The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Associate Minister of National Defence:

The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe in 2015. She has previously served as Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, as Minister of Health, and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.

Minister Petitpas Taylor has worked with all orders of government, and focused on local infrastructure development, senior services, and investments in jobs and the local economy. As Canada’s Minister of Health, she also worked on behalf of all Canadians in many challenging areas of public health, including combatting the opioid crisis, creating a science-based Canada’s Food Guide, and overseeing the legalization of cannabis.

Before entering politics, Minister Petitpas Taylor worked for the Canadian Mental Health Association in Saint John, and had a 23-year career as a social worker and Victims Services Coordinator for the Codiac Regional Royal Canadian Mounted Police. During that time, she provided crisis counselling, domestic violence intervention, and domestic violence risk assessment to victims of crime. She also served on the City of Moncton’s Public Safety Advisory Committee, which was commissioned by Moncton City Council in 1996 to proactively influence the community through crime prevention promotion and to help Council respond to problematic issues as they arise.

Minister Petitpas Taylor has spent her entire life advocating for a fair and just society for all. She has been the Chair of the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women and a member of the Coalition for Pay Equity. She has volunteered with several community organizations, both provincially and locally, including the Coalition Against Abuse in Relationships and the Canadian Mental Health Association’s local Suicide Prevention Committee in Moncton.

Minister Petitpas Taylor grew up in Dieppe, New Brunswick, as the youngest of nine children, and graduated from the Université de Moncton with a Bachelor’s degree in social work.

Commodore Daniel Bouchard:

Commodore Daniel Bouchard joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1988 and graduated from the Collège militaire royal (CMR) in 1992. After obtaining his bridge watch-keeping certificate, he completed the Destroyer Navigating Officer Course in 1996 and navigated HMCS IROQUOIS. In 1998, he transferred into the Logistics branch as a Human Resource Officer.

Commodore Bouchard commanded at every level and held key staff positions. In 2017, he deployed as the Deputy Commander of Task Force Jerusalem (Op PROTEUS) and Director of Operational Support to the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Territories (2017-2018). On completion, he returned to National Defence Headquarters and served as Special Advisor to the Commander of Military Personnel Command. In 2022 he was promoted to his current rank and appointed as commander of the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group.

Commodore Bouchard holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Collège militaire royal de St-Jean, an Executive Masters in Business Administration from Athabasca University and a Masters of Science in National Security and Resource Strategy. He is a graduate of the Canadian Joint Command and Staff Programme, and the United States Eisenhower School.

Commodore Bouchard enjoys triathlons, fishing and spending quality time with his very supportive wife and two accomplished daughters.

Michel Beaulieu, Associate Vice-Provost (Academic), Professor, Lakehead University:

As the Associate Vice-Provost (Academic), Michel provides support to the Provost and Vice-President Academic with responsibilities for building existing and developing new academic and non-academic initiatives including pathways and partnerships and providing support for the administration of academic affairs within the Office of the Provost. He is also part of the External Relations Senior Leadership Team and is involved with Alumni Engagement and Prospect Pipeline and Government Relations. A full Professor of History, he is the past-Chair of the Department of History. 

The author/co-author of five books and editor/co-editor of several others, Michel is a Canadian historian whose research and publications generally focus on various aspects of the economic, political, and social history of Northern Ontario. Currently he is working on a SSHRC funded project being co-led with David Ratz (Lakehead) and Kari Alenius (University of Oulu) exploring a largely forgotten incident of early twentieth century espionage. The project seeks to understand the repercussions it had internationally on not only Canada’s role within international security and intelligence but also the international image of Canada. 

Michel's previous experience also includes the non-profit and industry sectors with regional, provincial, and national organizations. Currently he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario and a director with the Manitoba and North West Ontario Regional Council for the Canadian Forces Liaison Council. He is the Past-President of the Ontario Historical Society, Past-President of The Champlain Society, and Past-President of the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society. A proud alumnus, he is also a past president of the Alumni Association of Lakehead University and a past member of Lakehead University’s Board of Governors. 

