DDD's Canadian Expert Resources (CERs)
At the heart of DDD’s success lies a pool of outstanding experts in the field of democratic development. Here are just a few of the amazing Canadians who have shared their expertise with developing country partners on behalf of DDD.
Naomi Alboim: Strengthening Foreign Policy Planning and Development in IndonesiaNaomi Alboim is a fellow, adjunct professor, and Chair of the Policy Forum at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University as well as a Senior Fellow with the Maytree Foundation. She has worked at senior levels in the federal and Ontario governments for twenty-five years, including eight years as deputy minister in three portfolios. Naomi is also an active public policy consultant, advising governments and NGOs across Canada and abroad. She has done development work with governments in the Eastern Caribbean, Ghana and Vietnam, focusing on enhancing policy capacity and gender-based analysis. She is a member of the Order of Ontario and a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Gold Medal for public service. Naomi provides expertise as a Canadian expert with a Deployment for Democratic Development initiative in Indonesia.
Ian Alexander: Strengthening Media Governance in GuyanaIan Alexander was, for 25 years, a CBC/Radio-Canada on-air host, programming head and senior executive. After leaving broadcasting in 2007, Ian established his own consulting practice focusing on strategic planning, communications counsel and organizational development. He has since worked as a consultant, trainer and facilitator on projects in Canada and abroad. Ian worked in Guyana, as a Canadian expert resource with a Deployment for Democratic Development initiative. Ian notes that IPAC’s work in Guyana is important, especially since, “media freedom and responsibility go hand in hand, and are essential to informed citizenship. This requires a stable, transparent, inclusive media governance regime.” Ian completed all but the dissertation requirements for a PhD in English Literature from the University of Toronto, where he is now an Associate Senior Fellow of Massey College. He is currently pursuing MA studies in Conflict Analysis and Management at Royal Roads University.
Bernard Boudreau: Protecting and Managing the Environment for Sustainable Development in RwandaBorn in New Brunswick, Bernard Boudreau has two decades experience working internationally in environment, water management and agriculture. Shortly after completing his B.Sc. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Laval in 1980, Bernard entered international development through a three-year assignment managing the construction of deep wells in Cameroon. Since then, he has worked on dozens of projects around the world, including a three-year assignment in New Delhi, India directing a $92 million bilateral program for the India Canada Environment Facility. Bernard was deployed to Rwanda to provide expertise for a Deployment for Democratic Development Initiative. In describing his work in Rwanda, Bernard said, “the consultation process used in developing practical environmental tools with my colleagues from Rwanda will make these tools more effective.” Bernard has a Master’s in Business Administration and Environmental Sciences.
Norma Chhab Alperin: Improving the Quality of Official National Statistics in BoliviaBorn in Buenos Aires, Norma Chhab Alperin was head of the Statistics and Analysis Unit of the Central Bank of Argentina. She is an expert in time series analysis and prices and has participated in many technical assistance missions to South America, Europe, China and the Caribbean. She has been working at Statistics Canada since 1992, where she was Chief of the Time Series Research and Analysis Centre. In 2004 she was appointed Regional Operation Manager for South America of the International Comparison Program (ICP). The ICP was a World Bank initiative involving national, regional and international agencies aimed at producing internationally comparable purchasing power parities. In 2008, Norma became Chief of the Government Allowance Indexes Section at the Consumer Prices Division. She holds a Master’s degree in Statistics. Norma was deployed as an expert resource to Bolivia for a Deployment for Democratic Development initiative.
Brenda Cooke: Implementing Jordan's Educational Reform ModelBrenda Cooke brings more than thirty years of international and Canadian experience to DDD. She had an impressive career as a public servant and president of two colleges in Canada. She then worked in Jordan, India, Yemen and Sri Lanka on educational reform projects, and resided in Jordan as the Ministry of Labour’s in-house consultant from May to August 2008.
"It’s wonderful to be part of a national sector-wide reform project. I’m especially proud of being able to bring Canada’s experience in building a robust college system to bear on the reform efforts here in Jordan."
Yvon Dandurand: Strengthening Ethiopia's Criminal Justice SystemYvon Dandurand is a criminologist, Associate Vice-President of Research and Graduate Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley, and Senior Associate of the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy. Yvon began his career as a parole and after-care officer in Ontario, then worked with the Department of Justice Canada. He has authored many books and book chapters and has served on UN expert committees on the issues of violence against women, restorative justice, terrorism, and organized crime. “Being able to respond in a timely manner to the urgent need for advice and support expressed by the Ethiopian government made a huge difference in supporting the local movement for criminal justice reforms.” Yvon holds a MA in Criminology and completed all but the dissertation requirement for a Doctorate in criminology. He was a Canadian expert deployed to Ethiopia to share his skills and knowledge for a Deployment for Democratic Development initiatve.
