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Board of Governors

The Board of Governors of Cambrian College

The role of the Board is to provide the College with strategic leadership and direction that is in the best interests of the institution.

This role includes overall goals and outcomes at Cambrian, such as approving the annual budget and report; assessing attainment of corporate goals, outcomes and effectiveness; hiring the President of the College, and evaluating their performance.


The Board is comprised of 17 individuals: 12 external Governors who reflect various sectors of the community, and 4 internal governors representing students, faculty, support and administrative staff, plus the President. With the exception of the President, members of the Board sit as volunteers.

Governors serve a three-year term (commencing September 1 through to August 31) with eligibility for consideration for a second term.

Upcoming Board meetings:
April 20, 2023 at 5:30pm
June 8, 2023 at 1:00pm


Contact the Board

Melanie Cacciotti
Manager, Office of the President
melanie.cacciotti@cambriancollege.ca
705-566-8101, ext. 6834

Meet the Board of Governors

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Maureen McLelland
Past Chair

Meet Maureen

Born and raised in Sudbury, Maureen is a graduate of Cambrian College’s Registered Nursing Program (1986). She also holds a Bachelor Degree in Nursing from Ryerson University and a Master’s Degree in Health Administration from the University of Toronto. Over the past 30 years, Maureen has worked as an RN in both Toronto and Greater Sudbury. In 1991, she led the development of northeastern Ontario’s first HIV clinic. During her time at Health Sciences North in Greater Sudbury, Maureen has taken on numerous leadership positions. In 2015, she was named an Associate Vice President responsible for many of HSN’s clinical services. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at with Laurentian University’s School of Nursing. Maureen is an active volunteer, serving on the boards of local, provincial, and national organizations in the fields of mental health and addictions, palliative care and HIV-AIDS care.

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Jeff Smith
Chair

Meet Jeff

Jeff is Executive Vice President of the Manitoulin Group of Companies.  Jeff graduated from Western University in London in 1985, with a degree in Economics. After university, he joined the family business, Manitoulin Transport and Manitoulin Group of Companies, moving frequently within Ontario while managing several facilities. Jeff has particular expertise in the fields of continuous improvement, quality management, and environmental systems. Jeff is quite involved in the community, serving as a director of the Sudbury Food Bank, Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association, Montessori School, and Sudbury Christian Academy.

Bruce Bichel

Bruce Bichel

Meet Bruce

Bruce Bichel is responsible for Vale’s Production Services and Support operations in Ontario. In his role, he oversees the Central Engineering, Divisional Shops, Transportation, and Capital Project Execution for Mines and Surface Plants.

He began his career in 1989 as a metallurgist in Flin Flon, MB at the HBM&S’s Smelter and over the next 7 years progressed through various production related roles. In 1996, he joined INCO working in various refinery and smelter operations and project roles. Bruce and his family relocated to Indonesia from 2005 – 2009 to work at Vale’s nickel operations. In 2011, he assumed responsibility for the Ontario Smelting and Refining operations. Bruce currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for The Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT).

Bruce has a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan (1989) and is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario.

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Jason Bubba

Meet Jason

Jason is a graduate of Cambrian’s Advertising Program (1995), and achieved the designation of Accredited Business Communicator from Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia.

As NORCAT’s Director of Training and Development, Jason is responsible for the management and implementation of large-scale training programs and innovative delivery mechanisms to provide skills development and health and safety solutions across a variety of industries.  He has provided customized health and safety programs and solutions to clients in government, healthcare, education, mining, construction, oil and gas, among many other sectors. Jason is an active volunteer. He currently serves as Chair of Cambrian’s Animation Program Advisory Committee, and is a past president of the United Way Centraide Sudbury and District.

Michael DiBrina smiling with a white t-shirt and blue coat

Michael DiBrina

Meet Michael

Entrepreneurial and driven, with 30+ years of leading industry expertise, Michael has the experience and know-how to guide clients to take control of their financial future.

Michael is the Area President for Gallagher’s Benefit & HR Consulting Practice, Ontario region. He and the team provide specialized consulting expertise to businesses and individuals in the areas of employee benefits, retirement plans, human resource management, tax and estate planning and insurance.