Michel is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS), Honorary Colonel of the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment, and a registered Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP).

Suzette Brémault-Phillips, Professor, Director of Heroes in Mind, Advocacy and Research (HiMARC), University of Alberta:

Dr. Suzette Brémault-Phillips is an Occupational Therapist and Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, and Director of the Heroes in Mind Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC), a provincial hub for research, teaching and service in support of military members, Veterans, public safety personnel and their families. Her research interests include resilience, well-being, moral injury and mental health.  She is Chair of the Canadian Military, Veteran and Family Connected Campus Consortium (CMVF3C).

Dwayne Cormier, Strategic Initiatives Manager, CAF Transition Group, MTEP:

Dwayne L. Cormier has over 20 years of extensive experience in the private and government sector as a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, Career Counselor, Executive Coach and Master Facilitator. He is a certified practitioner in both the Birkman First Look and MBTI personality assessments. For the last decade he has devoted his career to assisting military members make the transition from military to “civvy street”.

His “maverick” no-nonsense facilitation style has endeared him to audiences across Canada and his sense of humour keeps you entertained. He has been awarded on 4 separate occasions with a Commander’s Coin for his tireless devotion and work with the military.

As the former Director of Transition Services for Canada Company, he was instrumental in launching numerous initiatives that facilitated military transition to civilian employment.

Today, Dwayne is continuing his work in assisting the MVF community with the CAF TG Military Transition Engagement and Partnerships (MTEP). Dwayne is a member of the CMVF3C Core Committee.

Kevin Friese, Assistant Dean, Health and Wellness, University of Alberta:

Kevin's career has focused on a diverse set of commitments relating to students and student affairs taking him from student recruitment to student affairs and student health and wellness. With over twenty years of experience in the field of health and wellness, Kevin has the privilege of leading a multidisciplinary team of health professionals on campus that use a holistic health & wellness framework to support the well-being of students, their families, faculty, and staff. He has a passion for supporting the health and well-being of our campus with a vision of creating communities in which each person is empowered to flourish and achieve their full academic and life potential. He sits as a member on the Healthy Campus Alberta (HCA) Post-Secondary Mental Health Community of Practice and is the Chair of the Alberta Post-Secondary Health Association (APSHA).

Peggy Garritty, Chancellor, University of Alberta:

Peggy Garritty was elected the 22nd Chancellor of the University of Alberta in March 2020. For more than ten years, she served as Chief Reputation and Brand Officer at ATB Financial. She led a team of creative and talented people responsible for creating ATB’s story and transforming its brand in the marketplace, marketing ATB’s services and raising its profile and reputation with Albertans, expanding ATB’s commitment to corporate social responsibility, investing in sponsorships and community initiatives across the province, ensuring clear and consistent internal and external communications, and providing insights on Alberta’s economy. 

Prior to joining ATB, Peggy owned and operated her own business as a strategic communications consultant and was instrumental in writing a number of provincial and national reports in finance, health and education. 

Peggy is past chair of the board for the Winspear Centre and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, chairs the board for the Edmonton Screen Industries Office, is a member of the board for the Art Gallery of Alberta and she serves as an Executive Fellow for the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. She previously served as a member of the Advisory Board for the Children’s Wish Foundation and the Alberta Mental Health Foundation and was a founding member of the St. Albert Community Foundation.

Peggy holds two degrees from the University of Alberta – a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology. She also is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D). In 2013 she was awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal. 

Nick Gauthier, 1 Health Services Group Commander:

Captain (Navy) Gauthier grew up in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1998. He attended Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Kingston and the Naval Officer Training Centre Esquimalt. Upon commissioning and completion of training as a Naval Warfare Officer, his first assignment was onboard HMCS Ville de Quebec. He later transferred as a Health Care Administration officer and had the privilege to command the Canadian Forces Health Services Centre in Valcartier, the Canadian Forces Medical Simulation Centre, and the Canadian Forces Health Services Training Centre Borden. 