David C. Elder: Strengthening Foreign Affairs Policy in IndonesiaDavid C. Elder is a Fellow in the School of Policy Studies and Adjunct Professor in the Master of Public Administration program at Queen’s University. Beginning his 30-year career with the Public Service of Canada as a Foreign Service Officer, David’s contributions included serving as Assistant Secretary to Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office of Canada and Acting Director General, Economic Policy Bureau, External Affairs and International Trade. Since leaving the Public Service in 2004, he has provided advice and expertise on policy development and public administration reform in Indonesia, Ukraine, Russia, Benin, Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. David provides expertise and knowledge for a Deployment for Democratic Development initiative in Indonesia.
Christian Gohel: Supporting the International Observation of Guinea Bissau’s Presidential ElectionsChristian Gohel is a project coordinator and technical advisor in electoral management. Since 1989, he has been an Electoral Officer with the Directeur général des élections du Québec, and is responsible for the Westmount-St-Louis riding. When not needed in Quebec, Christian supervises elections abroad, in Guinea Bissau, Haiti, and Ivory Coast. Christian was a Canadian expert deployed to Guinea Bissau for a Deployment for Democratic Development (DDD) initiative. In describing his work with IPAC’s CIDA-funded DDD project in Guinea Bissau, Christian observed: “This project made me realize that our contribution would deeply and beneficially impact the hope for a better life for thousands of people that I would never meet. Although the situation was volatile at first, the common will to overcome the country’s distress ended up with one of the best elections I ever took part in.” He studied Political Science (International Relations-security and defense policies) at the Université de Montréal.
Mary Gusella: Strengthening Tanzania's Ethics and Conflict of Interest Legislation and Changing Public Service Behaviour – Social Marketing Campaign in TanzaniaMary Gusella, Chair of the Board of the Commission for Complaints for Telecommunications Services, has experience as a Deputy Minister, Head of Agency, CEO of a Crown Corporation and Chair of a bi-national organization. In three decades of public service, Mary served as Deputy Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship and Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission. Mary was a Canadian expert working in Tanzania with a Deployment for Democratic Development initiative. Of her international development work with IPAC, Mary observes, “I have seen that as public servants we have a skill set that can also advance the public good outside Canada.” Mary holds a degree in Law from the University of Ottawa. She is the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Outstanding Achievement Award and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and has been inducted into the Honour Society of the University of Ottawa Law School.
Pierre Martineau: Results-based Management (RBM) Training in Cameroon and Improving the Management of Public Finances in MaliAfter 25 years in the public service, Pierre Martineau opted for a change of scenery. He moved to Bamako, Mali for a three year assignment with a Canadian management consulting firm, as the director of a tax modernization project. He has since worked in emerging or developing countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa on projects ranging from strategic advice and risk evaluation to organizational design and development. Pierre now teaches Project Management, Programme Evaluation and Results-Based Management at the University of Ottawa. He collaborated with Marc Flamand to author La Gestion Globale, bâtir une organisation performante, responsable et compétitive (1999). Pierre has an MBA and a Master's in Project Management, is a Certified General Accountant and a Certified Management Consultant. He is currently pursuing his certification in organizational development. Pierre provided his valuable expertise for a Deployment for Democratic Development initiative in Cameroon.
Gilbert Oloko: Results-based Management (RBM) Training in Cameroon Prior to beginning his consulting career in 1995, Gilbert Oloko was the Executive Director of the African-Canadian Council and the President of the Internationa Committee of PANAF, a Pan-African network promoting African integration and development. He has worked around the world on dozens of international development projects in performance management, process management, training, human resource development and information and communications technology. Gilbert has authored two books including L'Art de l'Avantage ou la voie du guerrier total : Secrets des grands stratèges. He has an MBA and a BA in Political Science. Gilbert shared his knowledge and skills for a Deployment for Democratic Development initiative in Cameroon.
Claude Parent: Supporting the International Observation of Guinea Bissau’s Presidential ElectionsClaude Parent is an international consultant on electoral management and observation with 40 years experience in strategic planning, communication marketing, training and managing. He was Director General of the Fédération Québécoise du Sport Étudiant for 15 years before becoming a consultant in 1995. Since then he has been a Returning Officer in Québec and has played an integral role in the support team of the Director General of Elections Québec. He has worked around the world, including Haiti, where he was the Director of an international election monitoring mission composed of 170 observers from eight countries. Claude provided expertise to the Deployment for Democratic Development initiative in Guinea Bissau. He notes the impact of the Guinea Bissau project as “enabling African, Portuguese, European, American and Canadian organizations to work together for effective election observations has certainly helped to advance democracy in Guinea Bissau.” Claude has an MA in School Administration and a B.Ed.
Yves Poulin: Strengthening Civil Society in Côte d’IvoireYves Poulin, a specialist and trainer in organizational capacity building, has been involved in international development since 1981. The former Director of International Cooperation at the École Nationale d'Administration Publique (ENAP) in Quebec and a Public Administration professor for 40 years, Yves left ENAP in 2009 to follow his career as a consultant. He has contributed to projects in Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, US, Ethiopia, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Lebanon, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia and Vietnam. He has concluded: “DDD can effectively contribute to strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations in the development and management of projects based on results.” He holds an MA in Public Administration and a PhD in Educational Administration. Yves was an expert deployed for Deployment for Democratic Development initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire.
