Fanshawe College is governed by a Board of Governors comprised of 17 members, including external board members, internal board members representing each of the student, support, academic and administrative staff constituencies and the college president. 

 

The Board is responsible for the governance of the College, including developing and overseeing the implementation of policies; setting the vision, mission, and direction for the organization; approving the college’s annual business plan, budget and annual report; and ensuring the organization is effectively and appropriately managed to achieve its mandate.

 

The Board meets regularly throughout the year. You can find the meeting schedule, agenda for the upcoming meeting, as well as minutes of past meetings.

Fanshawe's Board of Governors for 2022/23 is comprised of:

Louise Poole, Chair
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Photo of Louise Poole

Louise Poole is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant, Chartered Business Valuator, and is certified in Financial Forensics. Louise graduated from the Ivey Business School at Western University with an Honours Business Administration degree.

Louise joined Davis Martindale LLP in 2017 and is a Partner in the Valuation and Litigation practice. She specializes in business valuations for matrimonial and litigation support, tax and estate planning, mergers and acquisitions, financial reporting and economic loss quantifications. Louise has presented several seminars on business valuation topics to lawyers, bankers and business professionals. Prior to joining Davis Martindale, Louise worked in the accounting and business valuation field for 12 years, including eight years of experience at Ernst & Young LLP.

Louise is also involved in the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators as a member of the Young Professionals in Valuations committee, which focuses on creating networking and educational opportunities for young CBVs.

Louise has been involved with the community as a Board Member of WIL Employment Connections and as a committee member for The Big Bash in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of London and Area.

Louise joined the Fanshawe College Board of Governors on September 1, 2019.

Terry Zavitz, First Vice-Chair
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Terry Zavitz a.Mus.A. CFP CLU CHS EPC GSA TEP, President and Founder, Zavitz Insurance & Wealth.

Terry Zavitz is the founder and President of Zavitz Insurance & Wealth, a 37-year insurance brokerage company specializing in group, disability and life insurance, plus retirement, financial and estate planning.

She gives countless hours of her time to the community and her industry having been the Chair of the Board for LHSF as well as Advocis and Board member for LHSC. She has been involved in numerous committees for not-for-profits and charities.

Terry has been honored with many awards for her work including the Queens Diamond Jubilee, Women of Distinction, Business Hall of Fame and an Honorary Business Diploma from Fanshawe College.

Michael Geraghty, Second Vice-Chair

A senior executive recognized as an innovator, experienced in leading strategic change and delivering sustainable business growth in fortune 100 companies and start up ventures.

A team builder with excellent communication skills and over 40 years of experience across several industries including executive leadership roles in business and product development, sales and marketing, and information technology.

Michael earned an Honours B.Sc. in Computer Science from The University of Western Ontario, as well as an M.B.A. from York University.

Tom Davis

Tom Davis, P.Eng., is a Professor of Building Technology and the President of Green-Tech Environmental Engineering Ltd. with over 35 years of experience in education, research, consulting, real estate development, design, construction and project management for heavy construction projects around the world.

Tom is also a Principle Investigator in Applied Research responsible for all aspects of research design and testing.

He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ontario and the United States.

Tom is also a LEED Accredited Professional for Building Design and Construction with the Canadian Green Building Council.

Tom is also a committed climate leader in the Climate Reality Project founded by Nobel Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore.

The Climate Reality Project is working to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every level of society.

Peter J. Devlin, Fanshawe College President
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Peter Devlin was appointed Fanshawe College’s fifth President effective September 2013.

Prior to joining Fanshawe, President Devlin served 35 years in the Canadian Armed Forces and retired commanding the Canadian Army at the rank of Lieutenant General. He has several UN, NATO and Coalition tours and his awards include Orders of Military Merit from the United States, Brazil and Colombia as well as the Canadian Meritorious Service Cross, France’s National Order of the Legion of Honour and Commander of the Canadian Order of Military Merit.

President Devlin serves on provincial and national college committees. These include the Ontario Colleges Library Service Board as past president and a member of the Colleges Ontario Committee of Presidents and serves on the Executive Committee. He is a Director on the Colleges and Institutes Canada’s Board (CICan), a member of CICan’s Presidents Leadership Network and Coordinating Committees, CICan’s International Advisory Committee, and a Director on the Polytechnics Canada Board. Peter also serves on the London Economic Development Corporation’s Board of Directors, the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries and is a member of the lvey Business School Leadership Council.