Born and raised in Sudbury, Michael graduated from Laurentian University in 1989. Upon graduation, he started his career with London Life. In 1997 Michael formed DiBrina & Associate’s & Sure Benefits Consulting.

President and founder of the DiBrina Group of companies, Michael, along with his partners, grew the company to over 90 employees with 3 locations – Toronto, New Liskeard and head office in Sudbury.

In 2017, a testament to Michael’s strategic planning and execution and visionary leadership, the DiBrina Group was acquired by Gallagher. Michael and his partners, acted upon an opportunity to elevate the company, including staff and the city of Sudbury, to an international stage and global market presence.

His entrepreneurial achievements and dedication to his clients and community have been continually recognized throughout his career. Michael is a facilitator and builder of ‘word class’ management and product development teams.

In fact, his entrepreneurial achievements were recognized in 2013 when he received the Bell Excellence Award for ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’. Michael is a lifetime member of the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table and qualifies annually for the Top of the Table which is a level of performance reached by less than .5% of financial advisors worldwide. He holds a unique designation of Trust & Estate Practitioner (TEP), along with the highest honours and recognition that can be awarded to a Life Underwriter.

Michael is internationally recognized as a leader in the industry. Over the years, Michael’s business interests have gone beyond this industry. He has expanded and branched out to other facets both in Canada and the United States.

Michael is a strong believer in reinvesting in the community. He has devoted his time to many initiatives including his participation on many boards including the United Way, local hospitals, the hospice, the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, universities and the Cancer Centre.

Michael is distinguished as an extremely visible and approachable leader in the community. He is described as a man of tremendous integrity, and as such has earned the respect of his employees, clients and industry colleagues across Canada, and abroad.

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Lori Gauthier

Meet Lori

Lori has been a full-time faculty member in the Justice, Community Services, and General Studies department for 14 years.

During that time she has taught a variety of English, Psychology, and program courses, and has taken secondments as the Chair of General Studies and the Chair of the Teaching and Leaning Innovation Hub. In her former life, she worked primarily in children’s mental health and child protection.

Lori has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and English; a Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Focus area: work, organization, and leadership); and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Technology-Based Learning. She is presently working on a Master’s Degree in Social Work. Lori is also a certified Mental Health First Aid Trainer.

Lori has participated on a number of committees at Cambrian College, including College Council and Academic Advisory.

Gianni-Grossi

Gianni Grossi

Meet Gianni

Gianni has significant experience (20+ years) in the areas construction/supervision/project execution/estimating and project delivery. The range of his expertise is primarily related to the mining industry, including flash furnaces, electric furnaces, blast furnaces, fluid bed roasters, converters, top blown rotary furnaces and converters, fluid bed and rotary dryers and rotary kilns for application in nickel sulfide/PGM smelting and converting, copper smelting and converting, lead and zinc smelting and refining, primary iron.  Mr. Grossi’s experience also extends to steelmaking and specialty stainless steel production, cement production and pulp and paper.

In addition to the direct construction experience working in the trade, Gianni has for the past 15 years been either the guiding principle, sponsor, project manager or construction manager for major projects executed with Vale in Thompson and Sudbury, Glencore in Sudbury, Algoma Steel, Stelco,

Dofasco, Anglo Platinum, ILVA Steelworks, in Taranto, Italy, as well as several projects located in the Rustenburg PGM belt, South Africa.

Under Gianni’s leadership, Anmar has played a major role in the modernization of today’s mining industry. Today, mining is more efficient, profitable and lean, and Anmar plays a key role in delivering on those expectations. Grossi’s business has helped one of the world’s largest mining companies, Vale, reduce downtime during its required maintenance periods. In what used to be a requisite repair and refresh each year for a minimum 4-5 weeks (meaning no mining or production), has turned into a once every 2.5 years cycle lasting between 9 and 12 days. This efficiency is directly attributed to the insight, experience and expertise Anmar offers.

Anmar and its’ subsidiaries contribute greatly to the global economy and growing skilled workforce. He employs nearly 350 people year-round, increasing the workforce to nearly 700 during shutdowns at various plants throughout Ontario. Gianni lives by the company’s core values, each and every day…safety, service, teamwork, responsibility, diversity and integrity.