Operationally, Capt(N) Gauthier has deployed with the NATO Standing Naval Forces, the Canadian Forces Disaster Response Team (DART) humanitarian mission to Haiti, he established and was second in command of a multinational military surgical centre in Iraq, and domestically acted as overall CAF Delegated Training Authority for Operation LASER while deploying his unit to assist civilian Long-Term Care facilities during the COVID pandemic.

As a staff officer, Capt(N) Gauthier served as a medical operations planner with the 1 Canadian Division Headquarters, 4 Health Services Group Headquarters, the U.S. 101st Airborne Division and the U.S. Marines’ led OIR headquarters, and the NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

He is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, the Canadian Forces Maritime Warfare Centre, the Canadian Army Command and Staff College, the Canadian Forces College, Dalhousie University, Ryerson University, Universite de Montreal, the Project Management Institute, the Canadian College of Health Leaders, and completed senior courses at the NATO Defence College. He holds a Bachelor in Business Administration with minor in politics, a University Diploma in Healthcare Administration, a University Certificate in Health Services Management, a Masters in Science Health Services Management, a Special Graduate Diploma in Health Programs Evaluation, and a certificate in Cyber Security Risk Assessment and Management. 

Capt(N) Gauthier received the Ryerson University Gold Medal Award and is a Certified Health Executive. He is married to his high school sweetheart Annie, a civilian nurse. They enjoy spending time with their two sons, Benjamin and Samuel.

Brigadier-General Steve Graham, Commander 3rd Canadian Division:

Brigadier-General Graham joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a Reservist in 1987 and two years later was accepted to Royal Roads Military College in Victoria, BC. In 1993 he graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston. Brigadier-General Graham is married to Elena Graham and together they are proud parents of three sons.

After graduation, he spent his first commissioned years serving in both the 8th Canadian Hussars and the Royal Canadian Dragoons, filling numerous positions from Tank Troop Leader to Regimental Adjutant. Following tours to Bosnia in 2001 and to Kabul, Afghanistan in 2003, he was promoted to Major and assumed command of B Squadron, the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

In January 2007, Brigadier-General Graham deployed with his Squadron to Kandahar, Afghanistan during which time he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. Following promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel and two years serving as Executive Assistant to the Army Commander, Brigadier-General Graham returned to Petawawa in July 2014 to take command of his Regiment as the 55th Commanding Officer of the Royal Canadian Dragoons.

After Regimental Command, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and served as the G3 of the Canadian Army and the Director of Current Operations on the Strategic Joint Staff before taking command of the Canadian Combat Support Brigade in July 2019. Promoted to his current rank in May 2021, he commanded Operation PROTEUS in Israel and the Palestinian Territories until assuming command of the 3rd Canadian Division on 10 August 2022. 

Brigadier-General Graham is a graduate of the Jamaica Junior Command and Staff Course, the Joint Command and Staff Programme, and the National Security Programme. He also possesses a Bachelor of Engineering in Engineering Management, and Masters’ in Defence Studies and Business Administration.

Karl Hamner, Clinical Professor and Director, Office of Evaluation Research, The University of Alabama:

Dr. Hamner has been a social science and health researcher, program development and evaluation consultant, and training specialist for federal, state, county and community-based agencies. He has extensive experience conducting research and evaluation on multi-cultural health and social issues, as well as conducting professional development workshops and trainings on a wide range of topics. Throughout his career, he has written or directed the development of numerous successful grant proposals funded by a wide variety of federal agencies – including the Department of Defense, the Department of Veteran Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration, Housing and Urban Development, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration – private and corporate foundations – including The California Endowment, The David & Lucille Packard Foundation, The Mott Foundation, and The Alcoa Foundation, and numerous state, regional and local agencies. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1993. 

Amy Hunter, Advisor to the Provost, University of Regina:

Amy Hunter is the Advisor to the Provost at the University of Regina (UofR). Her background includes a BA and MA in English Literature with interdisciplinary work in Business Administration and Education. Amy is currently pursuing a PhD in Adult Education/Educational Leadership, where her research on adult learners’ experiences in post-secondary institutions tangentially aligns with much of the work of the CMVF3C in supporting Military members and Veterans who are pursuing post-secondary education. Amy has been the institutional representative for the UofR on the CMVF3C since 2022 and is one of the CMVF3C Core Committee Members.

