Ross Roxburgh, Executive Director

Ross has worked in the fields of organizational change, human resources, leadership coaching and development and change management for more than 35 years. Prior to joining Deloitte & Touche LLP, he worked in human resource management roles in the university sector as well as the transit and telecommunications industries. With Deloitte Ross helped to build strong Human Capital practices in Ottawa and Toronto. Ross was a Deloitte Partner for fourteen years, leaving the Firm in 2000 to establish his own practice.

Ross earned his Bachelor’s degree in Honours English at Carleton University, then completed a Master’s degree in the Interdisciplinary School of Canadian Studies at the same institution. More recently, he graduated from the one-year Organization and Systems Development (OSD) Program (Becoming a Better Intervener) offered by the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and continued his development through various coaching-focused programs both in Cleveland as well as at the Gestalt International Centre in Massachusetts. Through National Training Laboratories (NTL), he completed the DOPS Program (Development of the Personal Self). Ross is a Certified Management Consultant and was accredited by Deloitte as a Master Facilitator.

Maureen Brown, B.A. (Hons), M.A., Lead Facilitator–LDP

Maureen is an organizational development professional, working as a consulting partner in her own consulting practice. Maureen spent 10 years in human resources management positions in public and private sector organizations. She has held management-level specialist and generalist positions in both unionized and non-unionized settings. Her last corporate position was Director of Employee Relations and Communications at American Express Canada. She has been consulting in the area of organizational development since 1990 and specializes in helping organizations anticipate and manage change effectively. Maureen has an MA in Applied Social Psychology and has been an Associate of The Niagara Institute since 2000.

Tom Tavares, Ph.D., Chief Assessor

With over 25 years of experience in organizational psychology, Tom focuses on improving leadership and business performance, his experience includes management in large corporations, organizational consulting in a variety of industries and assessing and coaching executives. In addition to this, he conducts in-depth applied research, facilitates meetings and coaches teams. Tom published his first book The Mind Fields: What’s Missing in Running Our Organizations in 2009. He also writes and speaks about leadership under conditions of rapid change. Tom holds the position of Chief Assessor and is an Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute.

Ken Ainsworth, MBA, MSc. Psych, CMC

For over 20 years Ken has worked as a Facilitator, Coach and Consultant focused on helping individuals and organizations pursue coordinated, organized change through learning. His expertise lies in three primary areas – the design and facilitation of organization development initiatives; the design and delivery of learning interventions; and individual and team coaching. For several years, Ken held the position of Lead Facilitator at the Niagara Institute, at which time he lead the design and development of the Landmark Leadership Program™. He is currently a Senior Associate and Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute.

Randy Brooks, MSOD

Randy is a Senior Associate with the Niagara Institute and a Consultant dedicated to assisting organizations with change management and executive coaching. Her clients include various industries, the arts and government offices. For over 20 years, Randy has coached executives and executive teams, giving them the skills to become more effective leaders and achieve desired results for their organizations. Randy is a former Research Associate of the Conference Board of Canada and has written major papers on organizational effectiveness and change.

Calvin Brown, Ph.D., C. Psych.

As an Organizational Psychologist, Calvin focuses on the identification and development of senior management and executive talent in large organizations in Canada and abroad. He has established himself as a trusted advisor in the development of individual and team effectiveness. Calvin’s training includes executive development at the Center for Creative Leadership and negotiation skills at Harvard Law School. He is a Senior Associate and Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute.

Maureen Brown, B.A. (Hons), M.A. Applied Social Psychology

Maureen is an organizational development professional, working as a consulting partner in her own consulting practice. Maureen spent 10 years in human resources management positions in public and private sector organizations. She has held management-level specialist and generalist positions in both unionized and non-unionized settings. Her last corporate position was Director of Employee Relations and Communications at American Express Canada. She has been consulting in the area of organizational development since 1990 and specializes in helping organizations anticipate and manage change effectively. Maureen has an MA in Applied Social Psychology and has been an Associate of The Niagara Institute since 2000.

Stephane Brutus, Ph.D.

Stephane is the Chairman of the Department of Management at Concordia University in Montreal. From 1995 to 1997, he was a member of the research team at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina. He currently devotes his time to researching the role of 360° assessments and the contribution of the feedback process in leadership development.

Rilla Clark, B.A., B.Ed, MSc.

Rilla is a highly skilled Facilitator and Executive Coach who has worked with a variety of organizations; moving people to new levels of understanding, skill and mutual gain. With 15 years of experience in the fields of business, counseling and education and an additional fifteen years of experience as a corporate leadership coach, she effectively challenges and supports individuals and teams toward co-created positive outcomes. As a Senior Associate with the Niagara Institute, Rilla specializes in working with high potential leaders to expand their leadership competencies and accelerate their development.

France Cloutier, C.A., MSOD

With 18 years of experience, France brings a practical approach to the application of leadership skills, change management principles and coaching. Working with individuals and teams, she encourages them to reach their goals and achieve success through coaching and performance and change management training programs. France has also managed ERP systems projects, facilitated team-building interventions, conducted organizational diagnosis and designed and facilitated processes to develop mission and vision statements. She is a bilingual Senior Associate and Executive Coach with Niagara Institute.

