Our Board

Nicole Stephenson

Chair

Nicole Stephenson is the founder of Stephenson Law Group™ with over 15 years of Canadian capital markets experience. Nicole practices corporate and securities law with a specific focus on corporate finance and capital raising initiatives for public and private companies, compliance and registration matters, and will and estate planning for entrepreneurs and business owners. She also advises senior management, boards of directors and shareholders on corporate governance, regulatory matters and business strategy.

Prior to founding Stephenson Law Group™, Nicole spent over twelve years at the Ontario Securities Commission, a Canadian stock exchange and in private practice at a corporate and securities law boutique.

Nicole holds a Juris Doctor from Queen’s University Faculty of Law and a Masters of Laws (Securities law) from Osgoode Hall Law School. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from York University.

Sally Harding

Treasurer

Sally Harding is the President & CEO of Nightingale Nursing Registry Ltd. Established in 1985, Nightingale Nursing is a Home-Health Care service provider, helping seniors and those recovering from illness or injury, remain independent at Home. Nightingale employs approximately 175 healthcare professionals including Registered Nurses, Personal Support Workers, Travel Immunization, and Foot Care Specialists. Under Sally’s leadership, the company has seen much innovation and growth with the introduction of two new services: Nightingale Home Maintenance providing lawn care, snow removal, & renovations (2012), and Nightingale Global VAX, providing immunizations to travelers (2015). In 2014, Nightingale opened a second office location in Cobourg.

In addition to 20 years of experience in Home Health Care, Sally is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA-CMA), (1998), a graduate of Brock University, Business Administration & Finance, and completed a Masters’s Certificate in Health Care Management from York University & Schulich School of Business. Sally also has much Board experience holding offices of Treasurer and subsequent Chair of the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the PRHC Hospital Foundation, and Vice Chair of the Ontario Home Care Association.

Sally has expertise in Finance, Accounting, Governance, Human Resources, Marketing, Quality Improvement, and Strategic Planning.

Sally is an active Rotarian for 14 years, hosted 10 Foreign Youth Exchange Students from around the World, and has helped to mentor the Habitat for Humanity Youth Council. In 2012, Sally was awarded “Business Women of the Year” for Peterborough, by The Examiner. Sally is married to Wayne Harding (CFO McCloskey International) and has two children ages 17 & 18.

Diane Richard

Secretary

Diane Richard is the Founder and President of Diatom Consulting and Professional Training Inc. and is an operations executive with more than 25 years of experience working with a diverse range of technologies and industries.

Diane became a volunteer Board Member to help build a better community for her children and future generations. Through her own experience, Diane understands how hard it can be to start and sustain a business venture and knows it takes a village to make this a reality. She feels entrepreneurship is a feeling and passion that is infectious when shared, and everyone benefits when they can participate and recharge their batteries.

As a Director, Diane’s number one goal is to look to the future and try to ensure that the Innovation Cluster has all the tools it needs to be successful.

Cathy Bruce

Director

Cathy Bruce is a Professor and the Dean of Education, Teaching, and Learning at the School of Education and Professional Learning at Trent University.

Prof. Cathy Bruce is an administrator who not only excels in research and innovation but also takes mentorship seriously. For the past 20 years, Professor Bruce has demonstrated her dedication to collaborative research and established herself as a leader in the field.

Prof. Bruce is responsible for creating a set of goals for the University’s academic research programs to establish stronger relationships between academic programming and research, increase current research efforts, and recognize new opportunities for interdisciplinary research.

At Trent University, she is responsible for managing all research as well as developing partnerships with the government, industry, and the surrounding community. Some of her priorities include supporting long-term care research, Cleantech Commons developments, and the EaRTH District projects.

Prof. Bruce holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto; an M.A. from OISE of the University of Toronto; and a B.A. and B.Ed. from York University.

Maureen Adamson

Director

Maureen Adamson is the President of Fleming College.

She has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the postsecondary, healthcare, government, and not-for-profit sectors.

Maureen was most recently the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport and the Deputy Minister of the Status of Women for the province of Ontario. She has also served as President and CEO of the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, as CEO of Cystic Fibrosis Canada, and as Vice-President of Corporate Services at Mohawk College.

Her volunteer work has included being the Chair of the Board of Directors of Research Canada, Vice-Chair and Commissioner for the Toronto Transit Commission, Director for the Toronto Central Community Care Access Centre, and Board Chair of the Scarborough Health Network.

