About Ryerson
Board of Governors
2012-2013 Members Board of Governors
Ryerson University's 24-member Board of Governors comprises of the Chancellor, the President, 9 people appointed by the provincial government, two people appointed by the Board, 3 alumni elected by the alumni, 3 faculty elected by the faculty, 2 administrative staff members elected by the staff, 3 student members elected by the students.
 Chancellor, LAWRENCE S. BLOOMBERG, C.M., O. Ont.Ex-Officio Lawrence S. Bloomberg is an accomplished Canadian business leader, distinguished philanthropist and active community builder. He received the Order of Canada in 2012. Mr. Bloomberg is Chair of the Board of Directors of BloombergSen Inc., an investment counseling firm. In 1979, Mr. Bloomberg founded First Marathon Inc, which was purchased in 1999 by the National Bank of Canada. He is a director of the National Bank and an advisor to National Bank Financial. His philanthropic contributions have included The Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto and the Frances Bloomberg Centre for Women's and Infants' Health at Mount Sinai Hospital. Mr. Bloomberg holds a B. Comm. from Sir George Williams University, a MBA from McGill University, and is a recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Concordia University and the University of Toronto. He has been awarded the Order of Ontario and The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award. Mr. Bloomberg was appointed Ryerson University's fourth Chancellor on October 19, 2012 |
 Chair, PHYLLIS YAFFE Board Appointee Phyllis Yaffe is Chair of the Board of Directors of Cineplex Entertainment and Lead Director on the Board of Torstar Corporation. She is also a member of the Board of Astral Media Inc. and Lionsgate. One of her numerous community appointments include Chairperson, Women Against Multiple Sclerosis. Ms. Yaffe is the former Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. She was selected as the Canadian Women in Communications 1999 Woman of the Year and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Women in Film and Television in 2000. Ms. Yaffe was appointed to the Ryerson Board of Governors in 2005, was elected Vice Chair of the Board in 2007 and Chair of the Board in 2010. |
Nadir Mohamed is President and Chief Executive Officer of Rogers Communications Inc. Previous to this he was President and Chief Operating Officer of the Communications Group of Rogers Communications Inc. and before that President and Chief Executive Officer of Rogers Wireless. Before joining Rogers he held senior roles at Telus Communications and B.C.Telecom. Mr. Mohamed is on the Board of Rogers Communications and TD Financial Group as well as a member of the World Presidents' Organization. He was appointed to the Ryerson University Board of Governors in 2007 and re-appointed for a second term in 2010. In November 2011 he was appointed Vice Chair of the Board of Governors. |
 President & Vice-Chancellor, SHELDON LEVY Ex-Officio Sheldon Levy is President and Vice Chancellor of Ryerson University. He received a master's degree in Mathematics and a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) from York University. Previous post-secondary appointments include Vice President, Finance and Strategy, University of Ontario Institute of Technology; Vice President, Government and Institutional Relations, University of Toronto; President, Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology; and Vice President, Institutional Affairs, York University. Dr. Levy's current Board and Committee appointments include Chair, Council of Ontario Universities; Board of Directors, Innovation Institute of Ontario; Advisory Council, Toronto Region Research Alliance; Board of Directors, Toronto East General Hospital; Steering Committee, Diversity: The Toronto Leadership Project (Toronto City Summit Alliance); Honorary Board of Directors, Greater Toronto Marketing Authority; and Chair of the Education Sector, 2009 Campaign Cabinet, United Way of Greater Toronto. |
MOHAMMAD AL ZAIBAK |
Pouria Ataei was elected to Ryerson University's Board of Governors in 2011 for a three year term. Mr. Ataei graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pouria received an award of academic excellence from Ryerson University. He then pursed his master degree in Medical Physics and Radiation Sciences at McMaster University, where he was elected as the graduate student representative on McMaster's Board of Governors. He also held a seat on the Finance Committee of McMaster University. Pouria Ataei is a co-founder of Advanced Education, a non-profit organization which trains Canadian high school Students to become leaders of tomorrow. |
Carrie-Ann J. Bissonnette is the Manager of the Digital Media Zone (DMZ). She was appointed to the Board of Governors in 2012 for a two-year term. Ms. Bissonnette has worked at Ryerson for 12 years, contributing her energy and professionalism to advocating for both the university and its students. From 2006 to 2011, she served as the Special Assistant in the Office of the President at Ryerson University, where she was instrumental in the success of many initiatives and projects, including the prestigious honorary doctorate celebrations. Previous to that, she worked in the office of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment. Ms. Bissonnette is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Business Incubation (CABI) and also works as an educationalist, mentor and workshop facilitator for la Fédération de la Jeunesse Franco-Ontarienne, a French-Canadian organization which hosts leadership development training and workshops for Franco-Ontarian youth. |