Jason Kerr, Military Connected College Coordinator, Georgian College:

Jason Kerr is a 15-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), working as an avionics technician and flight engineer. He worked on the CC130 Hercules at 8 AMS in Trenton, Ontario serving a tour in Afghanistan in 2010. In 2013 Jason assisted with the stand up of 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in Petawawa, On. In 2015 he changed trades to flight engineer and flew on the CH147-F Chinook, deploying to Gao, Mali in 2019 as a part of the United Nations mission OP Presence. Jason Kerr is now the military-connected campus coordinator for Georgian College, where he is working to further the supports offered for Veterans and their families coming into Georgian College.

Manon Larochelle, Pedagogical Advisor in RAC, Cegep Marie-Victorin:

Manon has completed Undergraduate and Graduate Studies in Education and Languages at Laval University and University of Montreal. She worked as a teacher in secondary schools and in Continuing Education (adults) at the Cegep level. For the past ten years, she has been an Academic Advisor and a Pedagogical Advisor in the RAC (Recognition of Acquired Competencies) department within the Continuing Education of the Cegep Marie-Victorin in Montreal. The institution is the Quebec’s leader in RAC with a team of 20 employees dedicated only to the RAC process and its 21 programs offered.

Tammy MacWilliams, A/Director of Transition and Program Support, Veterans Affairs Canada:

Tammy has worked at Veterans Affairs in a variety of roles since 2007.  A large part of her role is to be responsible to support CAF members and Veterans as part of the release process, working in conjunction with CAF Transition Group, to have the smoothest process possible for CAF members who are transitioning to life after service.  She is also responsible for the Veterans Employment Unit, which supports Veterans in finding employment post-service through is Career Transition Services. 

Gerardine Matthews-Smith, Research Professor, Edinburgh Napier University:

Dr. Matthews-Smith is currently employed as a Professor within the Business School. She is the founder and Director of the Centre for Military Research, Education and Public Engagement, Lead for the new Scottish Armed Forces Evidence and Research (SAFE&R) Hub and the University Research Lead for Military Research. She has a strong record of collaborative research within the arena of armed forces studies and has a demonstrated record of knowledge exchange and building strong research and practice relationships regionally, nationally, and internationally. In addition, she works with several voluntary and public sector organisations devoted to military transition, education, and wellbeing including regionally on the Edinburgh Military Education Committee (MEC) and nationally on the Council of Military Education Committees (COMEC). As is not uncommon in the social sciences and business fields, her career path has crossed between practice and research. The interdisciplinary nature of her academic research and practice experience therefore rests within three key disciplines: human and organisational development, management, and wellbeing. These disciplines span two Edinburgh Napier University Schools namely the School of Health and Social Care and The Business School. Her background in these fields continues to stimulate her interest and expand her knowledge across these disciplines as evidenced in her research, supervision, and teaching activity.

Alex Petruk, Student/Veteran, University of Alberta:

Alex Petruk is a retired Canadian Army Warrant Officer, having served 18 years in the Canadian Armed Forces Military Police. Alex has held leadership positions at multiple levels within the organization, finishing his career as a major crimes investigator and case manager. Alex has participated in numerous domestic and international deployments, including a four-year secondment to Global Affairs Canada where he was posted to the Canadian Embassy in Moscow, Russia. Currently, Alex is a 4th year student at the University of Alberta, studying sociology, history, political science, as well as pursuing a certificate in Peace and Post-Conflict Studies. 

