Board of Directors

Paul Tufts has been an educator for 30 years. He leads Tufts Consulting and also works as a corporate trainer. He is currently the director and treasurer of the Agape Foundation of London, and the director of the Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health, and is a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute (ADRI) of Ontario. Paul is a former member of the senior leadership team for the Thames Valley District School Board.

Daniel Lang is a leading expert on university finance and governance in Canada with an impressive record of scholarly contributions. His current research focuses on university affiliation agreements. Daniel is frequently called upon by governments and university administrators for strategy and policy advice. He is a professor emeritus in the Department of Theory and Policy Studies at the University of Toronto, and a member of the U of T Sports Hall of Fame; U of T Scarborough Campus’ Dan Lang Field was named in his honour.

Peter Wilkinson, ’79 BA History, was, most recently, the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada, the Global Head of Regulatory & Public Affairs for Manulife and the Chief of Staff to the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty. He also held positions with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) and the Government of Ontario, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario; Hugh O’Neil, MPP for Quinte; and Scotia Bank.

Dr. Nonie Brennan ’84 holds a Doctor of Business Administration from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management, an M.S. in Public Service from DePaul University and a B.A. in English and History from King’s University College at Western University. Nonie later served as a part-time faculty member at DePaul University.

Nonie co-launched Chicago’s Homelessness Prevention Call Center and in 2011, navigated an organizational merger with the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness creating All Chicago, Making Homelessness History. She was selected as the Chief Executive Officer of All Chicago where she served until her retirement in 2019. Under her guidance, All Chicago grew to become a national and internationally recognized leader in proven practices that prevent and end homelessness.

Nonie has received recognition for her visionary leadership through a Special Tribute from Michigan’s Governor John Engler and the Alumni of Distinction Award from King’s University College in 2015. In 2017, she received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Western University.

A healthcare executive, Sara De Candido is the Director of Innovation and Business Development with London Health Sciences Centre. She is skilled in business development, systems planning, and stakeholder and government relations management. De Candido is a coach for the Alliance FC Soccer Club, and a current board member with Meals on Wheels London. She is a member of Christ the King University Parish.

Ken is a retired health care executive who held senior leadership positions in a number of hospitals including academic health sciences centres and community hospitals. His executive roles included President/CEO, Chief Operating Officer, VP Finance/Chief Financial Officer, and Assistant Deputy Minister (Health System Performance and Accountability) in the Ontario Ministry of Health. He also completed projects for the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health including appointments, under provincial legislation, as an Inspector, Investigator, and Supervisor.   

Ken served on numerous boards in health care and social services, was a director on the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and the Board of Public Health Ontario, and completed the ICD-Rotman Director's Education Program. He currently serves on the Finance Committee for the Catholic Diocese of London. Ken is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CGA) and holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.

A graduate of King's University College in 1979 (BA) and 1982 (MDiv) and student at St. Peter's Seminary, Fr. Gary Ducharme was ordained a priest for the Diocese of London on May 7, 1983. He has served as parish priest in Windsor, Sarnia, Goderich and London. Currently, Fr. Gary is a member of the St. Peter's Seminary faculty, serving as a spiritual director and formator of seminarians.

Larry Frederick is a transformational leader, mentor, and coach with a track record of inspiring and motivating individuals to reach their full potential. Skilled in developing strategic plans, managing budgets, allocating resources, and fostering collaborative relationships, he is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment that embraces diversity. Larry is a professor of management at Fanshawe College. His education includes an Executive MBA from the University of Fredericton.

Vince MacDonald, Ph.D., is an instructor at Western University’s Faculty of Education, where he has received the Award of Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. He has also been awarded the Prime Minister’ Award for Teaching Excellence in Math, Science and Technology, and the United Way Perth-Huron’s Spirit of Community Award. Vince is a retired Director of Education for the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board.

Randolph Mank is a global business executive and a three-time former Canadian ambassador, with over 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors. He is currently President of MankGlobal Inc, supporting clients with business development, government relations, and representation services, and writes and speaks on foreign affairs. Randolph is a Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

Jean-Pierre Morris, MBA, is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for HSBC Private Investment Counsel (Canada). He brings a decade of senior financial sector management to the King’s Board. With a background that includes governance, operations and risk management, he is a diversified, strategic leader with broad experience working with cross-functional teams across Canada and globally. Jean-Pierre holds an MBA from University of Leicester and a Hon B.A., Managerial Economics from the University of Toronto, in addition to several other financial accreditations. He is an avid traveller, boater, golfer, sport and motorcycle enthusiast.

