scott provided leadership focused on impact, relevance, and sustainability during periods of rapid change and growth.

After retiring from the YMCA at the end of 2015, Scott became the first full-time President & CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation, working closely with His Excellency David Johnston, Canada’s 28th Governor General. Scott provided executive leadership to this new national Foundation as it moved from start-up to scale-up to its current status as one of the most important national charitable foundations in Canada.

Scott holds a B.A. (Sociology) with Great Distinction from McGill University; a Master of Management (McGill University); Advanced Management Program (Harvard Business School); and Certified Corporate Director (The Director’s College, McMaster University).

Since retirement, Scott has devoted his time to wildlife photography for which he has received recognition by both Nature Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Federation. Since 2022, Scott and his son Trevor, who is also a wildlife photographer, have offered an annual online wildlife photography presentation in support of Trans Canada Trail. They attract hundreds of viewers each year and have raised nearly $15,000 for the cause.

In addition to this passion, Scott spends time with his grandsons who also live in the Ottawa area. He also pursues a wide range of interests including running (he ran his 21st lifetime marathon in 2023), cross-country skiing, cycling, and hiking. He has continued his lifelong education through courses at Carleton University as well as extensive reading and frequent travel opportunities with Linda, his wife and best friend for 49 years.

Scott has offered his services as a volunteer to many organizations and individuals since retiring from professional life. He is now looking forward to sharing his experience and supporting executive leaders in the charitable and not-for-profit sector as an Executive-in-Residence at Capacity Canada.

Dr. Hogarth’s most recent position is Associate Vice President, Global Strategy at Wilfrid Laurier University. She is a published author in numerous academic journals in the areas of social work, psychology, anti-racism, diversity and inclusion. Dr. Hogarth has spoken widely at national and international conferences on the topics of racial representation, multiculturalism, and lived experiences of racialized people in Canada.

Marion Thomson Howell is an entrepreneur and active community contributor. After 33 years as President of ShaughnessyHowell Inc., an award-winning provider of learning and leadership development solutions, Marion now spends her semi-retirement years working with board directors in the not-for-profit sector helping them to advance the mission of their organizations and put practices in place to ensure they are effective stewards of their organizations’ resources.

Marion is the Past Chair of the Board of Trustees for St. Mary’s. Marion is also a founding director for A Better Tent City Waterloo Region, an organization that provides safe shelter and support for those who are experiencing homelessness.

Prior to coming to St. Mary’s, Marion served on the Board of St. Jerome’s University was elected as a trustee for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board in both the 2003 and 2006 elections.

Andrew Jardine is the Corporate Secretary of the Board of Directors of King’s University College in London, Ontario. To: Andrew is Chief Financial Officer of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London. He was formerly Secretary to the Board of Directors and Executive Assistant to the Principal at King’s University College.

While serving as MP, Mike worked to address wealth inequality through dedicated advocacy for the Canada Disability Benefit and interim Disability Emergency Response Benefit, to improve housing affordability through his Private Members Motion 170 – pushing to ensure affordable housing funding actually results in homes folks can afford – and Private Members Motion 71, calling to end tax exemptions enjoyed by corporate investors. He has advocated for election reform, calling for a citizens’ assembly on election reform through his Private Members Motion 76 and his subsequent work with former MP Lisa Marie Barron. To address the concurrent climate and affordability crises, Mike put forth Private Members Motion 92, calling to place a windfall tax on the excess profits of fossil fuel companies, allocating the resulting funds towards proven climate solutions and measures to increase affordability for Canadians.

Prior to his election, Mike founded Sustainable Waterloo Region, co-created Climate Action Waterloo Region, piloted Canada’s first Green Economy Hub, and founded Green Economy Canada to share this work across the country.

Susan S. Radwan, CAE, SMP, ARM, is a governance and leadership consulting firm with an international reach, based in Grand Ledge, Michigan. She established the firm in 1996 and remains the sole proprietor.

Radwan holds international recognition for her role with Capacity Canada as the author and facilitator of the Modern Board Series, her board work in Policy Governance®, co-authorship of Governing by Principles, An Approach to Unleash the Power of Policy Governance, and as a volunteer leader with the International Association of Strategy Professionals (IASP). Following her role as Board Chair, she currently chairs the Certification Commission for the IASP.

Radwan is a well known management consultant in the US association community for her involvement with the Certification Preparation Program sponsored by MSAE. She also holds national notoriety for her role as Executive Editor of THE textbook for association management, titled Professional Practices in Association Management.

Radwan holds certification in association management (CAE), awarded by the American Society of Association Executives and strategy planning (SMP), awarded by the IASP. She also has achieved credentials in governance systems, risk management, systems thinking, certification, Spiral Dynamics, and behavior analysis.

