Vice-President 

Dr. Julie Cafley is a creative, strategic leader and an accomplished academic with expertise in public policy, governance and higher-education leadership. She is the Vice-President, Communications and External Relations at the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. She is helping to lead an innovative vision to build the organization from the ground-up and develop its brand as a world-class start-up funding tomorrow’s technology.

Previously, she worked as Executive Vice-President at the Public Policy Forum (PPF). Julie built bridges and enhanced the profile and visibility of the PPF while directing its communications, external partnerships, membership and learning teams. In her previous role as Chief of Staff to two presidents at the University of Ottawa, Julie worked closely with the senior executive team to develop and advance strategic initiatives.

Julie holds a PhD in education leadership from the University of Ottawa and has sought-after expertise in university presidential mandates. Her thesis focused on higher education leadership and governance through the lens of unfinished terms of Canadian university presidents.

Julie is an active community builder, a committed advocate for women and leadership, and a tireless champion for diversity initiatives. Julie is a collaborative change maker and an inclusive connector.

Chair of the Governance Committee

Sylvie Deliencourt is an executive leader with 25 years of experience leading projects and initiatives for national organizations. These projects have covered areas as varied as health leadership, professional development, project management, strategic partnerships, advocacy, public relations/marketing, communications, and membership/client services. In this role, she built partnerships with diverse stakeholders across health and social services sectors to help achieve organizational goals. She also conducted national consultations and research aimed at improving the quality of life for vulnerable populations.

Sylvie managed the LEADS capability-based Certified Health Executive (CHE) program and created platforms to enable health leaders to network, exchange and debate issues of common interest. She has also led several volunteer committees and served on non-profit boards, contributing to advance the goals of the organization and its members. 

Chair of the Finance Committee

Sarah Dion-Marquis is an accomplished communications and public affairs professional in the health-care sector. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University and a Master’s in Political Science from the University of Ottawa, as well as a Master’s in Business Administration at the Telfer School of Management.  

As director of communications, marketing and public affairs at the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, she works with health-care professionals to improve women’s health through research and education. Previously, she was the director of public relations and media at Innovative Medicines Canada, the national association representing brand-name pharmaceutical companies. She also worked as a senior political staffer in a Minister’s office and, for eight years, as a CBC/Radio-Canada journalist.   

Chair of the Outreach Committee

Patrick Sasso is the co-founder and chief creative officer of Loop Seven, a full-service creative and production company that provides video, photography, animation, original music and music supervision services to a diverse portfolio of companies and agencies. His mix of creative talent in photography, cinematography, design and music, combined with his extensive marketing experience, allow him to deliver powerful content for any company that needs to boost its marketing efforts. 

Loop Seven has always been at the forefront of video production. Since its creation, the company has evolved alongside the video medium and continues to evolve today. 

Member of the Board of Governors

Pierre Cyr holds a bachelor of arts (Geography) from the University of Ottawa. He previously worked as director of board and stakeholder relations at Canadian Blood Services, following 15 years in federal and provincial government, where he served in a variety of senior roles. In addition to advising two Ontario premiers and a federal party leader, Pierre served as chief of staff in the Ontario ministries of Training, Colleges and Universities, and Citizenship and Immigration. Pierre has also published a number of opinion pieces on federal politics and health-related matters in the Hill Times and the Globe and Mail. 

Pierre serves on the board of the Empire Club of Canada. He previously served on the boards of the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa, Child and Youth Friendly Ottawa, and the Ottawa chapter of the Canadian Tire JumpStart Program. He is also a former selection committee member for the Government of Ontario’s Champion of Diversity Award, and served three terms as vice-president (organization) for the Ontario Liberal Party. 

A proud Franco-Ontarian with a Mohawk heritage, Pierre grew up in Cochrane and Midland/Penetanguishene, Ontario. 

Member of the Board of Governors

Shaunt Tokmakjian is a proud graduate from the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. During his time as a student, he co-founded a local charity golf tournament and the Business Law Clinic at the Faculty of Law. Since his graduation in 2014, Shaunt has been a board member of the University of Ottawa Alumni Association, and more recently, a member of the Association’s Executive team as Chair of Governance. During this time he has worked closely with the association and the Alumni Relations Office on various successful initiatives to benefit alumni and advocate for their interests. Shaunt has also regularly attended and contributed to alumni events in Ottawa and Toronto. 

Wendy Feldman is a Part Time Lecturer at Humber College in the Public Administration programme. She was also a member of the University of Ottawa’s Toronto Alumni Council from 2014-2020.

Feldman’s public sector experience in the Ontario government included Cabinet Office, Treasury Board Secretariat and several ministries. In the Federal government she served in Global Affairs Canada (in Ottawa, Paris and at the UN) and the Office of the Solicitor General of Canada. Feldman was the Director of Research of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada for six years.

A passionate volunteer, she was co-chair of the January 2021 virtual Couchiching Conference hosted by the Canadian International Council and was a member of the Harvard Kennedy School’s alumni council. She continues to serve on the Executive Board of the Harvard Club of Toronto.

Feldman is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and the Harvard Kennedy School.

Alain Toni Jalkh is a multilingual chartered professional accountant (CPA). He received a bachelor’s of commerce in management and in accounting from the University of Ottawa, as well as a CPA graduate diploma from the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO). Alain has also completed an MBA. 

Alain currently works as a comptroller at the Department of National Defence, providing financial advice to policy sector senior management. Over the past decade, he has held finance and management positions for various organizations, such as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Public Works (PWGSC), along with positions at University of Ottawa and in the private sector. 

Alain has served on local and national boards of directors for the past decade in various sectors (environment, neighborhood safety, human rights, education, accounting/finance). He has coached basketball for the past 10 years. Alain enjoys reading in nature or on a stationary bike at the gym, and he has subscriptions to a dozen business-related magazines. 

Jeremiah lives in Toronto and works on infrastructure and real estate development projects for Kilmer Group. Prior, he was a lawyer at a national law firm and maintained a practice in commercial litigation, construction and infrastructure, and lobbying compliance and political law. He graduated from the University of Ottawa with his Juris Doctor in 2020 and also holds a BA and MBA from the University of Manitoba. Jeremiah has also worked at all levels of government and had the opportunity to serve as union president at a U15 university. In his spare time, he serves as infantry officer in the primary reserve of the Canadian Armed Forces. 

Paul Okalik is a Canadian politician and a graduate of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. The first Inuk to be called to the Nunavut Bar, he became the first premier of Nunavut on March 5, 1999. He has also been speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut. 

A former Gee-Gee, Bogdan Raic is the youngest person to earn a black belt in North America. He is a former Academic All-Canadian, CFL player, high school teacher and corporate manager who has advised Canada’s top condominium builders. He is the co-founder of the largest AI property management assistant in North America. With a background in business development, budgeting, financial projections and entrepreneurship, Bogdan has built a solid network in Toronto and the GTA.