President Devlin received an undergraduate degree in Honours Economics from Western University, a graduate degree in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College and a certificate in Advanced Executive Management from Queen’s University. He has also studied at Command and Staff Colleges of the Canadian Defence Academy and is a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D). He received an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal Military College of Canada.

Peter has been married for 37 years, and together he and his wife Judy have four children.

Michele Martin
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Michele has over 20 years in communications, public relations and marketing experience in health care. She has worked at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) as Internal Communications Manager, Strategic Priorities and Lawson Health Research Institute as the Manager of Communications and Public Relations. Michele has her own communications consulting firm M2communications.

Michele graduated from The University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Pharmacology and Health Sciences. She spent 10 years in the pharmaceutical industry in sales, marketing and training before joining Lawson and the LHSC.

Michele continued her education obtaining a diploma in marketing, and communications and public relations, both from Western. She received her Accreditation from IABC in 2007, a designation that only 5 % of communicators have around the world. She has previously taught the communicators and PR practitioners of the future at Western University and Fanshawe College.

Michele’s volunteer work has included being on the board of International Association of Business Communicators and Children International Student Villages. She was instrumental in bringing the Light the Night Leukemia and Lymphoma walk to London, Ontario in 2012 as Co-chair of the event that annually raises $250,000.

Michele joined the Fanshawe College Board of Governors September 1, 2017.

Brian Foster

Brian is a technology investor and serial entrepreneur. Brian is the Co-Founder of the RH Accelerator in London, Ontario. The RH Accelerator exists for one purpose - helping business owners, founders and the teams in early stage companies achieve their dreams.

Previously, Brian was the Co-Founder and CEO of lnnoSoft Canada Inc., one of the fastest growing companies in the North American recreation management software market. lnnoSoft was acquired by Constellation Software in 2017. Brian was also one of the Co-Founders of the KW Titans professional basketball team, playing in the National Basketball League of Canada.

Brian was previously the Chair of NorWest Optimist Soccer Club and also coach of the U21 Provincial women's team at the club.

Brian joined the Fanshawe College Board of Governors on September 1, 2021.

Sandy Jansen

Sandy began her career in healthcare over 30 years ago as a clinical pharmacist. Since then she has held multiple leadership roles at St. Joseph's Health Care, London and London Health Sciences Centre. In January 2022, Sandy was appointed as the Vice President, Patient Care and Risk Management for St. Joseph's Health Care London. Prior to accepting this role, Sandy served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Alexandra Hospital Ingersoll and Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital. Sandy is passionate about growing and mentoring future healthcare leaders and building a better healthcare system through partnership, collaboration and integration. Throughout her varied and expansive career Sandy has always prioritized the education of future healthcare providers, developing her staff and creating a culture of continuous learning. Sandy recognizes the criticality of leader accountability and integrity as well as humility and humanity. Sandy is a surveyor with Accreditation Canada and a frequent guest lecturer with the Ivey Business School.

Sandy graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and is a licensed pharmacist in Ontario. She competed her Masters in Health Leadership at Athabasca University and is a graduate of the Rotman Advanced Healthcare Leadership Program. She is a Certified Health Care Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders.

Prior to joining the Fanshawe Board of Governors, Sandy served as an executive member of the Board at Women's Community House and recently completed a six-year term on the Board of the Thames Valley Family Health Team, including two years as Chair of the Board.

Sandy joined the Fanshawe College Board of Governors on September 1, 2021.

Larry MacKinnon

Larry MacKinnon is the Director of Business Development for the London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) where he is responsible for the attraction of new job creating investment, and support for the growth and development of existing companies across several industry sectors. A Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), Larry has a master's degree in Library and Information Science, a diploma in Political Science, and a bachelor's degree in Economics, all obtained at Western University.

Larry has been a Fanshawe College and Western University instructor in Entrepreneurship and Marketing Research Methods and has operated his own company providing competitive intelligence and market research services to the business community.

Larry is a past Board Chair for Brescia University College and past President of the London Small Business Centre. He currently volunteers as a Board member of the Consider Canada City Alliance, and as a Board member of Fanshawe Global Corporation.

Larry joined the Fanshawe College Board of Governors on September 1, 2021.

Christine Spicer
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Christine has been employed at Fanshawe College for 19 years and has proven her dedication, collaboration and leadership throughout various roles within Corporate Strategy and Business Development.

