Alumni Association Board of Directors

The Fanshawe College Alumni Association (FCAA) is managed by members of a volunteer Board of Directors who are committed to providing support and recognition for Fanshawe College, its students and alumni.

The board's 2012 - 2015 Strategic Plan is available at http://www.fanshawec.ca/sites/default/files/alumni/FCAA-Strat-Plan-12-15...

Board members may be contacted by email at alumni@fanshawec.ca or by calling (519) 452-4285 or 1-800-661-ALUM (2586).

Members of the Alumni Association are Fanshawe College graduates who have completed a program which leads to a certificate, diploma, applied degree, an associate degree or degree. Alumni have an opportunity to meet the board at the Annual General Meeting held on May 8, 2013.

Nominations for board membership may be made by any member of the Alumni Association. Board members are elected for a term of two years and may serve three consecutive terms. Please contact the Alumni Office for additional information. Nominations for the Board may be sent to:

Fanshawe Alumni Association
Room K1011
1001 Fanshawe College Boulevard, P.O. Box 7005
London, ON
N5Y 5R6
Or email: alumni@fanshawec.ca.

President -- Business Marketing '85

With two decades in senior roles in marketing and advertising and also operations, John's enjoyed the last 10 of those years with Sobey's Capital Inc., where he leads, coaches, and develops the many employees who contribute to Sobey's.

Leveraging his Fanshawe diplomas to earn a B.A. from Western in '94, he draws on that powerful mix - when education and experience intersect - to fuel growth by developing and implementing exciting new strategies.

Also a proud steward of volunteerism, John serves our community not only through our board, but also as a facilitator of various church support groups.

He's confident our board will "create the most worthwhile experience for all who touch our Association, strengthen and grow the alumni network, and identify and honour the achievements of our alumni", celebrating Fanshawe's many successes.

As a father of three (twin boys and a daughter), two of his own children are currently enrolled in Fanshawe, as well.

Past-President -- Tool Design '67

Jon's seasoned career with automotive giants began with Ford Motor Co., as an engineer, followed by 16 years with Siemens, advancing to Senior Manager of International Business. Now with Cooper Standard Automotive since 2007, what he loves most is mentoring his engineering staff, drawing on and modeling experiences from his own career. "Our community can be positively impacted if it knows that we [the College] provide life values for our students. In turn, we'd hope this drives parents to suggest Fanshawe as the primary education source for their children."

As for board service, Jon hopes to demonstrate that we can motivate our students and alumni, through promotion, such that the board of governors appreciate our credible function to the College. Specifically, he "hopes to motivate the board to be active in making our alumni acknowledged as community leaders."

Vice-President -- Social Services Worker '88

“Graduation wasn't the end of my relationship with Fanshawe. The College opened many doors for me. I want to honour that.” The honour was returned in 1999, with Gail named a Distinguished Alumna as Kin Canada's national president. Now an Employment Counselor with Employment Services Elgin, she's also a wedding officiant, speaker, and former instructor at Fanshawe's St. Thomas campus. She's led two Big Brother/Big Sister agencies where she was a local and provincial board member and, co-founding the ‘Proud to be Canadian Tour' for three million children, thrives on projects for national pride and community building.

“Like my board colleagues, I can create a face and voice for Fanshawe, so it remains a place where people of many different abilities have opportunity to explore their horizons. I also bring the voices of alumni living outside London – the flavour of regional insights. I'm proud to witness my peers' professional growth and individuals with whom I work in service.”
More personally, she and Bill mark their 35th wedding anniversary this year.

Secretary -- General Arts & Science '02, Music Industry Arts '04, Digital Applications '05

Mike loves working at Fanshawe and the scope of all he's contributed so early in his career. As Alumni Officer as well as our Alumni News magazine's Managing Editor, he maintains the alumni database, supervises student staff, coordinates graduation (celebrations he knows well, having marked his own three), and executes the board's strategic plan. Dealing with different constituents - alumni, students, staff - keeps it interesting. So does news from alumni, especially internationally. "When I hear of grads working in some distant place, I'm reminded how powerful education is, and keeping our link with alumni. And frankly, it's become instinctive that I immediately start figuring out how to best use their stories to promote the Alumni Association."

