Board of Directors

MediaSmarts is governed by an elected, volunteer Board of Directors, which includes representatives of leading media companies and stakeholder sectors, including education, libraries, and community and youth-serving organizations.

Executive Committee 2022 - 2023

Chair
David Fowler

Treasurer
Mara Tramontin
Director, Program Business Management
TVO

Kevin Chan
Global Policy Campaign Strategies Director
Meta Platforms

Members-at-Large

Michael Hoechsmann
Associate Professor
Lakehead University

Nathalie Bourdon
Director, Distribution & Market Development
National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Board Members 2022 - 2023

Ruby Barber
Assistant General Counsel, Legal & Regulatory Affairs
Bell Canada

Lindsay Doyle 
Government Affairs and Public Policy 
Google Canada 

Nana aba Duncan 
Associate Professor 
Carleton University 

Nina Duque 
Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) 

Steve de Eyre
Director of Public Policy & Government Affairs
TikTok Canada

Vera Houle 
Director of Community Relations 
Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) 

Nimtaz Kanji
Director – TELUS Wise and Connecting for Good
Telus Communications Inc.

Suzanne Morin
Past Chair 2016-2021
Vice President, Enterprise Conduct, Data Ethics and Chief Privacy Officer
Sun Life

Ramona Pringle
Associate Professor of Media and Director of The Creative Innovation Studio
Ryerson University

Official Observers 2021 - 2022

Nanao Kachi
Director, Social and Consumer Policy
Consumer, Research and Communications
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)

Past Board Members

Mary Cavanagh 
2012-2022 

Sam Hammond 
2021-2022 

Monika Ille 
2020-2022 

Normand Landry 
2018-2022 

Colin McKay 
2012-2022 

Biographies of Board Members

Ruby Barber (first elected to the Board in 2017)
Ruby is Assistant General Counsel, Legal & Regulatory Affairs, at Bell Canada and is based in Ottawa. She joined Bell in 1997 and has a broad range of legal and regulatory experience with telecom issues. She is currently responsible for privacy and compliance. Previously, she managed Bell Canada’s consumer legal team which on a day to day basis addresses legal issues impacting Bell’s customers, including the Wireless Code of Conduct. Prior to that, she supported the Mergers & Acquisitions team at Bell as Assistant General Counsel, M&A.

Before joining Bell, Ruby was an associate at Fasken Martineau in Toronto practising corporate and securities law. She is a graduate of Queen’s University (Honours Politics) and Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1991.

Nathalie Bourdon (first elected to the Board in 2021)
Nathalie is an MBA-certified marketing and communications consultant, and has the rare distinction of holding MBAs from both the Université de Montréal (HEC) and McGill University. She is a recognized leader in the distribution industry, having spent the last 25 years specializing in this area.

Nathalie was the VP Business Development of the EverApp. She has served as President of FarMore Distribution, a full-service television format and ready-to-air international distributor. She then spent 12 years at the internationally-acclaimed Just for Laughs as Director of International Sales and Senior Director of Development and Acquisitions.

Nathalie worked as an Executive Producer on Têtes à Claques, which produced more than 500 clips and 39 half hours of animation. These clips garnered over 750 million views. She was a board member for three multimedia companies and a jury member for the IEMMY Awards. She regularly hosted comedy juries at the annual Banff World Media Festival.

Nathalie knows how to put forth a creator’s vision within an evolving international market. The production knowledge and expertise in overseeing a project from beginning to end, including post-production, is essential in planning the globalization of a brand. She now works at National Film Board of Canada as head of Sales (all territories, all platforms and Educational), Archives and Customer Service.

Nathalie Bourdon, an MBA-certified marketing and communications consultant, has the rare distinction of holding MBAs from both the Université de Montréal (HEC) and McGill University. She is a recognized leader in the distribution industry, having spent the last 25 years specializing in this area.

Nathalie was the VP Business Development of the EverApp. She has served as President of FarMore Distribution, a full-service television format and ready-to-air international distributor. She then spent 12 years at the internationally-acclaimed Just for Laughs as Director of International Sales and Senior Director of Development and Acquisitions.

Nathalie worked as an Executive Producer on Têtes à Claques, which produced more than 500 clips and 39 half hours of animation. These clips garnered over 750 million views. She was a board member for three multimedia companies and a jury member for the IEMMY Awards. She regularly hosted comedy juries at the annual Banff World Media Festival.

Nathalie knows how to put forth a creator’s vision within an evolving international market. The production knowledge and expertise in overseeing a project from beginning to end, including post-production, is essential in planning the globalization of a brand. She now works at National Film Board of Canada as head of Sales (all territories, all platforms and Educational), Archives and Customer Service.

Kevin Chan (first elected to the Board in 2015)

Kevin Chan is Director of Global Policy Campaigns Strategy, engaging on a broad range of issues that impact the Internet sector.

