Martha Crago
Chair
Former Vice-President (Research and Innovation) at McGill University
Martha Crago has extensive leadership experience including serving as chair of the Governing Council of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and vice-chair and chair of the Research Committee of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities. She was also chair of the Comité de recherche du Bureau de Cooperation Interuniversitaire, and a member of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s (NSERC) Research Partnership Committee and the Senior Research Officers Committee of the Association of American Universities (AAU).
Throughout her distinguished 40-year career, Crago has made significant contributions to numerous boards of university science projects and various international, national, and provincial committees. In 2016, she was appointed by the Minister of Science of Canada to be a member of Canada’s Fundamental Science Review. She has been honoured as a Chevalier dans l’ordre des palmes académiques by the French government, was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2017 and awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of British Columbia in 2020. Most recently, on March 22, 2022, Crago received the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit from the President of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Janet King
Vice-Chair
Former Associate Deputy Minister at Public Services and Procurement Canada
Janet King joined the federal public service in 1995 as a research scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada (Natural Resources Canada). She went on to hold increasingly senior positions in policy development, regulation and operations at Natural Resources Canada, Health Canada, Innovation Science and Economic Development, and Western Economic Diversification Canada.
From 2018-2020 Janet was the Associate Deputy Minister at Public Services and Procurement Canada, where she was responsible for Laboratories Canada, an initiative to revitalize federal science laboratories. Prior to that, she was President of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, contributing to economic development across Canada’s three territories, and Assistant Deputy Minister of the Northern Affairs Organization at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, where she led work to devolve northern lands and resource governance and to establish the Canadian High Arctic Research Station.
Janet is currently Chairperson with the Board of Directors at Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR) / Savoir polaire Canada (POLAR) and Chairperson for NSERC PermafrostNet, as well as being a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Science Policy Centre. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and an International Fellow with the Explorers’ Club.
Debora Bielecki
Global Innovation Leader in Commercialization, Transformation (merger integration), Patent-Pending Inventor in Artificial Intelligence
Debora Bielecki is a highly accomplished, ESG-certified corporate director with over 30 years of global experience driving innovation and sustainability. Her extensive expertise in digital transformation, cybersecurity, and AI positions her as a strategic leader adept at steering complex business transformations.
Debora currently chairs the board of Circular Rubber Technologies, where she has spearheaded the company's transition to a more sustainable, circular business model. Under her guidance, Circular Rubber has achieved significant milestones in reducing waste and increasing the use of renewable materials.
As a strategic advisor to the boards of Kruger Inc. and DealMaker, Debora leverages her deep industry knowledge and innovative mindset to drive growth and positive impact. Her board education includes certifications from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, ESG Competent Boards, and the Canadian Council of Innovation's Innovation Governance Professionals. She received a WXN Corporate Director EDI Award in 2022 for her contributions to corporate governance and sustainability.
Throughout her distinguished career, Debora has consistently advocated for pay equity and diversity in the boardroom, fostering more inclusive and equitable decision-making processes.
Serge Desgreniers
Full Professor, Assistant Chair, Academic (Undergraduate Studies) for the Department of Physics, University of Ottawa
Serge Desgreniers’s research is focused on the measurement and understanding of the physical properties of material submitted to extreme pressure and temperature conditions, the experimental study of pressure-induced solid-to-solid phase transitions, the synthesis and study of novel ultra-hard materials, the synthesis and study of dense gas hydrates, and the development of new methods to probe materials submitted to extreme conditions.
Serge received his PhD from Cornell University. He has over 35 years of research experience in the physics of condensed matter at extreme conditions, with a particular interest in dense molecular systems and instrumentation. He has used laser light scattering and synchrotron radiation to carry out various infrared spectroscopic and X-ray scattering experiments for the study of phase transitions and physical properties of dense solids. Serge has been a synchrotron radiation user at various facilities around the world (CHESS, APS, ESRF, and SPring-8) and a regular user and beam team member at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) since 2006.
Kate Goddard
Director, Legal, Wealthsimple Technologies Inc.
Kate Goddard is a commercial lawyer based in British Columbia specializing in commercial agreements, emerging technology, and intellectual property law. She is currently Director, Legal, at Wealthsimple Technologies Inc. Kate holds degrees in common law and civil law from McGill University, and a Bachelor of Social Science from the University of Ottawa. She is also a registered trademarks agent and has been an instructor in intellectual property law for startups with the Creative Destruction Labs at the University of British Columbia.
