Board of Directors

Roxanne has years of experience devoted to labour and community causes. Roxanne serves as the board secretary of the Workforce Planning Board and as recording secretary for the Brantford Labour Council. She has been a member of the United Steelworkers union for 30 years.

Graham is a past co-chair of the board of directors and has served on the board for 10 years. A passionate advocate for skilled trades, he believes that trade jobs can be rewarding careers. Working as a Industrial Maintenance Mechanic for 34 years in the steel industry, Graham retired at age 52 with a wealth of experience. Involved in USW Local 8782, he held positions in health and safety and was a Trades Training Coordinator, representing the hundreds of co-op students, apprentices and tradespeople with the employer. His last position was providing training to all newly hired employees and required health and safety training for all workers.

Azra has been living, volunteering and working in Brantford for more than 30 years. Her background is diverse, with various marketing, manufacturing and fine arts expertise. Azra owned a successful commercial graphic design business in the 1990s. After a career change geared towards serving her community, Azra has taken on the current role of Community Connections Program Coordinator with YMCA Employment, Training and Settlement Services of Brantford. She has successfully expanded programs and services for the last 6 years. Azra serves on many community committees and is a long time volunteer with Victim Services of Brant.

Emily is a life-long area resident who has worked as a Human Resources professional in Haldimand-Norfolk since 2009. She has an educational background in Business and Human Resources. Emily brings to the board extensive knowledge and experience in labour relations, training and development, compensation and benefits, recruitment, skilled trades and more.

Adam is a lifelong Brantford resident with a background in the skilled trades.  He is a graduate of the University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University, where he completed a Master of Science.  He worked as a Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic and Gas Technician prior to assuming management roles in the industrial service sector.  Adam developed in-house training for apprentices and journeypersons in a variety of trades, leading to a strong appreciation for skills development.  He is currently Associate Chair, Workforce Development and Partnerships – Trades, at Conestoga College’s Brantford Airport campus.

Nicole has served on the board of directors for more than 5 years. She is currently the Human Resources Business Partner at Upfield Canada and is a member of the Brantford company’s plant leadership team. She previously worked as a HR manager at Brantford manufacturers and is a past president of the Brant Human Resources Network.

Nancy is a high‐energy, strategic, innovative and trusted human resources leader with multi-industry experience, who is on the leadership team at Tulsar Canada in Brantford. Nancy brings to the WPBGE’s board of directors leadership skills, fresh perspective, sound judgement and strategically focused ideas. She has a proven track record as a strong relationship builder, change agent and culture champion.

Paul has been a Labour Market Analyst for an Indigenous company and an Employment Coordinator of an Indigenous specific program for Hamilton. He has more than 25 years experience in administration of Indigenous specific programs. He was also instrumental in establishing the first Labour Force Survey of a First Nations sovereign territory which is not serviced by Statistics Canada. Previous to that he worked for two Federal government agencies. He assisted in developing one of the Aboriginal Peoples Surveys with Statistics Canada in Ottawa.  Paul has been committed to providing current information on labour market activity within our region.

Fred has enjoyed a diverse working career with experiences from Ontario Hydro, King Equipment Manufacturing, General Motors-Electromotive and Stelco.
Credentials: OSSHGD, Fanshawe College Welder/Fitter, Technical Standards and Safety Authority Welding Certification, Red Seal Welder Trade Code 456A, Training in Conflict Resolution, Grievance Handling and Collective Bargaining, former Canadian Auto Workers Zone representative- Electromotive London, Member of the Hamilton Skilled Trades Apprenticeship Consortium, Trustee of Local 8782 United Steelworkers.

Robert and his family have lived and worked in the Brantford area for the last 10 years.  He has worked in many industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, construction, trades and education.  For about 10 years, Robert has worked with local colleges in their trades programs, including apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training, dual credit, and welding training.  He is currently a full-time professor at Conestoga College. Robert is passionate about education and training, and has been a volunteer mentor for contestants in the Skills Ontario Competition in welding and metal fabrication.

Richard is an Information Technology (I.T.) professional that has spent over 25 years working in the automotive parts manufacturing sector. Starting as a programmer, he progressed to programmer analyst and then to I.T. Management. He and his family have been fortunate to call Brantford home since 1992.