Clearly dedicated to Fanshawe, Mike continues his board support "to enable us to accomplish improved alumni engagement and awareness within the College and the wider community". Committed in his family life, too, Mike's a relative newlywed, having married Miranda in October 2008.

College Representative

Working at Fanshawe College, Catherine's been the Executive Director of its Foundation since 2005. Prior, she enjoyed a near 30-year career in media and communications, corporate affairs, and public relations and - for the past 15 years - development and management consulting in the nonprofit sector.

Catherine's cultivated a network that spans Canada and the U.S., and an education in journalism and business. A pivotal point in her career was making the move to the development profession. "I most enjoy helping create new opportunities for student success at Fanshawe through new awards and scholarships, bursaries, and support of new facilities and programs."

And, through board service, Catherine can "expand opportunities for alumni to build successful networks, reach out, create connections in communities beyond our own locally." After all, she points out, "Fanshawe grads are everywhere. They work in occupations and professions throughout the entire world!"

Director -- Nursing (Diploma) '80, Nursing (Degree) '10

Enjoying a career of 29 years that grew directly from her college education -- both as a student and teacher -- Colleen's worked her entire career in Pediatric Critical Care in the Children's Hospital at the London Health Sciences Centre, and works part time in Fanshawe's Nursing Program. With continuing studies in advanced palliative care, a career milestone was "successfully advocating the initiation of pediatric palliative care at the Children's Hospital".

Now with her next step, a Masters in Nursing, Colleen sees endless possibilities -- continent-wide presentations on palliative care and critical incident stress, "learning from the innocent wisdom of children, inspiring new students as they begin their careers, and teaching strategies for stress management".

This Distinguished Alumnus (2008) serves our board with hopes to "make connections with new or prospective alumni, sharing my enthusiasm for the gift of opportunity that Fanshawe offers. I love seeing the difference new graduates make, particularly nurses, as they share their knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm with others".

Treasurer-- Business Accounting '95, Business Administration Accounting '96

Armed with two Fanshawe business diplomas, Joe turned his ability to motivate and inspire into a terrific career. Joining TD Bank in 2002, he's now Team Manager in Branch Resources, a diversity initiatives advocate, and a TD two-time Annual Champion winner.
Pledged to keep on learning, Joe appreciates the lifelong relationship that many others likewise develop with the College. "Fanshawe provides great opportunities to advance careers, not only for people who recently attended high school or university, but at all stages in our careers, to improve skills."

Now, through our board, Joe can help other alumni reconnect. "I stay in touch with a dozen people from my own year, and it's great to meet for birthday dinners and catch up every couple of months."
As well as the alumni board, Joe volunteers his time for the Pride London Festival, Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, and Junior Achievement teaching financial literacy at elementary schools.

Director — Secretarial Arts – ’76

Mandy describes Fanshawe as the “first layer” of her education – a transformative step that gave her the confidence to push herself and take on new challenges. One of those challenges was completing her Certified General Accountant credentials, which led her to what was supposed to be a five-year commitment at the Anago social services agency.

Twenty-five years later, she’s still there and has acquired several other degrees such as a BA from UWO to diversify and strengthen her personal portfolio.

Anago is a non-profit organization that serves clients with developmental challenges, as well as women in danger and at-risk youth in a variety of care centres. Mandy joined the agency as Business Manager in 1987. She has held many positions since then and became Executive Director in 2000. She plans to share the gift of education with others through her work with Fanshawe and the Alumni Association.

“Fanshawe was the start of my lifetime journey into education and increasing my self-esteem, confidence, and my ability to work at higher levels,” she says. “There’s a wonderful world open to you if only you believe in yourself and you get an education.”