 JACK COCKWELL Government Appointee Jack Cockwell was re-appointed to the Ryerson Board of Governors in 2005 and was appointed Vice Chair from 2006-07. In 2012 he was re-appointed to a third three-year term. He previously served on the Board from 1995 to 2001. In June 2001 he received a Doctor of Laws, (honoris causa) from York University and in June 2004 he was awarded a Doctor of Commerce, (honoris causa) from Ryerson University. In 2009 he was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. Mr. Cockwell is Group Chairman of Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and serves in a voluntary capacity on a number of community organization boards including as a Heritage Governor at the Royal Ontario Museum, Chairman of Brookfield Partners Foundation, Governor of Trails Youth Initiatives and a Director of Waterfront Toronto. He has also chaired the Building Fundraising Committee for the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education and Ryerson's Real Estate Advisory Committee. |
Jocelyne Côté-O'Hara is President of The CORA Group, a strategy and communication consultancy. She was the Founding President and CEO of Stentor Telecom Policy Inc., a telecom alliance company. Ms. Côté-O'Hara was appointed to the Board of Governors in 2005, re-appointed for a second three-year term in 2008 and a third three-year term in 2011. She has held several executive posts in both the public and private sector and has an extensive background in governance serving on corporate and community boards including Manitoba Tel, Xerox Canada, The BEST Fund, MITACS (NCE) Northern Trust Canada The Canada Games Council and the Commonwealth Games Association of Canada. She has recently completed a three year term on the RCMP Reform Implementation Council and continues to serve on the Internal Audit Committee of the Federal Office of the Privacy Commissioner. Ms Côté-O'Hara has received several awards including the APEX Federal Public Service Award and was named Woman of the Year by Canadian Women in Communications. Ms. O'Hara is a recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal and was named a member of the Order of Canada on December 30, 2011. |
MITCH FRAZER Mitch Frazer is a Partner and Chair of the Pension and Employment Group at Torys LLP. He was appointed to Ryerson’s Board of Governors in 2012 for a three year term. Mitch is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Vice-Chair of the North York General Hospital Foundation Board of Governors, a member of the Toronto French School Finance Committee and a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Ontario Science Centre. In 2008 he was named by Lexpert Magazine as one of Canada's leading lawyers under 40, in 2010 he was the recipient of Precedent Magazine’s Precedent Setter Award and Wilfrid Laurier University’s MBA Outstanding Executive Leadership Award and in 2011 he was the recipient of the North York General Hospital Foundation Chair’s Award and the University of Western Ontario Law School’s Ivan Rand Alumni Award. |
J Janice Fukakusa is RBC's Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer. As a member of RBC's Group Executive, she is one of nine executives responsible for setting the overall strategic direction of RBC. In addition, she chairs Group Operating Committee, responsible for enabling the integration of governance and overseeing the day to day functional, operating and technology activities across RBC. Prior to her current role, Ms. Fukakusa was Executive Vice-President, Finance. Her various roles and responsibilities included Vice-President, Portfolio Management, Senior Vice-President, Multinational Banking, Chief Internal Auditor, and Executive Vice-President, Specialized Services, RBC Banking. Since joining RBC in 1985, she has held positions in retail and business banking, corporate banking, account management, corporate finance, treasury, strategic development and corporate functions. Ms. Fukakusa is a director of various RBC subsidiaries, including RBC Europe Limited, and Symcor Inc. She serves on a number of professional and charitable organizations including Wellspring Cancer Support, Princess Margaret Hospital, Ryerson University and Schulich School of Business. In addition, Ms. Fukakusa has earned the designation of FCA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, and in 2007 she was inducted into Canada's Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame. Prior to joining the bank, Ms. Fukakusa worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP where she obtained the professional designations of chartered accountant and chartered business valuator. Ms. Fukakusa obtained her Bachelor of Arts from University of Toronto and holds a Master of Business Administration from Schulich School of Business. |
BRANKA HALILOVIC |
 CHRISTOPHER HILKENEBoard Appointee Christopher Hilkene is the President of Hilkene International Policy, a niche public policy consultancy in Toronto. He was appointed to the Ryerson University Board of Governors in 2008 and re-appointed for a second three year term in 2011. Mr. Hilkene is a member of numerous community organizations and has served on many non-profit boards and committees including Pollution Probe, the Clean Water Foundation, the George and Helen Vari Foundation, the Ontario Environmental Industry Association, Riversides Foundation and the City of Toronto’s Task Force to Bring Back the Don. He also serves as an advisory board member of Green Living Enterprises. He was a policy advisor to a former federal Minister of the Environment and in 2007 was appointed to the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy. Mr Hilkene also teaches environmental policy at York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies. |