Kate helped start the Captain Nichola Goddard Fund with True Patriot Love, supporting female veterans and serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces through a national leadership series connecting leaders of corporate Canada with leaders in the Canadian Armed Forces. She has also been on the disbursement committee for True Patriot Love since 2018 and serves as honorary counsel for the Conference of Defence Associations Institute.
Alba Guarne
Professor, Department of Biochemistry; Associate Dean and Director, School of Biomedical Sciences; and Canada Research Chair at McGill University
Alba Guarne’s research is focused on understanding how proteins determine the fate of DNA during chromosome replication and repair. In particular, she’s interested in how regulatory proteins orchestrate the stabilization of damaged replication forks with DNA repair and forks restart.
Since most of the proteins that regulate these processes lack a measurable enzymatic activity, Alba’s research is aimed at seeing how they work using a broad range of structural biology techniques. She and her team are combining structural information with biochemical and genetic analysis to understand at a molecular level the functions of these proteins.
Deidre (Dee) Henne
Chief Financial Officer, University of Saskatchewan
Dee is a financial sustainability leader in governance, strategy, risk management, and integration of key metrics across policies, practice, and reporting. Dee has led business transformation initiatives and operational turnarounds in higher education and health care. She’s also an active researcher, serving as a co-principal investigator focused on responsible business and investment practices.
Dee’s previous experience includes serving as Chief Financial Officer within Ontario Higher Education, where she led finance, ancillaries, business development initiatives, including supporting research spin-offs. Dee chaired the Canadian Climate Charter Technical Committee, a consortium of over 15 universities decarbonizing asset portfolios, and served on the Implementation Committee for the Canadian Sustainability Standards Board in 2022/23. In March 2024 she was appointed to CPA Canada’s Reporting and Assurance Standards Oversight Council.
Kari Harvey
Chief Executive Officer, Innovation Saskatchewan
Kari Harvey is CEO of Innovation Saskatchewan; in her role she works with community partners to nurture an environment that supports the success of startup tech companies in the province, and with the research community to maximize Saskatchewan’s research and commercialization interests.
Over her 29-year career in Saskatchewan’s public service, she has served as Director of the Agri-business Development Branch in the Ministry of Agriculture, Executive Director of Capital and Regional Services with the Ministry of Health, and Assistant Deputy Minister, International Relations and Protocol, with Executive Council and Office of the Premier as. Kari is currently a board member with the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), and Saskatchewan’s first tech incubator, Co.Labs. In fall 2020, she was appointed to the NRC-IRAP Advisory Council.
Tamara Korassa
Partner, Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer LLP
Tamara Korassa is a partner with the law firm of Reynolds Mirth Richards & Farmer LLP in Edmonton, Alberta. Her corporate and commercial legal practice includes advising businesses of various sizes on asset and sale transactions, secured financing, and commercial real estate. Tamara holds both a Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration from the University of Alberta, which give her a comprehensive and practical perspective when advising clients.
She has served as the Vice President of Labour Relations and Executive Vice President for the University of Alberta Graduate Students Association and sat on the Board of Governors Safety, Health, and Environment Committee, Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research Council and the University of Alberta Senate. Tamara has also been a sessional instructor on business law and commercial transactions at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta.
James Meddings
Board Chair, NorthGuide
James Meddings is an expert in global innovation policy, economic development, and community sustainability, with more than 30 years of experience working in the Public Service of Canada. James served as Deputy Minister of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and held senior roles in line departments and central agencies, including the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Privy Council Office, Human Resources Development Canada, Environment Canada, and Western Economic Diversification.
James has extensive international experience; he represented Canada on the OECD Regional Development Policy Committee for many years and chaired the OECD Expert Meeting on Multi-level Governance and Public Investment.
Baljit Singh
Vice-President Research, University of Saskatchewan
Baljit Singh is a highly accomplished researcher, educator and administrator in the field of veterinary medicine, with specific expertise in lung biology and anatomy. He began his role as Vice-President Research at the University of Saskatchewan in 2021, after serving as Dean of the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (2016–2021), and as Associate Dean of Research at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan (2011–2016).