In addition to Gianni’s significant professional contributions, Anmar has played a significant role in philanthropy in the Greater Sudbury community and beyond through a variety of generous donations to organizations such as the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Laurentian University, Ducks Unlimited and the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.

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Maxim Jean-Louis

Meet Maxim

Maxim Jean-Louis is President – Chief Executive Officer of Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education and Training Network, headquartered in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Prior to arriving at Contact North | Contact Nord in 1996, Maxim worked in senior management roles for over 15 years at Athabasca University in Alberta, Canada’s open university. Maxim’s current board memberships include:

Executive Committee of the International Council for Open and Distance Education
Polar Knowledge Canada
Ontario Aboriginal Postsecondary Education and Training Working Table
Renewed Computer Technology (RCT)
Art Gallery of Sudbury

He is also a member of the Comité consultatif en matière d’éducation postsecondaire en langue française dans les régions du Centre et du Sud-ouest.

Maxim is a former Chair of the Board of Directors of the World University Service of Canada and of the Optical Regional Advanced Network of Ontario, as well as a past member of Ontario’s Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board, and he served as a member of the Canadian Advisory Mission to support the implementation of the South African National Qualifications Framework (NQF) by the South African Qualifications Authority. He also served as President of Collège des Grands Lacs, one of Ontario’s three French-language community colleges.

In 2011, Maxim was appointed Special Advisor to Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities for an Ontario Online Institute, producing a 125-page report and recommendations to the Minister on opportunities for online learning in the province.

At Contact North | Contact Nord, Maxim leads a team of 300 staff supporting the delivery of education and training opportunities from the province’s 24 public colleges, 22 public universities, and 250 literacy and basic skills and training providers to Ontarians in 600 small, rural, remote, Aboriginal and Francophone communities through 112 online learning centres covering 1 million square kilometres. These local online learning centres are equipped with web conferencing, videoconferencing and audioconferencing distance delivery platforms, as well as computer workstations and high-speed internet for students to participate in their synchronous and asynchronous courses. Support services are available in English and French.

Maxim is author and/or coordinator of major publications in the area of online learning and distance education and has been a participant / presenter at major conferences on distance education and alternative forms of delivery, such as the International Conference on Distance Education (ICDE) and the conferences led by the Canadian Association of Distance Education (CADE).

He is married with two adult sons and lives in Sudbury, Ontario.

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Trevor Lalonde

Meet Trevor

Trevor Lalonde is the Controller for Fisher Wavy Inc., one of Northern Ontario’s largest concrete producer. In this role he is responsible for all financial activities of the business and works very closely with the operations group. Trevor is deeply driven by operational efficiencies and prides himself on the changes he implemented since starting with the company.

Prior to joining Fisher Wavy, Trevor worked as a Tax Senior Manager with KPMG advising clients on tax compliance, tax planning and general business matters. He can be described by his peers as dedicated, hardworking, and personable. Trevor continues to have a strong sense of devotion to his work and is always willing to go above and beyond to improve his skills and motivate those around him.

Trevor received his Chartered Accountant / Chartered Professional Accountant designation in 2013 and completed his In-Depth Tax Certificate in 2017. Trevor currently sits on the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce board in the role of Treasurer and has previously sat on the board for the Sudbury Young Professionals Association in the role of Vice Chair. Trevor is a proud husband and father, a die-hard Raptors fan and loves to spend his spare time camping and golfing.

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Sonia del Missier

Meet Sonia

Sonia is a graduate of Laurentian University, holding an Honours Bachelor of Languages and Master of Business Administration. Sonia recently retired from Cambrian College, after a career of 39 years. During her time at Cambrian, Sonia served in numerous leadership capacities, including Chair of Continuing Education, Dean of Academic Support Programs, Vice President Community and International Development, Vice President, International, Applied Research, and Business Development, and Vice President Academic. In addition, she served as Interim President from October 2013 to August 2014.  An active community member, Sonia is a Governor for both Laurentian University and the Alzheimer Society – Sudbury-Manitoulin, North Bay & Districts. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Sudbury- Sunrisers and an active volunteer with the Canadian Cancer Society.