George Thomas Kapelos is an Associate Professor in the Department of Architectural Science at Ryerson University, where he has been teaching since 2000. In 2012 he was elected to Ryerson’s Board of Governors for a two-year term. He is a licensed architect and planner and holds degrees from Yale University and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. George Thomas Kapelos was Chair, Department of Architectural Science from 2002 to 2007. In 2007 he was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. |
Stephen Kassim is a fifth year Politics and Governance student minoring in Professional Communication. He was elected by students to the Board of Governors for a one year term for 2012/2013. He was formerly the Prime Minister of the Politics and Governance Students’ Association, was the sole student member on the Mattamy Athletic Centre Content Committee, and previously sat on Project-Funds Allocation Committee for Students (P-FACs) and a number of other committees. He currently serves on the Steering Committee for TEDxRyersonU. He was the 2012 recipient of the Ryerson Athletics Male Excellence in Leadership Award for his work with the Ryerson Rams. Stephen is passionate about collaboration and engagement and is involved in variety of leadership initiatives across campus. |
Michèle Maheux is the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for Toronto International Film Festival and has been with the organization for more than two decades. She has been a driving force within TIFF and is responsible through the Vice-Presidents for all business and operations of the $35 million cultural organization. Maheux’s leading priorities are the organization's operational needs and plans, including key operational activities in TIFF Bell Lightbox, the new year-round home for the organization. She has served for the past three years as a jury member for the Women in Film & Television - Toronto (WIFT-T) Kodak New Vision Mentorship Award, and is a member of the annual Playback Hall of Fame Advisory Committee. She was named one of WXN Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women last year. In December 2008, Maheux was appointed to the Ryerson University Board of Governors and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Finance Committee. She was re-appointed in 2011 for another three-year term. |
Gerald Mak is a fourth year Business Technology Management major, Business Communications minor at the Ted Rogers School of Management. Gerald was elected to the Board of Governors in 2012 for a one year term. He is currently a Faculty Director of Business on the Ryerson Students' Union (RSU) and was re-elected for a third term as Director of Business Technology Management on the Ryerson Commerce Society (RCS). He received the most votes in all three elections in their respective categories. Prior to Ryerson, Gerald has worked and served on various boards and committees including the Toronto Police Service, City of Toronto, Toronto District School Board, Metrolinx, St. John Ambulance, Toronto Crime Stoppers, and Government of Ontario. Gerald is also a recipient of the Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers, Ted Rogers Forward 50 Leadership Award, Ontario Volunteer Service Award, City of Toronto - Green Toronto Award, Ted Rogers School of ITM - Award of Merit and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. |
RENA MENDELSON |
Angelo Pirosz is in his final year as an Accounting student at the Ted Rogers School of Management. He was elected to the Board of Governors in 2012 for a one year term. Angelo has held various leadership positions at the Ted Rogers School of Management including President, and VP Corporate Relations on the Ryerson Commerce Society, as well as being on the organizing committee for the Ted Rogers Management Conference. He has also been re-elected as the President of the Ryerson Commerce Society for the 2012-2013 term. In the future Angelo wishes to pursue a CA designation and engage in a career in Public Accounting or branch off into industry. |
KAAMRAN RAAHEMIFAR Kaamran Raahemifar joined Ryerson in 1999, and is currently a Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Ryerson University. He was elected to Ryerson's Board of Governors in 2011 for a two year term. In addition to serving on the Board, he is serving in the Senate as of 2010 for a two-year term. In 2011, he received the Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science Best Teaching Award. |
Ms. Rasoul graduated from Ryerson University in 2008 and received a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management with a double major in Accounting and Finance. Ms. Rasoul was elected to the Board of Governors in 2009 for a three-year term and relected again in 2012 for another three-year term. As an undergraduate Ms. Rasoul has held various leadership positions while at Ryerson, most notably as President of the Accounting Society. Ms. Rasoul received the Dennis Mock Student Leadership Award and has served on Senate 2009-2011 as an Alumni Representative. Ms. Rasoul is also on the Board of Directors at the Islamic Community of Afghans in Canada. |
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FRANK SALVATI |
Vice Chair, NADIR MOHAMED
POURIA ATAEI
CARRIE-ANN BISSONNETTE
JOCELYNE CÔTÉ-O'HARA, C.M. 
ANICE FUKAKUSA
GEORGE KAPELOS
STEPHEN KASSIM
MICHELE MAHEUX 
GERALD MAK
ANGELO PIROSZ
ATIFA RASOUL
BOB RICHARDS 
HARRY ROSEN 
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