Board of Directors

Ms. Isabelle Blain, Chair

Retired Ottawa, ON

Mr. Pierre Lapointe, Vice-Chair

FPInnovations, President and CEO Québec, QC

Skills, competence and experience:

Pierre is President & CEO of FPInnovations - a not-for-profit, world-leading R&D institute specializing in the creation of scientific solutions in support of the Canadian forest sector’s global competitiveness. Previously, Mr. Lapointe headed l’Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and managed its integration with l’Institut Armand-Frappier. He also initiated numerous agreements and partnerships with the global scientific community.

Other board roles:

Board Chair, PRIMA Quebec; Board Chair, BCRI; SDTC Member Board.

Dr. Lynne Howell

Senior Scientist, Program in Molecular Structure & Function Program, The Hospital for Sick Children Toronto, ON

Dr. P. Lynne Howell is a Senior Scientist in the Program in Molecular Structure and Function at The Hospital for Sick Children and a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto.  Dr. Howell is interested in the development of novel antibiotics and is currently focused on phenomena that are critical for bacterial biofilm development. Using a combination of structural biology, biochemistry and microbiology, Dr. Howell’s research seeks to understand at the molecular level: how the virulence factor type IV pili (T4P), used by P. aeruginosa to establish infections and for biofilm formation, is assembled; and how the exopolysaccharides alginate, poly ????-1,4-N-acetylglucosamine, and the pel and psl polysaccharides – major components of biofilm matrix in different bacteria – are synthesized, post-translationally modified, and exported from the cell. Dr. Howell holds a Canada Research Chair in Structural Biology.

Dr. Howell obtained an undergraduate degree in Biophysics from the University of Leeds in 1983.  She received her Ph.D. from the University of London in 1986 in the laboratory of Professor Julia Goodfellow.  Dr. Howell spent three years as a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Professor Gregory A. Petsko at Massachusetts Institute of Technology before moving to Paris for two years to study with Dr. Roberto Poljak and Dr. Andre Menez at the Institute Pasteur.  She joined The Hospital for Sick Children in late 1991 and was cross-appointed to the University of Toronto shortly afterwards.  Dr. Howell is a former recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Investigator Award. She was Head of the Program in Molecular Medicine (formerly Molecular Structure and Function) at SickKids from 2002-2014 and Associate Chief, Research Integration and Communication (2014-2016).

Dr. Felicitas Katepa-Mupondwa

Director of Research Development and Technology Transfer in Saskatchewan; Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada, SK

Felicitas is the Director of Research Development and Technology Transfer in Saskatchewan for Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada, having held similar positions in Atlantic Canada and Manitoba. She enjoys working in science management, especially in Saskatchewan with its vibrant culture of agircultural innovation. She is also national lead of the Cereal Sector Science Strategy and uses this opportunity to work with young professionals to provide mentorship and support their career development. 

Other board roles: Canadian Focal Point for the Traety on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

Dr. Jean-Claude Kieffer

Directeur, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) Varennes, QC

Jean-Claude Kieffer is currently full professor at INRS. He holds the Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Ultrafast Photonics applied to complex stystems since 2002. He has been the PI and the director (2002-2006) of the Advanced Laser Light Source (ALLS) national facility installed in Varennes and the Director of INRS Energy-Material-Telecommunication center (INRS-EMT) from 2006 to 2011.

He has been deeply engaged in the scientific community for more than 20 years through NSERC, the CRC program, ACFAS, AERES/CNRS (France) and is member/chair of several scientific advisory international panels. He is currently member of the board of the Canadian Light Source and he is the Science & Technology advisor for laser & optics of the President of the Aquitaine Region Council. His research interests include plasma physics, ultrafast lasers, ultrafast and high intensity laser-matter interaction, ultrafast x-ray sources and their applications to Health Science, dynamic imaging of complex systems, particle acceleration. His general goal remains to bring systems based on Ultrafast high power laser technology into the world for users. He has a H number of 47 and 8918 citations (4375 since 2009).

Dr. Marie D'Iorio

Senior Strategy Advisor, University of Ottawa and President of Nano Canada, ON

Marie D’Iorio is a Senior Strategy Advisor with the Office of the Vice President Research at the University of Ottawa and is President of NanoCanada. Prior to joining the University of Ottawa, she led the National Institute for Nanotechnology (2011-2016) and the Institute for Microstructural Sciences (2003-2011) at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC).