Valerie Davis, MSOD, M.Sc.

With over 15 years of experience as an Executive Coach and Leadership Development Consultant, Valerie has coached and consulted to organizations across all sectors including Fortune 500 companies, three levels of Public Service, Federal Agencies, NGOs and not-for-profit organizations. Her work is primarily focused on C-Suite and senior-level executives, working at both the individual and team levels to support individual, group and organizational change. Combining over 20 years of experience as both an executive and consultant with global firms with her extensive educational background, Valerie is able to understand and target her work directly to client needs.

Nick Evans, B.A., M.B.A.

With over 15 years experience as a business leader in Fortune 500 organizations, Nick understands how to link business vision and strategy with personal engagement and growth. As an Executive Coach and Facilitator, he combines his experience in change management, team building, organizational dynamics and business strategy to design high performance leadership programs. Nick is a Senior Associate with Niagara Institute.

Helen Finder-Guttman, B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed.

Helen is an experienced Senior Management Consultant who focuses on human resource issues such as executive search, diversity in the workplace, policy development and implementation. She is also skilled in areas of assessment and development, leadership and team building, performance management and career counseling. She has been a Coach with the Niagara Institute for over 10 years.  

Sharon Flanagan, B. Comm, CHRP, ACPC

For over 20 years, Sharon has worked as a business executive and team leader, including roles as a human resources generalist and an employment law specialist. In addition to this, she has more than 10 years of experience as a Facilitator and Coach. Sharon is known for her practical understanding of executive work-life realities, love of learning and helping others grow. She is a Senior Associate and Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute.

Lorne Hartman, Ph.D.

With more than 30 years of experience, Lorne is a practitioner and researcher focused on human performance and organization effectiveness. He has partnered with leaders at all levels in business, government and education to help them implement change strategies successfully. As an Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute, Lorne combines his background and training as a psychologist with his knowledge and experience of organizational dynamics to facilitate behaviour change efforts, significantly improving leader performance.

Jenny Howe, B.Sc., M.A., ACPC

Jenny is a Facilitator, Executive Coach and Consultant with over 15 years of experience working with highly driven and successful business leaders. She supports her clients while challenging them to achieve their goals in areas such as transformational leadership, effective communication and resilience. Jenny works closely with her clients, building their leadership skills to impact their business in a positive way and achieve lasting results, both on professional and personal levels.

Paul Hurst, Ph.D.

As a Senior Associate and Executive Coach at the Niagara Institute, Paul specializes in counseling and leadership development. Drawing on his broad knowledge of leadership, assessment and treatment of stress, personal, interpersonal and work-related problems, he uses a systemic approach to team, organization and individual development. Paul also served as Chief Assessor with the Niagara Institute for several years, overseeing the training of Executive Coaches to ensure a quality coaching experience for Niagara Institute clients.

Monique Joyal, M. Ps.

Monique has extensive experience as an Industrial Psychologist, within consulting firms and as an independent Consultant. Her coaching interventions have enabled managers to become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses, increase their self-confidence and find appropriate ways to use their responsibility and assert their leadership. Monique is a bilingual Coach with the Niagara Institute.

Soosan Latham, MBA, Ph.D. Candidate

Former Assistant Dean, Executive Programs, University of Toronto Rotman Business School, and most recently a VP Human Resources with JP Morgan Chase in New York, Soosan brings strong adult education training and development knowledge in working with and coaching senior executives. She offers a diversity of business and academic work experience that demonstrate an understanding of the dynamics of individual and organization behavior. She has extensive accomplishments working with the private sector developing conceptual design and implementation of leadership and management development initiatives across organizational levels.

Soosan holds an MBA from Iran Center for Management Studies (a program associated with the Harvard Business School), and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, with research focusing on multiculturalism, leadership and identity. She has written and published articles on training and performance management in top tier organizational journals.

Michel Lemieux, B.Comm

With more than 25 years of experience as a Manager and Consultant,
Michel specializes in interventions that enable individuals and teams to improve their effectiveness and reach their full potential. He focuses on organizational change, personal and professional development and team building. Michel is a Senior Associate and Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute.

Denise McLean, Ph.D.

Denise has honed a broad range of expertise in leadership and career development, succession management, human resource strategy and organizational change during her 20 years of experience as a Consultant in personnel psychology and corporate human resource management. She is the author of several publications, a conference speaker and has contributed to the Canadian Psychological Association’s Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Denise is a bilingual Senior Associate with the Niagara Institute.

Gregory McQueen, Ph.D.

Greg leads and facilitates the development of innovative approaches to planning, marketing and new business development. He lectures in the fields of ethics, leadership and cognitive moral reasoning as it applies to leadership, decision-making and business management. Greg also provides consultation and services in the fields of executive leadership development, planning, re-organization, executive team building and corporate board development. He is an Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute. 

Helen Notzl, B.A., M.S.W.