Previously he was Deputy Secretary-General of McGill University and a Non-Residential Fellow at Stanford’s Center for Internet and Society. Earlier he served in executive roles in the federal public service.

Kevin sits on the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada and the Dean’s Council at Ryerson’s Ted Rogers School of Management.

He graduated from Harvard Kennedy School, the Ivey Business School and the Royal Conservatory of Music, and is a recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Lindsay Doyle (first elected to the Board in 2022) 

Lindsay Doyle (she/her) is on the Government Affairs and Public Policy team at Google Canada. She is passionate about tech policy and supporting the industry's broader efforts to promote equitable economic growth, innovation and most importantly, user trust and safety.  

At Google, Lindsay focuses on key policy issues such as combating online harms and disinformation; AI/quantum; payments and financial services; international trade and taxation. She also works closely with Google.org, the company's philanthropic arm, in prioritizing key partnerships with not-for-profit and charitable organizations across Canada.  

Lindsay graduated from Trinity College at the University of Toronto with a degree in International Relations and Political Science while also working as a researcher at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She was a co-founder of the Canadian Advocacy Network and is on the Advisory Board of the Master of Public Policy Program at McMaster University. 

Nana aba Duncan (first elected to the Board in 2022) 

Nana aba Duncan is an associate professor and the inaugural Carty Chair in Journalism, Diversity and Inclusion at Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communications. Her new course Journalism and Belonging focuses on how diversity/equity/inclusion/belonging affects journalism practice and society, and encourages self-reflection and strategies for more inclusive storytelling. Currently, Nana aba is focused on launching the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging, a research centre which advocates, supports and participates in inclusive and belonging-focused journalism in Canada. 

Before joining Carleton, Nana aba was a host and producer at CBC Radio for 15 years, with her last position being the host of Fresh Air, a weekend morning show. Nana aba is also the co-founder of Media Girlfriends, a podcast production company that supports more perspectives in news media. Nana aba got her master of journalism degree from University of Western Ontario. 

Nina Duque (first elected to the Board in 2022) 

Nina Duque, B.A. journalism (université Laval), M.A. media studies (UQAM), is a PhD researcher and lecturer in the Department of Social and Public Communication at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). Her work focuses on youth cultures and digital media practices. She is a member of the Centre de recherche sur la communication et la santé (ComSanté), the UQAM Research Chair on the uses of digital technologies, the Réseau de recherches sur le numérique, the Laboratoire de communication sur le numérique (LabCMO) and the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie (CIRST). 

Before returning to academia, Nina worked in the television industry as a journalist, line producer and producer for more than 15 years, notably for Radio-Canada, TQS, and MusiquePlus. During these years, she developed a keen interest in youth media practices and culture. Accordingly, her academic research program is anchored in a firm a desire to give youths a voice, space and place to discuss their media and digital practices. Nina is a proud mother of two daughters who, along with her partner, lives and works in downtown Montreal. 

Steve de Eyre (first elected to the Board in 2021) 
Steve de Eyre is the Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs for TikTok Canada, where he works with all levels of government to share TikTok’s commitment to user safety and privacy, and to demonstrate how Canadians are using TikTok to create, share, and find uniquely Canadian content online. Prior to joining TikTok in 2020, he was Head of Public Policy at Amazon.ca from 2016 to 2020, where he established and led Amazon’s government relations team for Canada. 

Steve has extensive experience in internet and technology policy, international and digital trade, and Canada-US relations. He previously served at the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. as the representative for Innovation, Science & Economic Development. 

Steve serves on the Boards of Sheridan College and MediaSmarts. He holds a B.A. (Honours) in Political Studies from Bishop’s University, where he was named a “Top 10 after 10” alumni in 2019; and J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law (Cleveland, Ohio), where he served as a Senior Fellow with the Canada-United States Law Institute. He resides in Oakville, Ontario with his wife and two children. 

David Fowler (first elected to the Board in 2012)
David Fowler has recently retired as Vice-president, Marketing and Communications at the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), the organization that manages .CA, Canada’s Internet domain. He was responsible for developing and implementing the organization’s marketing and communications strategies. This included providing executive leadership for all corporate communications/advertising programs, managing the .CA product and channel relationships.

Michael Hoechsmann (first elected to the Board in 2012)
Michael Hoechsmann is an Associate Professor and the Chair of Education Programs at Lakehead University, Orillia. He is co-editor and co-author of several media education titles including The Handbook of Media Education Research (IAMCR-Wiley, 2021), and Media Literacies: A Critical Introduction (Wiley, 2012; 2nd Edition in 2023). 

Vera Houle (first elected to the Board in 2022) 

As Director of Community Relations, Vera continues to strengthen APTN’s relationship with its viewers and audiences through direct communication with communities at a grassroots level. Through bringing communities together, the network will become the medium through which we will engage to learn from each other, interact and share our stories. 

