Board of Governors

Board of Governors

The ultimate responsibility for the governance of Elmwood School resides with the Board of Governors which is the guardian of the mission and values of the school. The Governors are volunteers who function at arm’s length from the School’s administration. The Board works with the school, and in particular the Head, to develop the school’s strategic plans, and it provides oversight with respect to the implementation of those plans. The Board also works to ensure that adequate resources are in place to maintain Elmwood as a premier school for the education of girls and young women.

The Bylaws provide for up to 21 governors, who are proposed by the nominating committee and elected by the Board for 3-year terms. The Head of School serves as an ex-officio governor as well as an ex-officio member of each Board committee. Volunteer candidates are sought who bring a willingness to commit time, energy and resources to the school, as well as a diversity of skills and experience needed for the effective governance of the school including expertise in areas such as governance, finance, law, human resources, marketing, fundraising, information technology, strategic planning and risk management. An intrinsic purpose is to maintain a Board with a make-up which reflects a balance of expertise, is representative of the school community, and which contains past parents, alumni and external community leaders.

Elmwood’s Board meets a minimum of 8 times per year, with additional meetings being convened on an as-needed basis. Committees of the Board which include Finance, Governance (including Risk Management), Development, Nominating, Strategic Planning and Head Support (including Head Evaluation), meet regularly and in advance of Board meetings. Committees are chaired by members of the Board and their composition may include non-Board members in addition to Board members.  The work of the Board is largely conducted through those committees, which consider and bring forward matters for recommendation to the Board. The Board regularly evaluates itself and endeavours to operate according to best principles established by CAIS/CESI and the National Association of Independent Schools.

Persons interested should contact the Chair or the Head of School.  Potential candidates are strongly encouraged to first participate in the work of one of the Board’s committees.

Board Members

Ms. Catherine Coulter, Chair of Board

Chair of Board; Strategic Planning Committee; Head Evaluation and Compensation Committee; ex-officio member of all board committees.

Ms. Coulter practices management-side employment law and commercial litigation for a national law firm. She frequently speaks and writes on a variety of employment and privacy topics and has taught for the Law Society of Upper Canada for a number of years. Before earning her law degree at the University of Western Ontario, Ms. Coulter graduated from the University of Michigan with a BMusA in flute performance. A board member since 2006, Ms. Coulter assumed the position of Chair in January 2009. She has two daughters at Elmwood in Grades 7 and 11.

Mr. Jacob Polisuk

Past Chair; Chair of Nominating Committee; Strategic Planning Committee.

Mr. Polisuk is an entrepreneur in the equipment finance industry and is currently majority shareholder of Vista Credit Corporation. A graduate of Carleton University, Mr. Polisuk recently completed his three-year term as Chair of Elmwood’s Board of Governors and currently chairs the Nominating Committee. He has served on the Board since 2004 and has two daughters with Elmwood connections—one in Grade 10; the other a graduate of the Class of 2002.

Mr. Sol Avisar

Chair of Development Committee.

Mr. Avisar has over 19 years of practice as legal counsel and advisor, with a focus on intellectual property issues, knowledge-based assets and corporate commercial transactions. A number of local technology enterprises have benefited from his guidance, including Miagwa Systems Inc., a water resource management company that he currently leads as CEO. Mr. Avisar began his legal career at a large national firm in Toronto, and went on to start a successful, mid-size law firm with offices in Toronto and Ottawa. In his thirdd year on Elmwood’s Board of Directors, Mr. Avisar has been the Chair of the Development Committee. He has two daughters at Elmwood, in grades 5 and 8.

Mrs. Norma Davies

Secretary.

After attending Elmwood for 11 years, Mrs. Davies graduated as a member of our Class of 1942. She went on to earn her B.A. at McGill University, and joined the Elmwood Board of Governors in 1965. Since then, her voice has been heard on the Board almost continuously, including a stint as Chair. What she brings to every meeting is perspective and the time-honoured values of duty and commitment. Both her daughter and grand-daughter are also Elmwood Old Girls. Currently, Mrs. Davies serves as Secretary of the Board.

Ms. Sandra Fraser

Chair of Governance Committee.

Bringing over 30 years of public sector legal and managerial expertise to Elmwood, Ms. Fraser has provided high-level legal and policy advice to Ministers, Deputy Ministers and senior executives at government departments such as the National Energy Board, Natural Resources Canada and Agriculture Canada. A graduate of Dalhousie University Law School and Mount Allison University, Ms. Fraser has one daughter at Elmwood in Grade 11.

Mr. Mike Greenley

Mr. Greenley is a defence and security industries executive, with over 20 years experience in strategic planning, leadership, and business execution in Canadian and international markets. He currently serves as Vice-President of General Dynamics C4 Systems and General Dynamics Canada. A graduate of the University of Waterloo (BSc, MSc), this is Mr. Greenley’s third year on the board. He has two daughters at Elmwood, in Grades 6 and 10.

