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.

Reema Ibrahim is an audit executive at a Canadian bank.

She held the Chief Internal Auditor role at a Canadian insurance company from June 2021 through August 2023. Prior to this role, she was a Partner in KPMG’s Risk Consulting practice and had launched her career with Deloitte LLP in the Assurance and Advisory practice.

Reema has over twenty years of experience providing assurance and advisory services to clients in the financial services industry. She worked with Canadian banks’ corporate treasury, wealth management, retail and commercial banking, and capital markets platforms. She helped clients, working directly with the business office of the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Risk Officer, and Chief Internal Auditor to build governance frameworks, design risk management programs, and conduct assurance and remediation engagements with respect to emerging risks and regulations.

In her current role, Reema oversees the global functions audit portfolio including Group Risk Management, Finance, HR, Brand, Marketing and Communication, Law, Compliance and Corporate Strategy.

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.

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.

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.

Mark Santandrea is an experienced educational leader currently serving as an Executive Superintendent of Education with the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB). Mark has spent 30 years with the LDCSB, as a teacher, Vice Principal, Principal and Superintendent. With extensive experience in system leadership, strategic planning, and organizational improvement, he has dedicated his career to advancing student achievement, well-being, and equitable outcomes. Mark has been recognized for building strong partnerships with educators, community organizations and stakeholders to support innovation and excellence in education. Mark is the author of The Best of Both Worlds: A History of King's College as a Catholic Post-Secondary Institution in Ontario (1998) and a proud King's University College alumnus.

Brandon Csendes, '08 is a higher education professional with more than 15 years of experience in student recruitment, admissions, retention, academic advising, and teaching. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Western University, an Honours BA from King's University College, a Certificate in Career and Academic Advising from the University of Calgary, and the Canadian Human Resource Professional (CHRP) designation.  Brandon's academic interests focus on the relationship between government policy in higher education and its impact on university operations, governance, and student success. He is passionate about advancing student success through thoughtful policy creation, strategic planning, and collaborative leadership.

Breandén Dunn is entering his fifth year at King's University College, pursuing an Honours Specialization in English Language and Literature with a Major in Criminology. He serves as President of the King's University College Students' Council (KUCSC), where he advocates for the student body and works to strengthen student engagement and campus life. Previously, as President of the King's English Association (KEATS), Breandén led the revitalization of the organization by rebuilding its executive team and expanding academic and community programming, significantly increasing student participation. His experiences in student leadership have reinforced his commitment to the values of a liberal arts education, fostering intellectual curiosity, meaningful dialogue, and an engaged campus community. As a member of the Board of Directors, he is dedicated to ensuring that the student perspective contributes to the continued growth and mission of King's.

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.

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.

Paul Wilton, ’07 BA, BEd, MPA, PhD, is King’s University Secretary and Senior Executive Officer. Paul is 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.