Dr. D’Iorio obtained a Master’s and a Doctorate degree in Solid State Physics from the University of Toronto. After a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at IBM Zurich Research Laboratories, she joined the NRC, where she established Canada’s first very low temperature, high magnetic field laboratory to study quantum semiconductor devices and later led one of Canada’s first research programs on organic light emitting devices.

In 2015 she launched NanoCanada, to connect the nanotechnology community across the country and to facilitate partnerships and collaborations between academia, industry and government linking facilities and expertise to support the translation of scientific breakthroughs to the marketplace.

She has served as President of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada and President of the Canadian Association of Physicists. She has served on the Board of the Canadian Council of the Academies as well as selection committees for the CFI, NSERC and FQRNT.

Dr. David Stuewe

Professor of Public Administration, Dalhousie University Halifax, NS

Prof. David Stuewe of Dalhousie University 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.

He 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.  David is Chair of Segelberg Trust and the YMCA’s Big Cove Camp Advisory Committee. He is also currently a member of Parks Canada’s Audit Committee the Board of Governors of Commissioners Nova Scotia.  He has served on community, national and international boards and advisory bodies.

Dr. Thomas (Tom) Tiedje

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Victoria, BC

Tom Tiedje served as Dean of Engineering at the University of Victoria from 2008 to 2018 and  is currently in the position of Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Before joining UVic he was a faculty member in Physics and Astronomy, and Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of British Columbia. From 1997-2002 he served as Head of Physics and Astronomy at UBC, and from 1994-1997 as founding Director of the Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Lab, an interdisciplinary materials research lab at UBC. 

From 1977-1987 he worked as a research staff member and group head at the Corporate Research Lab of Exxon Research and Engineering Company in New Jersey.  He received his PhD (1977) and MSc (1975) in Physics from the University of British Columbia and his BASc (1973) in Engineering Science from the University of Toronto.

Tiedje’s primary research interest is in the area of epitaxial semiconductor film growth. He has carried out experiments with soft x-rays at the NSLS, the Synchrotron Radiation Center in Wisconsin, the Advanced Light Source and at BESSY. He has served on the CLS Users’ Advisory Committee, including a term as chair of the committee.  From 2001-2007 he served as co-founder and secretary-treasurer of the BC Synchrotron Institute, an organization that was instrumental in coordinating the first beamline proposals from BC, at the CLS. 

Tiedje is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Canadian Society of Senior Engineers. He has won several awards including the Herzberg Prize of the Canadian Association of Physicists, the NSERC Steacie Fellowship and the UBC Faculty of Applied Science Dean’s Medal of Distinction.

Mr. 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).  As Vice-President, he has responsibility 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.  Prior to joining FCL, Tony was the Vice-President Finance and Chief Financial Officer for AREVA Resources Canada Inc., where he also served in a number of progressively 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 its President in 2014-15.  Tony has also served as a long-term board member of Junior Achievement of Saskatchewan and several other community organizations.  He is a CPA, CA and a CFA.

Dr. Jennifer van Wijngaarden

Professor, Department of Chemistry

University of Manitoba, MB

Jennifer van Wijngaarden has been a faculty member at the University of Manitoba since 2006 and has held the rank of Associate Professor since 2012, achieving the position of Professor of Chemistry in 2019. She is currently responsible for overseeing the graduate program in the Department of Chemistry.

 Dr. van Wijngaarden received her B.Sc. Honours in Chemistry from The University of Western Ontario in 1997. She continued her studies at the University of Alberta where she earned her Ph. D. in 2002. After completing a NSERC-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Basel (Switzerland) in 2004, Dr. van Wijngaarden 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, she had her first exposure to synchrotron science through a six week stay in Saskatoon working at the far infrared beamline in its very first stages of operation.  When the opportunity arose to return to Canada the following year, Dr. van Wijngaarden accepted a position at University of Manitoba where she has established an active, externally-funded research program and has been recognized for excellence in teaching, research and service.

Dr. van Wijngaarden currently serves as a member of the NSERC Evaluation Group for Chemistry. She is a past member of the NSERC RTI panel for Chemistry, editorial board member of the Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy and a member of the International Advisory Committee of the International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy. 