Helen is a highly skilled Executive and Life Coach, Facilitator and Educator specializing in leadership development, team building, effective communication, goal setting, and change management. She is also a Structural Consultant, facilitating the achievement of strategic objectives aligned with individuals’ personal aspirations and values. Helen is an Adler Certified Professional Coach and an Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute.

Margaret Ogilvie, Ph.D.

Margaret has over 25 years of experience as a Consultant and Facilitator specializing in effective communication, team building, transition, stress management and leadership style. She works with her clients to reach personal and professional goals by developing them “as a whole person”, achieving significant and lasting results. Recognizing that clients own their own solutions, she uses a variety of theories and techniques that encourage them to grow through feedback and thrive during change and transition. Margaret has been an Associate with the Niagara Institute since 1991.

Sharon Parker, B.A., M.A.

Sharon is an organization development and change management professional with more than 20 years of experience consulting and coaching to Canadian and American public sector organizations. She specializes in the design and facilitation of change management and team development workshops at all levels of management. Sharon has designed and delivered training workshops across the country with groups from 10 to 100 people. She is known for her energy and passion and helping her clients succeed.

Beverley Patwell, B.A. M.A. CHRA

Beverley is an organizational development professional specializing in change management. As an Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute, she helps leaders manage and coach others as they work toward their desired objectives on an individual, team and organizational basis. She is the co-author of Triple Impact Coaching: Use of Self in the Coaching Process and has published a number of articles on leadership, coaching and developing high performance teams. Beverley is a member of the Association of Human Resource Professionals and Industrial Relations.

Donna R.D. Porter, M.B.A., CMC

Donna is an organizational development specialist who helps organizations translate business strategies into successful outcomes. Her consulting experience has included assignments with companies in the private and government sectors. She focuses on leadership and team development, succession planning, performance management and human resources consulting. For five years Donna held the position of Lead Associate with the Niagara Institute, overseeing the development of the Executive Leadership Program while in this role.

Gail Rappolt, B.A., M.Ed.

Gail is an Educator and Consultant with over 25 years of experience in management and training specializing in change management, creative problem solving and individual coaching. She has developed and delivered training programs for a variety of levels of management and has designed assessment instruments for personnel and program evaluation. Her background as a leader and manager brings awareness of the complexities faced by her clients and coaching skills to help them find their own solutions. Gail is an Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute.

Arthur Ridgeway, Ph.D.

Arthur is a registered psychologist who works as a consultant and Facilitator, specializing in designing and implementing strategic interventions aimed at effecting personal, professional, and organizational change. Arthur is a Senior Associate of The Niagara Institute and a Senior Trainer with the Justice Institute of B.C., Centre for Conflict Resolution. His work includes facilitating programs with The Conference Board of Canada, such as the Union-Management Partnering Best Practices Study Tours. Internationally, he represented Canada at the APEC Alternative Dispute Resolution Executive Education Project in Bangkok, Mexico City, and Manila.

Palma Robinson, B.A., M.Ps

Palma is a Senior Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute and an Organizational Development Consultant with over 20 years of experience. Her strength lies in the ability to propose and facilitate personal change initiatives that empower individuals to make important choices, taking positive action in their lives as leaders. With in-depth knowledge and experience in leadership assessment, Palma provides customized feedback to senior executives.

Lydia Roy, B.A., B.Ed., MCC

Lydia is a successful Executive Coach, Business Development Consultant and Facilitator with over 20 years of leadership, business performance coaching, mentoring, career development and assessment experience in corporate and entrepreneurial settings. She has worked with CEOs and Executives in a broad range of industries including major financial institutions and health care organizations. She is also an entrepreneur who specializes in business development, helping small business owners grow their businesses successfully. Lydia is an Executive Coach with Niagara Institute.

William Shea, B.A., M.B.A., M.A.

William (Bill) works with organizations and managers in the areas of management effectiveness, cultural diversity, communication, and interpersonal skills. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and over 15 years of experience providing individual feedback to managers from organizations in both the public and private sectors. Bill was the first Managing Director of the Center for Creative Leadership’s European branch in Brussels, Belgium. Bill is a multilingual Associate with Niagara Institute.

Sharon Varette, B.A. (Hon), M.A.

Sharon focuses on leadership assessment, executive coaching, executive team alignment, design and facilitation of leadership development, management team retreats and best practices research. Her strengths lie in helping clients improve their effectiveness as leaders. She is passionate about the potential of professional coaching to generate new knowledge, expanding the realm of the possible and transforming it in ways that successfully translate into reality and practice. Sharon is a Coach with the Niagara Institute.

Marc Wilson, B. Comm., MSOD

As a Senior Associate and Executive Coach with the Niagara Institute, Marc uses his expertise in change management and executive coaching to build strong leadership skills in his clients. He has written a number of papers on organization and leadership issues, as well as training manuals on quality, management skills and instructional techniques. Marc has worked as a Consultant and Trainer; developing and facilitating a broad range of leadership programs for corporations, unions, sectors of the government and the Canadian Armed Forces.