Experience & Approach
What I bring to Council is experience in governance, complex organizations, municipal participation, community leadership and resident advocacy. What matters is how that experience would translate into the work of a Councillor.
Board governance
What I’ve done
I served for seven years on the board of LEADS Employment Services, including as Governance Chair, Vice-Chair and Board Chair.
I now serve on the board and Governance Committee of the Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital Foundation.
My board experience has included policy, organizational risk, leadership succession, long-term planning and accountability for follow-through.
What it means at Council
Good governance is different from day-to-day management. A Councillor should help set direction, understand risk, ask the questions required for a sound decision and hold the organization accountable without trying to do staff’s job.
Municipal advisory committees
What I’ve done
I previously served on the City of London Community Safety and Crime Prevention Advisory Committee and the Child Care Advisory Committee.
That work exposed me directly to public agendas, staff information, municipal mandates and the process of turning community perspectives into recommendations.
What it means at Council
It reinforced that good municipal work starts with understanding the issue, listening to different perspectives, knowing the limits of the mandate and turning concerns into practical recommendations that decision-makers can act on.
Professional work
What I’ve done
I am a Senior leader in a major consulting firm. I work with leaders, including senior public-sector and health-care leaders, on major organizational change.
My work requires understanding how a plan will actually be implemented: what needs to happen, who is affected, where risks exist, how responsibilities are divided and whether the organization is prepared to deliver.
I hold an MBA focused on Health Administration and an Honours BSc in Kinesiology from Western University.
What it means at Council
Municipal decisions need to work in practice, not simply sound good in a report. I am accustomed to testing assumptions, considering implementation risk, understanding trade-offs and asking what it will actually take to deliver a commitment.
Leadership over time
What I’ve done
I have spent many years with the 78th Fraser Highlanders, including serving as Pipe Major.
That role required preparation, high standards, difficult decisions, accountability to the group, developing other people and performing under pressure.
I also coach youth baseball, where preparation, fairness, communication and responsibility to players and families matter every week.
What it means at Council
Leadership is not simply having a title. It means being prepared, setting clear expectations, listening, making decisions when necessary and accepting responsibility for the result.
How I would approach the job
1.
Prepare before deciding
Read the report, understand the history, identify what is missing and know who has the authority to act.
2.
Test the plan
Ask what it will cost, what could delay it, who must deliver it and how Council will know whether it worked.
3.
Govern without micromanaging
Set direction, check progress and respect municipal staff’s responsibility for day-to-day administration.
4.
Make concerns actionable
Listen first, define the decision residents need and use the right process to pursue it.
5.
Close the loop
Track commitments, communicate the next step and explain delays or limits rather than leaving residents guessing.