Dr. van Wijngaarden's research is in the field of high resolution molecular spectroscopy and focuses on the low energy spectral signatures of molecules in the gas phase. These include rotational (microwave) transitions which are recorded using two custom built spectrometers in her Winnipeg laboratory and rovibrational (infrared) spectra collected at the CLS far infrared beamline. Analysis of rotationally-resolved spectra provides accurate and detailed information about molecular structure and dynamics which serves to further our understanding of chemical properties. The species of interest are those involved in astrophysical and atmospheric processes which may be identified remotely once laboratory-based fingerprints in these spectral regions are established.

Ms. Carolyn Cross

Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ondine Biomedical Inc.

Carolyn Cross is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ondine Biomedical Inc., a Vancouver, Canada based company that is the global leader in Photodisinfection based therapies for the treatment and prevention of multi-drug resistant infections. Ms. Cross sits on Canada’s National Research Council and serves on the NRC’s Departmental Audit Committee. She is a Board Member and Treasurer of the International Photodynamic Association since 2011. She has published research in peer reviewed journals.

Ms. Cross has over 30 years’ direct experience with early stage companies and public market securities.  Earlier in her career, Ms. Cross was responsible for managing pension, pooled, mutual and private client funds as a Vice President with Royal Bank Investment Management Inc. Ms. Cross is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and has an MBA from York University and an HBA from the University of Western Ontario.

Her corporate governance experience includes advising and serving on a number of private and public Boards and Audit and Finance Committees, including the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and Greystone Capital Management Inc. She sits on the Advisory Council of the University of Windsor’s Odette World Health Innovation Network (WIN). She is the Chair and Founding Board Member of the Women’s Economic Business Advisory Council and a Founding Member of the EY Global Women in Business Advisory Council.

Ms. 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. Tamara’s carries on a corporate and commercial legal practice which 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 gives her a comprehensive and practical perspective when advising clients.

Tamara 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 instruction on the topic of Business Law and Commercial Transactions at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta.

Mr. 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. 

He is the recipient of the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal and the Queen’s Gold Jubilee Medal for contributions to Saskatchewan.

John has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Alberta in the dismal science, economics, and is currently teaching economics and public policy at the University of Regina.

Dr. Baljit Singh

Vice-President Research, University of Saskatchewan

Mr. Greg Fowler

Vice President Finance and Resources, University of Saskatchewan

Originally from Saskatoon, Greg has been engaged with the University of Saskatchewan for nearly 25 years. Greg received his Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and Economics in 1988 and Masters of Business Administration in 1992 from the University of Saskatchewan.  In 1994 he returned to the university as an administrator.

Greg joined the University of Saskatchewan as assistant controller of St. Thomas More College in 1994, and in 1998 became the controller, which included serving as the director of human resources, physical plant, information technology services, Choices Food Services, and ancillary services.  He was in this position until 2006 when he became director of operations for the University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing. In 2007 Greg was appointed director of consumer services, and is on leave from this position while he is acting vice-president finance and resources.

Working on many diverse cross-campus initiatives, Greg has extensive experience working among many areas of the university. Greg served as the representative for the four Saskatchewan federated colleges on the Working Group and Standing Committee for University Funding formed to reach agreement on the implementation and continued development of the Saskatchewan University Funding Model. Within Consumer Services Greg was project lead for the undergraduate and graduate student housing projects, oversaw significant reorganizations to printing, parking, and residence services, and a reorganization of food services that included major renovations to Marquis Hall Food Court. Greg was also project lead for phases 1 and 2 of the Service and Process Enhancement Project, which was established to develop recommendations for service and process enhancement while ensuring the most effective and efficient use of resources.

Ms. Kari Harvey

Chief Operating Officer (COO), Innovation Saskatchewan

Kari is Chief Opearting Officer (COO) at Innovation Saskatchewan where her responsibilities include working with community partners to nuture an environment that supports the success of start-up tech companies in the province, and with the research community. Her 25 year public service career includes senior leadership positions with the Ministry or Agriculture, Saskatchewan Ministry of Health working in Saskatchewan's Executive Council and Office of the Premier as Assistant Deputy Minister, International Relations and Protocol.