Her current role with Institutional Research and Corporate Training Solutions focusses on Business to Government Projects, Ministry auditing and reporting, project management and process development.

Christine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Brescia University College, an Advanced Certificate in Project Leadership from the University of Waterloo and is currently pursuing a Project Management designation through the Project Management Institute.

Christine completed the Emerging Leaders Program at Fanshawe College in May 2019 and is currently a member of Fanshawe's College Council and the Scholarship Selection Committee.

Christine is a strong advocate for volunteer work and currently represents Fanshawe College as a champion for the United Way. She is a committed to community volunteer work and is actively involved in with many community organizations.

Fanshawe College has overwhelming potential and as a member of the Board of Governors, Christine is proud to advocate, collaborate and innovate the future direction of the College.

Christine joined the Board of Governors on September 1, 2020.

Eric Weniger

Eric was born 1985 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and spent his younger years in the southern USA. He moved to London, Ontario in 1994 and has been a resident ever since with the exception of attending university in Halifax in 2004.

He returned to London and began a career as a licensed insurance broker and continued on that path in various capacities for almost 15 years. Eric now enjoys a career in the IT research field and will bring this valued skill set to the board of directors.

Outside of work, Eric has a longterm girlfriend and enjoys several hobbies including sports, politics and being a small-time landlord.

Eric joined the Fanshawe College Board of Governors on September 1, 2021.

Mojdeh Cox
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Mojdeh Cox is an impact and results oriented community builder and leader. Her dynamic 10+ years of experience working in co-visioning, co-designing and executing political and issue-based advocacy campaigns, and her social policy work equipped her with the analysis and practices needed in community-based leadership roles designed to bring people together. She credits the discovery of her passion and work to Fanshawe College as an alumnus. Mojdeh believes that a supportive, inspiring organizational culture where there are shared values and goals is how cross-functional teams in complex systems thrive. Most recently, her thought leadership on radical accountability has been nationally recognized in her tenure as President and CEO of Pillar Nonprofit Network.

 

Mojdeh joined the Fanshawe Board of Governors September 01, 2022.

Courtney Ecker
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Courtney has over eighteen years of experience in marketing and communications for both the non-profit and higher education sectors. She has worked at Fanshawe College for fifteen years in the Reputation and Brand Management department holding various positions such as Marketing Officer, Special Project Manager and currently as the Senior Manager of Marketing overseeing the College brand, external marketing strategy, website and customer relationship management functions.

Originally from the east coast, Courtney graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing Management. She has continued her technical and leadership training over the years, including graduating from the first cohort of Fanshawe’s own Emerging Leaders program. She recently completed an MBA Essentials executive education program from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Business. She is a member of the Canadian Marketing Association, and her marketing leadership has been recognized with several awards from the International Association of Business Communicators.

Courtney is highly engaged in all aspects of her career and the community. She is an advocate, mentor and fundraiser for a variety of organizations. She sits on multiple Fanshawe operational and steering committees including Digital and eLearning, Microcredentials, FanshaweOpen, External Website, ERP Selection, Military Connected Campus, Signage and Program Advisory - Bachelor of Commerce Degrees. In the community, Courtney continues to give back as a fundraiser for epilepsy awareness, as a mentor for the Women in Communications and Technology London Chapter, as a parent advisor for research projects in Pediatric Neurology for Children’s Hospital, LHSC and as a strategic marketing volunteer advisor for Children’s Health Foundation.

 

Courtney joined the Fanshawe College Board of Governors as the Administrative Representative September 1, 2022.

Laura Elliott
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Laura Elliott served as Director of Education and Secretary with Thames Valley District School Board from 2013 - 2019, prior to her retirement in September 2019. Previously she served as Executive Superintendent of Program Services with Thames Valley DSB, Superintendent (secondment) Student Success/Learning to 18 with the Ontario Ministry of Education: Manager of Membership Records with the Ontario College of Teachers; and Superintendent of Education with the Durham District School Board. With a career in education spanning more than 35 years, she was committed to the education of elementary and secondary students as a foundation for college success.

 

Laura has also served on the Executives of both the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE) and the Public Council of the Ontario Directors of Education (PCODE), President of the Ontario

Public Supervisory Officers ' Association (OPSOA), and member of the University of Western Ontario Senate. She will be assuming the role of Chair, Board of Governors for Ontario Tech University

in September 2022.