Ms. Dominique Jacobson

An alumna and former Elmwood School Head Girl, Ms. Jacobson serves as Vice-President of Dove Tale Collections, an importer/distributor of exclusive fine foods. A graduate of Queen's University, Ms. Jacobson has worked in progressively senior marketing, business development and public relations roles. A final nominee for the YWCA Women of Distinction Award and WBN Canada's Top 100 Women Award, Ms. Jacobson's exemplifies the quality of an Elmwood education.

Mr. Michel Lucas

Chair of Strategic Planning Committee.

After careers in journalism and public service, Mr. Lucas became an entrepreneur in the market research and publication sectors. He has launched and sold several companies, including Decima Research Inc., Opinion Search Inc., Tech Media Inc., and Media Action Inc. He is currently managing Harris/Decima, the Canadian subsidiary of global research firm Harris Interactive. Mr. Lucas has been a board member since 2004 and currently chairs the Strategic Planning Committee. Two of his children have attended Elmwood, with one daughter currently in Grade 7.

Ms. Ella Mar

Governance Committee.

Ms. Ella Mar currently operates P2Peak Consulting, advising organizations on the transition from ideas and strategy to successful business execution. Ms. Mar brings over 25 years experience in senior executive and management roles within the high-tech sector to the Board of Governors. A graduate of the University of Alberta (BSc), Ms. Mar has one daughter who graduated from Elmwood in 2010.

Mr. Jeffrey Mierins

Strategic Planning Committee.

A third-generation business owner, Mr. Mierins is a Dealer Principal at Ottawa’s Dow Honda, Star Motors Mercedes, Kanata Honda, and Kanata Powerhouse. He was the youngest person to be appointed a Honda dealer and developed Ottawa’s first green automotive dealership. He is also President of Canada’s Cold War Collection: a military vehicle foundation dedicated to commemoration of Canada’s past, current and future veterans. A graduate of Carleton University, Mr. Mierins is involved in numerous Ottawa charities. He has served on the Board for the past five years and has three daughters at Elmwood, in Grades 2, 5 and 7.

Mr. Brian Peters

Mr. Peters joined CMA Holding Incorporated as President and CEO in 2006. Prior to joining CMAH, he was with the RBC Financial Group. In more than 25 years with RBC, Mr. Peters held senior executive positions in wealth management and retail financial services including President and CEO of RBC Dain Rauscher, and Co-President and Head of Canadian Wealth management for RBC Dominion Securities. This is Brian’s third year on the Board, and he is father to two students at Elmwood, in Grades 11 and 12.

Mr. Michael Potter 

The majority of Mr. Potter’s business career was spent as the CEO of Cognos Incorporated. He managed the company through major transitions to become an international leader in providing software tools. Mr. Potter began his career as an officer in the Royal Canadian Navy, and he holds a B.Sc. from the Royal Military College of Canada and a M.Sc. for the University of British Columbia. Mr. Potter also founded Vintage Wings of Canada Foundation, which is dedicated to keeping Canada’s aviation history alive. He has served on the Board since 2005, and is father to two Elmwood students currently in Grades 7 and 8.

Mr. Lawrence Schembri

Vice Chair of Board; Chair of Finance Committee.

Mr. Schembri is Chief of the International Department at the Bank of Canada; overseeing analysis of developments in foreign countries as well as providing policy advice and conducting research on global economic and financial issues. Mr. Schembri holds a BComm from the University of Toronto, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and has published articles in various Bank of Canada and external publications. Prior to joining the Bank of Canada, he was a professor of economics at Carleton University. Mr. Schembri has served on the Board since 2006 and is father to two daughters with Elmwood ties—one in Grade 11, the other graduating in 2009.

Ms. Irena Streibl

Development Committee; Parents' and Friends' Association Committee.

With over 24 years experience in the Department of Communications and Industry Canada, Ms. Streibl has lent her expertise in the field of telecommunications research, project and program management, and regulatory affairs. A graduate of the University of Ottawa (BASc, MBA) and Carleton University (MEng), she chaired Elmwood’s Annual Giving Campaign in 2007 and co-chairs this year’s campaign. A mother to one Elmwood student in Grade 12, this is Ms. Streibl’s third year on the Board, where she represents the Parents’ and Friends’ Association Committee.

Mr. Eric Yau

Governance Committee.

Mr. Yau has over 20 years experience in the IT Industry, with a focus on business intelligence software. He has held senior executive positions such as CEO & President of Juice Software Inc., and President & General Manager of SAS Canada Inc., and is currently VP, Business Intelligence at IBM. A graduate of the University of Waterloo (BMath) with joint majors in Computer Science and Computer Engineering, this is Mr. Yau’s third year on the Board. He is father to one Elmwood student, currently in Grade 4.

Ms. Cheryl Boughton

Headmistress – (ex-officio member).

Cheryl brings more than 12 years experience in progressively senior roles managing independent schools. Prior to joining Elmwood, she served as Deputy Head at Bedford Preparatory School in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, an independent boarding and day school for 1,100 male students.

Previous to Bedford, Cheryl spent eight (8) years working in all-girls' schools in the United Kingdom. Educated at Queen’s University and the University of Toronto, she began her career teaching English and History in the Ontario public school system.