Houssam Mourad has extensive executive experience in the financial services industry with expertise in corporate finance, risk management, governance and compliance frameworks spanning a career of over 25 years. A native Londoner, Sam is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP), and is engaging with a practical approach to effecting positive change.

Ilona Niemi, PhD, is a global executive and advisor in financial services with a track record in strategic transformation initiatives, risk management, compliance oversight, and governance. Ilona spent over a decade in global compliance and international public affairs at Zurich Insurance Group in Switzerland and Canada. Prior to that, she held diverse management consulting and government relations roles in Europe and North America. Ilona serves on various advisory boards and organizations, including her co- chair role of industry groups at WomenExecs on Boards. She holds certificates in board governance, risk management, AI, and privacy, and is actively publishing and speaking on boards and compliance.

Michaela Therrien ’18 is an Urban Planner and Data & Outcomes Manager for the City of Detroit. She has worked for several different municipalities within Windsor-Essex County, where she focused on land-use policy, economic development and community development. Michaela holds an honours double major in Sociology and Disability Studies from King’s University College, and master’s degrees in Public Administration and Urban Planning from Wayne State University.

Braedan Lovie, a fourth-year Honours Specialization in Social & Political Thought, French Language & Literature, and Law & Public Policy student, is the president of the King’s University College Students’ Council (KUCSC) and is the student representative on the Board for the 2025-26 term. He was previously the executive assistant to the KUCSC President. He was also a member of King’s Academic Mentoring Program (KAMP), a faculty representative on the Council, and took on executive roles in several clubs.

Jessica Matthys is an Information Assistant at Cardinal Carter Library and has worked in academic and public libraries since 2016. She holds degrees from McMaster and Western universities and is currently completing her Master of Library & Information Science degree at Western. When she’s not at the library, Jess is usually lost in a good book or working on her many writing and art projects.

Dr. Jane Sanders is Associate Professor, Interim Director, and Graduate Program Chair at King’s School of Social Work. A child and family therapist with specialization in trauma treatment and children’s mental health. Jane brings 30+ years of social work experience across mental health, school, and child welfare settings. Her research focuses on trauma, adversity and mental health, and social work practice. She is the lead researcher for the SAFE Program and the Checking in at the Frontlines study, and teaches direct practice courses.

Chuck Scott is currently CEO of Ruck Lane, a Real Estate Venture Capital firm. Chuck has over 30 years of experience in the Global Commercial Real Estate sector including the last 15 years at Cushman and Wakefield where he was the CEO of the Global firm’s businesses in Canada and Latin America.

Based in Toronto, Chuck is a proud graduate of Kings University College (class of 1993) and sits on a variety of Boards including the Real Estate Advisory Board of the Lang Business School at the University of Guelph, Blackdog Real Estate, and Protego Whole Home Solutions.

Dr. Joseph Turnbull is an Associate Professor in King’s School of Management, Economics, and Mathematics, and the current Associate Director of Mathematics and Analytics and Decision Sciences (ADS). Joseph’s formal training is in applied mathematics, computational science, and theoretical physics; he currently has active projects in financial mathematics, condensed matter science, and mathematics education. In his free time, Joseph is most likely either with his spouse and kids, weightlifting, gardening, or finding some other excuse to be outdoors.

Dr. Ventresca, President, began his post-secondary career as a first-generation undergraduate student at King’s in 1989. He obtained is Ph.D. in History from the University of Toronto and returned to join the faculty at King’s in 2000. Since then, he has achieved teaching and research excellence, with numerous publications to his name. He is also a member (emeritus) of the College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists at the Royal Society of Canada.

Amna Wasty is the manager of King’s International, and has over eight years of experience in international higher education, specializing in student mobility, international student programming and support, immigration advising, cross-cultural competence and anti-racism advocacy. She holds an Honours BA in Management and Organizational Studies (HR Management) and MA in Sociology (Migration and Ethnic Relations) from Western University. She is also licensed as a Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor (RISIA) under the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. Amna sits on the King’s Anti-Racism Working Group and Employment Equity Committee, in addition to currently serving on the London Police Services Board’s Anti-Racism Advisory Panel.

Paul Wilton, ’07 BA, BEd, MPA, PhD (candidate), is the Manager, President’s Office and University Secretary. Paul is quickly becoming one of Canada’s experts in university governance through his doctoral work focusing on Laurentian University. Paul was named a Bertram Scholar at the Canadian Foundation for Governance Research and he studied not-for-profit governance at the Smith School of Business, Queen’s University.