Baljit's formal education includes a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry (BVSc and AH) and Master of Veterinary Science (MVSc) from Punjab Agricultural University in Punjab; a PhD from the University of Guelph; post-doctoral training at Texas A&M University and Columbia University, New York. He completed licensing requirements set by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) for foreign veterinary graduates.
Baljit has received the 3M National Teaching Fellowship, the University of Saskatchewan’s Provost’s Prize for Innovative Practice of Teaching and Learning, University of Saskatchewan Master Teacher Award, and the Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teacher Award. He has also received the Outstanding Veterinary Anatomist Award from the American Association of Veterinary Anatomists, as well as the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence. In 2013 he was named a fellow of the American Association of Anatomists.
His research has focused on cell and molecular biology of lung inflammation. He is the author or co-author of more than 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and books, and has supervised the research training of more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students.
David Stuewe
Professor of Public Administration, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS
David Stuewe has a research focus on public sector governance and the role of government in economic development. In addition to teaching at Dalhousie, he co-ordinates the RSBconnect initiative, a program that links the business school with businesses in the community.
David has held senior public service positions including 11 years as CEO of the WCB of NS, and in Saskatchewan served in the Departments of Finance, Northern Saskatchewan, Intergovernmental Affairs and Consumer & Commercial Relations. He is Chair of Segelberg Trust and the YMCA’s Big Cove Camp Advisory Committee. David is also currently a member of Parks Canada’s Audit Committee and the Board of Governors of Commissioners Nova Scotia. He has served on community, national, and international boards and advisory bodies.
Tony Van Burgsteden
Vice-President, Finance, Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), SK
Tony Van Burgsteden is Vice-President, Finance of Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL). He is responsible for all aspects of the finance, accounting, tax and audit services functions of the enterprise.
Tony joined FCL in April 2015 as Associate Vice-President Controls and Reporting. Before that he was the Vice-President Finance and Chief Financial Officer for AREVA Resources Canada Inc., where he also served in a number of progressively more responsible positions in the Finance Department. Tony has experience with many joint venture operations, major projects, technology systems and corporate social responsibility including government relations and First Nations relationships.
Tony has been active in the business community and is a Past President of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, where he served as President in 2014-15. Tony was also a long-term board member of Junior Achievement of Saskatchewan and several other community organizations. He is a CPA, CA, and a CFA.
Jennifer Van Wijngaarden
Full Professor, Research Stream Chair - Department of Chemistry, York University
Jennifer van Wijngaarden has been a faculty member at York University since August 2022. Her research group, regular users of CLS’s Far-IR beamline, employ state-of-the-art spectroscopic techniques in the microwave through infrared regions to probe the energy landscape of molecules. Before coming to York she was a professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Manitoba, where she oversaw the graduate program.
Jennifer received her B.Sc. Honours (Chemistry) from Western University in 1997, then went on to complete her PhD at the University of Alberta in 2002. Following a NSERC-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Basel (Switzerland) in 2004, she joined the faculty at Mount Holyoke College -- a women’s liberal arts institution in Massachusetts -- where she began her career as a teacher, researcher, and mentor to the next generation of scientists.
In 2005, Jennifer had her first exposure to synchrotron science through a six-week stay in Saskatoon working at the Far-IR beamline in its early stages of operation. When the opportunity arose to return to Canada the following year, she accepted a position at University of Manitoba.
John Wright
Professor of Economics and Public Policy, University of Regina
During his 40-year career in the public sector, John served as the Deputy Minister of Finance and the Deputy Minister of Health for the Government of Saskatchewan. He also was appointed as the President and CEO of several Crown corporations, including the Saskatchewan Power Corporation, Crown Investments Corporation, and Saskatchewan Government Insurance.
Most recently, John was working in Ottawa as the CEO of the Canadian Institute for Health Information in Ottawa.
Over the years, John has served on a number of board and commissions including the Canadian Mental Health Commission, the Canadian Electricity Association, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, Casino Regina, CIC Industrial Interests Inc., and the board of governors of the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina.
In the late 1990s, he was the Government of Saskatchewan’s lead negotiator for the establishment of the Canadian Light Source at the University of Saskatchewan. John is the recipient of the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal and the Queen’s Gold Jubilee Medal for contributions to Saskatchewan.