Maureen holds a diploma in Business Administration from Fleming College, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Lakehead University, and an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. She completed the Director’s Education Program at the Rotman School of Management and the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a certified Director with the Institute of Corporate Directors of Canada

Maureen is a current Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education.

Burton Lee

Director

Burton Lee, the Director of Game Operations and Fan Experience for the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), has a rich history in the world of sports. He began his journey with the Peterborough Petes Hockey Club in August 2013 as the Director of Communications & Game Night Operations. His leadership and dedication led to his appointment as Executive Director of Business Operations in July 2015, a role he excelled in until the team’s crowning as 2023 OHL Champions.

Before joining the Petes, Burton held various positions in ticket sales, marketing, and fan relationship management with The Aspire Sports Management Group, the Sarnia Sting, and the 100th Grey Cup Champion Toronto Argonauts. These experiences built a foundation that he continues to draw upon in his current role with the PWHL, where he masterfully creates in-person fan experiences and engagement strategies across all team markets.

Educationally, Burton is well-equipped, holding an MBA in Sport Management from Southern New Hampshire University and a BA in Kinesiology & Phys. Ed. from Wilfrid Laurier University. His influence reaches beyond sports; he currently serves as the Board Chair for Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, contributing to his community’s growth.

Away from the excitement of the game, Burton finds joy in his personal life, residing in Douro-Dummer with his loving wife Heather and their two children. His story is one of passion, leadership, and unwavering commitment.

Christine Crandell

Director

Christine Crandell boasts 30 years of experience in business, strategy, and marketing, having collaborated with over 100 companies across North America, Europe, and Australia. She frequently speaks on experience-led growth and has garnered multiple industry awards. Christine has penned over 300 articles on topics like strategy, customer experience, sales, and marketing.

Christine is dedicated to guiding the upcoming generation of SaaS and B2B founders toward market success by capitalizing on her extensive experience. She perceives the region as being on the brink of a significant transformation and aspires to see it evolve into a nexus for entrepreneurship, particularly in clean tech, climate tech, and med tech.

To further the success of the Innovation Cluster, Christine is resolved to ensure that Peterborough and the Kawarthas persist in their innovative pursuits, act with immediacy, and consistently think outside the box.

Jason Wight

Director

Jason Wight is the Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Digital Innovation at Ontario Power Generation (“OPG”) as well as the Founder of ‘X-LAB.’, an innovation accelerator that fosters creative thinking across OPG, develops new revenue streams, and drives efficiency improvements. He began his career at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station in 2000, after graduating from McMaster University with a degree in Engineering Physics.

Jason is a staunch supporter of entrepreneurship in the Peterborough and Kawarthas region. He believes that fostering a culture of innovation is absolutely essential for driving economic growth and creating opportunities for individuals and businesses to thrive. He is excited about the possibility of making a positive impact in his community and is eager to work with dedicated entrepreneurs who share his passion for innovation.

Jason is an accomplished private pilot, who enjoys hockey, guitar, and relaxing at the cottage with his wife and daughter.

Charlie Atkinson

Director

Charlie Atkinson is the founder of The Winning Practice, a consultancy that provides results-inspired strategic excellence focusing on four key areas: people, partnerships, productivity, and profitability. Charlie established The Winning Practice in February of 2018 having retired from his position as President of the Canadian Division of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in September 2017.

Charlie has over 40 years of experience in building teams, growing businesses, merging companies, executing divestiture plans, optimizing P&Ls, restructuring, building culture and engagement plans, and balancing channel management strategy. He is always keen to share his knowledge and expertise.

Meet our BOARD

Board Member Application Form

Nicole Stephenson

Sally Harding

Diane Richard

Cathy Bruce

Maureen Adamson

Burton Lee

Christine Crandell

Jason Wight

Charlie Atkinson

Meet our BOARD

Board Member Application Form

Nicole Stephenson

Sally Harding

Diane Richard

Cathy Bruce

Maureen Adamson

Burton Lee

Christine Crandell

Jason Wight

Charlie Atkinson

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Nicole Stephenson

Chair

Sally Harding

Treasurer

Diane Richard

Secretary

Cathy Bruce

Director

Maureen Adamson

Director

Burton Lee

Director

Christine Crandell

Director

Jason Wight

Director

Charlie Atkinson

Director