 

Currently, Laura is the Executive Director for the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE). Prior to September 2022, she served in the role of Facilitator for the Supervisory Officer Qualification Program for OPSOA, a Liaison Team Member with CODE for the School College Work Initiative, and a Consultant for the Ontario Education Services Corporation.

 

Laura holds a Master of Business Administration from Athabasca University, a Master of Education in Educational Administration and Bachelor of Education, both from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Science from Western University. She has also studied with the Rotman School of Management, Ivey School of Business. and most recently with the Institute of Corporate Directors. Laura is committed to her on-going learning, especially in Indigenous and Human Rights.

 

Laura joined the Fanshawe Board of Governors September 01, 2022.

Mihad Fahmy
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Mihad’s legal career has focused on workplace law and human rights. Currently, in her workplace investigations practice, she conducts a wide range of investigations into allegations of sexual harassment, human rights infractions, workplace bullying and other forms of workplace misconduct, and is an approved investigator on the Federal Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations Roster of Investigators. Prior to moving into third-party neutral work, Mihad was union side counsel for over 15 years, appearing before grievance arbitration boards in a variety of sectors. Mihad also served as Human Rights Advisor to the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) advising the advocacy organization on human rights and anti-discrimination issues. She is currently a part-time Adjunct Professor at Huron, Western University, teaching a course on Freedom of Religion and Religious Accommodation. In addition, Mihad is engaged in the Hurma Project, an initiative that focuses on addressing abuses of power within faith communities.

 

Mihad is a graduate of Queen’s University Faculty of Law and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1997. She went on to obtain her LL.M. in 1999 with a focus on minority rights and constitutional law.

 

Mihad has always been actively engaged in her community. Prior to joining the Fanshawe Board, she served as Co-Chair of the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration (MRC) and was a member of the Board of Directors of the London & Middlesex Children’s Aid Society.

 

Mihad joined the Fanshawe Board of Governors September 01, 2022.

Brad Nelson

Brad is a strategically focused and results oriented board member and senior construction executive with more than 40 years' experience across North America, Australia, and the Caribbean. He has been a leader in building new business, securing customer loyalty, and forging strong relationships with external business partners on sophisticated construction projects. Brad combines superior business acumen, communication and group facilitation skills with the ability to promote an all-inclusive high performing culture. He is a calculated risk taker that gets processes moving quickly by transforming ideas into action; highly skilled in connecting complex and diverse information into a distinct concept and aggressive plan of action. Brad was instrumental in establishing the structure and business model for all of PCL Canadian and Australian joint ventures.

 

In addition, Brad has served in various capacities on numerous community boards and construction associations.

 

Brad joined the Fanshawe Board of Governors September 01, 2022

Samrat Raj
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Samrat began his career in healthcare over 13 years ago as a medical doctor in India. Following a deep interest in the surgical field, he pursued a post-graduate residency in General Surgery. While practicing surgery, looking at the mismanagement at hospitals and poor managerial skills in the leadership, he realized the importance of management skills and enrolled in the Executive MBA program at one of the top B-Schools in India.

 

He practiced as a Surgeon for nine years and transitioned into a healthcare leadership role as Assistant Director, Medical Education & Medical Affairs at National Board of Examinations, India, where he served to enhance the medical education through working on medical curriculum and examinations. He also worked as a Front-Line doctor during the COVID-19 pandemic surge in India. He moved to Canada permanently, hoping to excel professionally and provide a better life for his family.

 

The generalist nature of a business analyst role thrilled him and he chose the Business Analysis program at Fanshawe College. He is currently the Vice-President of Fanshawe Analytics Club. He is also a volunteer at IIBA-GLO chapter.

 

Samrat volunteers as Director, Marketing & Promotions at MealBuddies, a non-profit start up based in London, and is serving as a Board member, Scientific Advisory for Rytol Pharma based in Vancouver.

 

Samrat is passionate about education and healthcare leadership and building a better education system through partnership, collaboration and integration.

 

Samrat joined the Fanshawe Board of Governors September 2022.

 

By-laws and policies

The Board of Governors’ by-laws and policies can be found here. If you encounter any difficulties accessing, please contact the Board Office boardofgovernors@fanshawec.ca and speak to Lisa McIntyre.

Please address all Board inquiries to: 

Board of Governors' Office
Fanshawe College
1001 Fanshawe College Boulevard
P.O. Box 7005
London, ON   N5Y 5R6
Email: boardofgovernors@fanshawec.ca
Telephone: 519-452-4458