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Janneke Nicholls

Meet Janneke

Since 2007, Janneke has held the role of Director of Facilities Management, managing among things health and safety, maintenance, campus modernization, and capital projects. This role has provided Janneke with an institutional-wide perspective through her involvement in key strategic initiatives pivotal to academic delivery and overall College service delivery.

Her passion for learning and stretching herself to reach new personal growth goals prompted Janneke to take on new challenges over the past year. She took on a new role, from September to this past January, as the Interim Chair for the School of Skills Training.  This opportunity served to ignite her commitment to provide services and facilities that first and foremost support the student learning experience and student success.

Prior to working at the College, Janneke worked for Imperial Oil in numerous roles including Senior Sales Executive, working primarily with the Mining, Forestry, Construction, Nuclear and Auto Industries. At Imperial Oil, she also held positions in Environmental & Safety, Project Management, and Six Sigma Re-engineering. Prior to that, Janneke worked for a Civil Engineering company in Engineering Design of water/wastewater systems.

Janneke completed her Engineering degree at the University of Guelph and her MBA at Schulich School of Business – York University.

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Philip Potgieter
Vice Chair

Meet Philip

Philip Potgieter is the Finance Director at Glencore’s Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations since 2018. He has more than 10 years of combined experience in the areas of Auditing, Accounting, Finance, Procurement and Business Development.
Philip joined Glencore in 2012 where he was responsible for Glencore’s Manganese Assets and based in Baar, Switzerland. Prior to joining Glencore, he worked at Ernst & Young in their mining and industrial products focus group in Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Born and raised in South Africa, Philip is a South African Chartered Accountant and holds a B.Com. Honours Accounting degree from the University of Johannesburg. Philip has recently been appointed as a Board Member for Cambrian College, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

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Bela Ravi

Meet Bela
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Jennifer Taback

Meet Jennifer

“Miikawaadizi Waaskonee Giizis Kwe” is an urban, Indigenous member of the Shawanaga First Nation. Jennifer has worked in the design industry for over 15 years, with work experience ranging from research and assessments to implementation and support for both the private and public sector.

She facilitates active discussions and goal setting, helping her clients build brands and communications that represent themselves, their communities and the mission they want to achieve.

Understanding the fundamentals of business, networking, and politics, Jennifer sits on a number of boards to help provide insight and advice to the following boards:

-Registered Graphics Designers – Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion
-Sudbury Chamber of Commerce
-Nickel Basin Federal Development Corporation

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Jessica Valiquette

Meet Jessica

Jessica Valiquette is the Senior Buyer in the Purchasing Department at Cambrian College.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Laurentian University (1998) and the Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) designation (2021).
Jessica started at Cambrian College in 2009 as a part-time clerk in the IT Department, and joined the Purchasing Department in 2013. She is currently a member of the Wellness Committee as well as the Education Technology Committee.

An avid volunteer, Jessica is the Communications Director for Opera Gala…Opera for a Cause, a charity event in which she also performs as second flautist in the orchestra. She has previously been a member of the Cambrian Wind Ensemble, served as Vice-President of Business and Professional Women Sudbury, and was an inaugural executive member of the Ward 8 Community Action Network. When not participating, Jessica continues to volunteer at various fitness events in the community including the Northern Cancer Foundation’s Trek for Cancer, the Hypothermic Half Marathon, and the SwimRun Challenge.

In her spare time, Jessica can be found enjoying the beauty that Sudbury has to offer by running, hiking, paddle boarding, cycling, and showshoeing

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Emma Mantler

Meet Emma

Emma is an accomplished leader demonstrated by her dedication to the Sea Cadet program in Sudbury. Now in her final year, she will age out of the program as the corps Coxswain, the senior cadet leader. Throughout her cadet career Emma has been tasked with the mentoring younger cadets, provided leadership through training programs and teaching. She was appointed to sit on the Northern Ontario Area Command Team for Cadets Canada as the cadet representative, a committee that develops policy and oversees general business activities for Cadets Canada.

These responsibilities and experiences have taught her advanced leadership, time management, and conflict resolution skills. She is completing her first year in the Police Foundations program at Cambrian College with her eyes set on law school in New Brunswick.

Board policies

The Board oversees several key policies at Cambrian College. These policies range from codes of conduct, to governance, to evaluation of Cambrian’s President.

View Board policies