Senator Senior is a leader in a variety of areas affecting women, including advancing gender equity, eliminating gender-based violence, reducing poverty, especially for women and for women-led families, closing wage gaps, and promoting the empowerment of women, girls, and gender-diverse people across Canada. She has led, managed, and operated shelters, employment and housing programs in Toronto and has served on the boards of several equality-focused organizations. She is the Vice-Chair of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council for 2025 and previously served on the council for 2022 and 2024.

In recognition of her community service, Senator Senior has received several awards, including the African Canadian Achievement Award, the AfroGlobal Leadership Award, the Black Business and Professional Association’s Harry Jerome Trailblazer Award, the Top 25 Women of Influence Award and the Skills for Change Impact Changemaker Award.

Senator Senior holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Urban Studies from York University, an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Lethbridge and qualified for the Institute of Corporate Directors’ ICD.D designation.

Paul Smith, known as “The Board Futurist”, is a globally recognized innovator and thought leader in corporate governance. As the founder of Future Directors, he is helping to revolutionize how boards and directors learn, connect, and adapt through a holistic platform combining technology, education, and community. His mission is clear: to future-proof boards and help directors become effective stewards for an uncertain and complex world.

A sought-after international speaker, Paul shares insights on impactful governance, inclusive decision-making, and the transformative potential of technology, particularly artificial intelligence, in the boardroom. His philosophy, that the board of the future will be « simultaneously more human and less human », drives his work in blending behavioral science with technology to enhance decision-making.

Paul is the award-winning author of Right Seat Right Table, a cornerstone text for emerging board members, and The Artificially Intelligent Boardroom, the essential guide for future-focused directors ready to move from confusion to clarity with this revolutionary technology. As the host of the popular Future Directors Podcast, he continues to inspire a global audience of directors and governance professionals.

With 15 years of board experience, Paul has served as chair and non-executive director for companies across Australia, the UK, and Europe. His work extends to mentoring chairs, founders, and CEOs, and advising boards on performance, processes, and culture. Through ongoing partnerships and initiatives, Paul demonstrates his commitment to building governance practices that are inclusive, impactful, and ready for the future.

I am pleased to be part of the Capacity Canada team. I am a not-for-profit leader with 30 years of progressive management experience, including seven years as the Executive Director of Family and Children’s Services of the Waterloo Region and Family and Children’s Services Foundation. My formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Development Studies, a Master of Arts Degree in Social Work, certificates in Public Sector Leadership (Rotman School of Business) and Lean Six Sigma (Schulich School of Business).

I am committed to child and parent well-being, social justice and doing my part to end racism and discrimination. I am currently the Board Chair for the Renison University College and an active member of the Kitchener-Westmount Rotary Club and International Women’s Forum.

After 20 years as a sales professional in the private sector, Bryan shifted to the charitable sector in 2002, to “do more than earn a living” as a fundraising professional at the YMCA.

He enjoys helping organizations build high-impact visions, and the donor relationships, and partnerships with government and the private sector to support them.

Bryan is a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University. He is semi-retired and thoroughly enjoying his new role as a grandfather.

Dr. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux served as Vice Provost for Indigenous Initiatives at Lakehead University for three years. Effective September 2016 she was appointed as the 1st Indigenous Chair for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada for Lakehead University and continues to develop pathways forward to reconciliation across Canada.

Cynthia was the inaugural Nexen Chair for Indigenous Leadership at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and remains a faculty member in the Indigenous Learning program. She is the Chair of the Teach for Canada non-profit which recruits teachers for remote First Nation schools. Cynthia was inducted as a “Honourary Witness” by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in 2014, and is the Chair of the Governing Circle for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba.

She is a member and resident of the Chippewa of Georgina Island First Nation in Ontario and has dedicated her life to building bridges of understanding. She sees endless merit in bringing people from diverse cultures, ages, and backgrounds together to engage in practical dialogue and applied research initiatives. She is deeply committed to public education and active youth engagement from all cultures and backgrounds. She co-founded a youth project out of the University of Toronto, the University of Saskatchewan, and Lakehead University. More information on the Canadian Roots Exchange (CRE) can be found at: www.canadianroots.ca.

He volunteers with the Community Investments Team at United Way Waterloo Region Communities. Previous volunteer roles include serving as co-chair of the Waterloo Region District School Board’s Equity and Inclusion Advisory Group, chair of the GivingTuesday Waterloo Region movement, member of the City of Kitchener Mayor’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and member of the Film Selection Committee with Grand River Film Festival.