Ravina Sanghera, Vice-Provost and Dean of Students, University of Alberta:

Dr. Sanghera is the Dean of Students and a Clinical Associate Professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She has significant experience in the areas of student mental health and wellness, access and accessibility, professional identity formation, student-faculty relationships and academic excellence through prior appointments as acting Associate Dean of Students and Assistant Dean of Student Services in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

As acting Associate Dean of Students, Dr. Sanghera led the restructuring and expansion of the Academic Success Centre, co-chaired the Student Accessibility Action Plan Working Group, improved procedures in Dean of Students proctoring services, reignited peer lunch and learn sessions, and established relationships across faculties and campuses. Prior to this, she served as the Assistant Dean of Student Services in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences since 2017. In this role she established and implemented a revised framework of student services centred on mental health and wellness, professional identity formation, and academic excellence. Under her leadership, her office organized sexual and gender-based violence education, workshops focused on anti-racism and gender education, centralized the accommodations implementation process, developed workshops on learning strategies tailored to students in health disciplines and implemented ongoing social and professional activities to foster student-faculty relationships.

Phillip Sevigny, Associate Professor, University of Alberta:

Phillip Sevigny is a clinical psychologist and former social worker with over 20 years of academic and applied experience supporting the resilience of youth, adults and families in a variety of contexts. He is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta and is cross-appointed to the nationally accredited Counselling Psychology and School and Clinical Child Psychology Programs. He has been affiliated with HiMARC since 2018.

Ben Wadham, Professor, Open Door, Flinders University, Australia:

Ben is the Director of the Open Door: Understanding and Supporting Service Personnel and their Families research initiative in the College of Education, Psychology, and Social Work. Open Door is an Australasian research hub that brings together veterans, scholars, and practitioners together around key research, service provision, and policy/legislation initiatives. Open Door is connected to other veteran research hubs across the five-eye nations.

As a Veteran, Ben's research is focused on the health and wellbeing of serving personnel and Veterans. He conducts sociological and criminological research on the ADF and DVA including institutional abuse in the ADF, veteran suicide, and veteran transition into higher education. Ben also researches men's violence prevention. His expertise on men and masculinities underpins this research.

Ben writes about the cultural history of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Of particular interest are military culture and crime and the military. He is currently Chief Investigator on an Australian Research Council Grant titled “Institutional Abuse and Organisational Reform within the ADF (1969-)”. Ben has led recent grants investigating veteran transition and education. These studies explore how effective tertiary education is as a transition pathway. Ben is currently leading an ARC Discovery project entitled Veteran Suicide: Investigating the Social and Historical Dimensions.

Ben conceived of, and led, the development of the Military Academic Pathway Program (MAPP) at Flinders University, the only foundation course for veterans in Australia.

Lieutenant-Colonel Alfred Wong, Commanding Officer CAF Transition Unit, Alberta North:

Lieutenant-Colonel Alfred Wong was born in Toronto, Ontario and joined the military in 1999. Upon completion of training, he was posted to Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) as a Tank Troop Leader. In 2007, he was posted to the Royal Canadian Armour School as Directing Staff, where he instructed on Crew Commanding, Troop Leading and Advance Gunnery courses.

In 2009, Lieutenant-Colonel Wong was posted back to the Regiment on his second tour of duty as Battle Captain Reconnaissance Squadron, Second-in-Command for both B and Headquarters Squadron. In 2013, he was posted to 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters as G3 Plans during a high readiness cycle and posted to the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre (CMTC) as Officer Commanding Contemporary Operating Environment Force, the year after. While at CMTC, he caused a nuisance on the battlefield, to provide the primary training audience the natural frictions of asymmetrical threats and attempted to grow a beard. 

In 2015, Lieutenant-Colonel Wong was posted back to the Regiment for his final tour of duty where he commanded Headquarters Squadron and was then appointed the Regimental Second-in-Command. In 2019, he was posted to 3rd Canadian Division HQ and held the positions of G33 and G3. 

Operationally, Lieutenant-Colonel Wong has deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and numerous Domestic Operations (Op PODIUM, LENTUS and LASER). Academically, he holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration and a Master degree in Defence Studies, both from the Royal Military College of Canada.

Lieutenant-Colonel Wong is married to a super supportive wife and they have two amazing children.