Vera started out as a wordsmith of sorts; she graduated from Red River College with a Journalism diploma and has nearly 25 years of experience in broadcasting. She’s worn many hats at CTV and APTN as well as at the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. Vera held the role of Executive Producer of APTN National News starting in 2005, where she swiftly made the move to Director of News and Current Affairs from 2005 to January 2012, when she accepted an appointment as Director of Community Relations. Vera’s a proud member of Manitoba’s Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation and speaks Ojibway fluently. 

Nanao Kachi (first appointed to the Board in 2012)
Nanao Kachi is the Director of Social and Consumer Policy at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), a position he has held since 2012. The mandate of Mr. Kachi’s team encompasses both telecommunications and broadcasting elements. His team is responsible for a diverse array of files, from the Wireless Code to cultural diversity, closed captioning, video relay service (VRS), Described Video, the establishment of the Broadcasting Participation Fund and the Broadcasting Accessibility Fund. Mr. Kachi began his career at the CRTC in 2003 as a senior analyst working on television related issues, including closed captioning and described video.

Nimtaz Kanji (first elected to the Board in 2018)
Nimmi Kanji is the Director for the TELUS Wise, a free educational program offered by TELUS that seeks to empower Canadians to stay safe in our digital world.  She started her career at TELUS nineteen years ago, while she was a student at the University of Calgary.  After graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and prior to leading TELUS Wise, she spent several years in TELUS Business Marketing. Nimmi is passionate about smartphone and online safety and is eager to help curb cyberbullying.

Suzanne Morin (first elected to the Board in 2008, Past Chair 2016-2021)
As Vice-President, Enterprise Conduct, Data Ethics and Chief Privacy Officer, Suzanne is responsible for overall privacy leadership at Sun Life and its subsidiaries worldwide. Her mandate includes the company’s Code of Conduct program and evolving standards for ethical use of data. Suzanne’s prior roles include leading the legal team in Quebec and compliance for IT.

Before joining Sun Life in 2015, Suzanne spent more than 20 years working in the communications industry, for businesses such as Bell Canada and BlackBerry.

A passionate believer in giving back to the community, Suzanne is actively involved with many organizations including the Canadian Bar Association’s National Privacy and Access Law Section and MediaSmarts, a leader in media and digital literacy. Suzanne served as an appointed member of the Board of the Standards Council of Canada for over a decade.

Suzanne has appeared before parliamentary and legislative committees, speaks frequently at Canadian and international conferences, and is an Advisory Board Member and occasional contributor to the Internet and E-commerce Law in Canada and the Canadian Privacy Law Review.

Suzanne is always physically active, walking and working in the yard, loves jigsaw puzzles and coffee. She has a son and husband and divides her time between Ottawa and Montreal.

Ramona Pringle (first elected to the Board in 2020)
Ramona Pringle is an Associate Professor in the RTA School of Media at Ryerson University, and Director of The Creative Innovation Studio, a creative network comprised of multiple incubators, including the Transmedia Zone, Design Fabrication Zone, and Fashion Zone, as well as the Global Campus Studio, a unique digital studio devoted to fostering international co-productions through the use of contemporary collaboration tools. 

As a writer, producer, researcher and journalist, Ramona’s work examines the evolving relationship between humans and technology. She is a technology analyst and columnist for CBC, where she tackles current affairs and explores the impact of technology and social media on all aspects of people’s lives, from work to relationships.

Ramona was the writer and director of the interactive documentary “Avatar Secrets, the interactive producer of PBS Frontline’s “Digital Nation,” and editor in chief of “Rdigitalife,” and has edited and guest edited several “IEEE” publications.

Ramona’s projects have been featured at festivals and conferences including i-docs, Power to the Pixel, TFI Interactive, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Hot Docs, SXSW, NXNE, Social Media Week, TEDx, and in publications including the New York Times, Mashable, Cult of Mac and the Huffington Post. She is a member of the City of Toronto Film, Television and Digital Media Board, and the Chair of Interactive Ontario’s Emerging Talent Committee.

Ramona has a Master’s Degree from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.

Mara Tramontin (first elected to the Board in 2017)
Having worked in or supported almost all areas of TVO, has a depth of knowledge and breadth of experience at the level of senior management. Her career at TVO has spanned production, operations management, finance, administration and human resources. Mara played an integral part in transforming TVO from an over the air broadcaster to the multi-platform digital organization that it is today, focused on Digital Education and Current Affairs & Documentaries. Mara is a graduate of the Schulich School of Business at York University. Mara was instrumental in two projects that recently won innovation awards.

Celebrating Exceptional Learning and Development Professionals (Canadian Society for Training and Development Professionals): TVO in partnership with OCAD University developed an innovative program that empowered employees to embrace continual change and created a digital mindset to “future proof” TVO.

Innovatio Award Celebrating In-House Innovation (Canadian Lawyer Magazine): TVO developed a content and program rights system to track media content deals from development to distribution. This innovation successfully moved beyond a simple rights database to a customizable reporting tool that facilitated reiterations of existing products as part of a more sustainable business model.