Director — Business – Marketing ‘79

Brenda brings a wealth of experience in business and training to the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Over the past 30-plus years, she has worked for many high profile insurance and financial management companies, primarily in leadership and management positions. She is currently Regional Director of Credit Services in Southwestern Ontario for Educators Financial Group – a financial services company that caters to teachers, school staff, and their families.

Brenda is excited about the opportunity to promote Fanshawe as a top choice for college students.

“I believe Fanshawe is an excellent college and does an incredible job of identifying needs in the workplace, providing programs, and producing graduates to meet industry needs,” she says. “I’m also proud of Fanshawe’s choices and efforts in terms of making postsecondary school accessible to people who may not have opportunities at universities or elsewhere as adult students.”

Brenda has completed several industry courses and certifications. She is also a member of the Canadian Association of Mortgage Professionals.

Retiring after nearly forty years of teaching, Joseph was named Fanshawe’s first professor emeritus. He was a leader in designing the Liberal Studies and Film Studies majors and was the first program co-ordinator of the advanced Filmmaking Program.

Joseph was only able to graduate from Fanshawe because of generous government grants and loans, so he promised himself to give back as a community volunteer. He has been a board member with over a dozen non-profit organizations in the London area and acted as president of most of them. He is especially proud of his work with the AIDS Committee of London, Changing Ways, and the Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children.

On a personal note, the highlight of Joseph’s many years at Fanshawe was traveling with a small film crew to California and the home of his fellow alumnus and Oscar-winning friend Paul Haggis to present Paul with his honorary Fanshawe diploma.

A Distinguished Alumnus (2001), Joseph thinks of Fanshawe as part of his extended family and is very pleased to work with his fellow board members, all of whom have impressed him with their wealth of experience, career accomplishments and dedication to the college. “I loved learning and teaching at Fanshawe. Now I am privileged to work with such a wonderfully insightful and creative team in reaching out to fellow alumni globally and in promoting Fanshawe as the very best place to learn and then thrive in one’s chosen career. Fanshawe Forever!”

Director — Radio Broadcasting ‘98 Corporate Communications and Public Relations ‘08

Kacey has already established a strong connection to the Alumni Association. She served as Alumni Officer in 2011 after spending the previous ten years working in radio production at CHUM Radio (Windsor) and Corus Entertainment (London). In that role, she managed alumni engagement events and initiatives, helped build key partnerships, streamlined alumni communications, and was managing editor of the popular Alumni News Magazine.

Kacey continues to serve Fanshawe as a Development Associate for the Fanshawe College Foundation. She says she is happy to work for the College and the Alumni Association as they support Fanshawe’s students, past, present, and future: “My education at Fanshawe College not only opened doors for me, but the world – a feeling shared by many alumni. Being involved with the Alumni Association gives me the opportunity to share and promote the success and pride our alumni feel of their accomplishments, and to re-connect them to where, for a lot of us, it all began.”

Director — Business – Purchasing ’80 / Business Administration – Marketing ‘81

Tim has spent his entire career with London Machinery Inc., Canada’s leading brand of concrete mixer. Over the past 30 years, he has risen through the ranks to become Manager GPSC (Global Procurement & Supply Chain), responsible for procurement, warehousing, shipping, and other vital logistics for the company.

Tim has a long history of leadership at Fanshawe. He is a former Student Union President, and has been both a part-time instructor and a member of the Business School Advisory Council. He has also worked with the Alumni Association and is excited to sit on its board.

“I’m proud to be a Fanshawe graduate,” he says. “I have always appreciated the contribution that Fanshawe has made in my life. The college is a tremendous asset to our community. I want to help the Alumni Association grow so we can work together in supporting the college and providing more opportunities for students.

Tim has previously been involved with the Kiwanis Club of London and the Purchasing Management Association of Canada.