John Read: Ensuring Transparent Procurement ProceduresSome retire to take up golf, or sailing, or woodworking. John Read decided to continue with his passion for public procurement. Since 2007 he has been using his many years’ experience in Canadian federal procurement to help federal, provincial and international authorities with process improvements and policy analysis/development. He has been sharing his in depth knowledge of the “ins” and “outs” of this highly complex field through the development and delivery of numerous procurement training packages. It’s about learning from each other: “Someone somewhere is doing anything that you do in procurement better than you are: it is continuously exciting to talk to new people, learn of new experiences, and see different ways in which we can do a better job of spending public money.” John provides valuable expertise to the Deployment for Democratic Development initiatives with the East African Community Secretariat.
Carlos Salazar: Strengthening Peru’s Decentralization ProcessCarlos Salazar, a proud grandfather, is the Manager of Community Planning and Design for the Municipality of Clarington, an adjunct professor at Laurentian University and a Council Member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. He has 27 years experience in local governance, regional urban planning, government reform, decentralization and strategic planning, in Canada and his native Colombia. He was Director of Long Range Planning and Manager of Corporate Strategy for Sudbury. Carlos shared his expertise in decentralization for a Deployment for Democratic Development initiative in Peru. Carlos notes that “it is really exciting to be able to contribute to the decentralization process in Peru. Our colleagues there face the same challenges we do, balancing short- and long-term goals within a highly political environment with limited resources. They have energy and enthusiasm, and the belief they are building a better country, and they are.” Carlos has an MA in City Planning and a Certificate in the Management of Strategic Change.
Frank Schwartz: Promoting a Food Secure Southern Africa Frank Schwartz has 30 years experience as a management consultant, focused on strategic planning, organizational development and facilitation in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. He has worked in 30 countries across Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Frank has been a partner with KPMG, with the ARA Consulting Group and Vice President of the DPA Group. He was Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Public Affairs from 2006-2009. Frank was a Canadian expert resource for a Deployment for Democratic Development initiative in South Africa where he facilitated the preparation of the Strategic Plan (2009-2014), the 2009-2011 Business Plan and a results management framework for the Southern African Development Community’s Development Finance Resource Corporation. The latter is “owned” by the 27 members of the SADC-Development Finance Institutions Network, and was established to reposition the Community’s national development finance institutions as critical agents of development.
Steven Turner: Ensuring Transparent Procurement ProceduresSteven Turner is a senior consultant in federal government management practice, strategic planning, procurement, audit, evaluation and communications. He began his career with four years as a teacher at École St-Jean-Baptiste in Québec, followed by 30 years with the Public Service of Canada. Steven has served as Acting Director General of the Review Directorate of Supply and Services Canada, Acting Director General of the Audit and Review Branch of Public Works and Government Services Canada, and Director General of Business Planning and Management of the First Nations Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada. Since leaving the public service in 2004, he has founded his own consulting and management services company. Steven has a BA in English from Carleton and has completed the Executive Program at Queen’s. Steven shared his skills and knowledge with the Deployment for Democratic Development initiative with the East African Community Secretariat.
Laurie VandeSchoot: Improving Regional Economic Cooperation through Results-based Management Laurie VandeSchoot began her 28-year career with the City of Calgary as a Coordinator of Organizational Development shortly after graduating with a BA in kinesiology. She left as Strategic Analyst with Strategic Policy and Planning in 2006, to be Manager of Strategic Services for the Calgary Fire Department. Throughout her career, Laurie has worked as a municipal government specialist, motivational speaker and trainer, in Canada and around the world. Focusing on management and organizational development, she has under her belt 50 strategic plans, 30 results-based management projects, 20 program evaluations, and 200 workshops. Laurie has a Master’s in Sustainable Development and a Certificate in Project Management. She is a Canadian expert working on a Deployment for Democratic Development initiative with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development(IGAD).
Lise Veilleux: Promoting the Microfinance Sector in Burkina Faso and Ensuring a Gender Approach to Microfinancing in Burkina FasoLise Veilleux is an expert in the management and governance of microfinancial institutions (MFI). She has been a manager with the Desjardins Group for 20 years, including eight years with Development International Desjardins. Lise has directed and supervised MFI networks through capacity-building projects in Peru, Mexico, India, the Philippines, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. Lise specializes in strategic management and governance and has developed and conducted tailor-made training programs which facilitate exchange, transfer expertise and promote the development of vision and solutions. She received her BA in 1998 from Laval University and her Executive MBA from the University of Ottawa in 2003. Lise shared her knowledge and expertise in Burkina Faso as a Canadian expert resource with a Deployment for Democratic Development initiative.