Our Team

IN-HOUSE EXPERTISE

Connect with us to learn more about applied research.

AllResearch & InnovationBusiness DevelopmentFIRSt

Associate Vice President
Dr. Krista Holmes

RDeclaro_web — Operations and Budget Manager
Rosalina Declaro

Senior Business Development Manager
Richard Derham

ErinJones — Information Architect
Erin Jones

JButler — Knowledge Transfer Coordinator
Jillian Butler

Research Resource Coordinator
Alexis Lau

BLewis — Administrative Assistant
Baaba Lewis

VTrang — Finance and Administrative Assistant
Victoria Trang

D.Caunter — Manager, Industry Liaison and Business Development
Daniel Caunter

Manager, Industry Liaison & Business Development
Michelle Kienitz-Henderson

Eva-Aboagye — Program Manager, Social Innovation
Dr. Eva Aboagye

Program Manager, Fashion Exchange
Ana Cristina Gigli

Business Development Manager, DCSE

Morgan Kierinkiewicz

N.Rogacki — Program Manager, DCSE
Natalia Rogacki

Finance and Admin Coordinator, FIRSt
Lorenza Carandang

Image of researcher Bruna Nastaro — Food Science Technologist, FIRSt
Bruna Nastaro

Associate Vice President

Dr. Krista Holmes

As Associate Vice President, Research & Innovation at George Brown College, Dr. Krista Holmes is accountable for the leadership, operational excellence and strategic oversight of the college’s research and innovation programs. She is passionate in her commitment to advancing research and innovation through academic, industry and community partnerships and collaboration.

Krista has over fifteen years of experience working in the postsecondary education sector in a broad range of positions including administrator, faculty member, support staff and consultant. She has built her career as an educator and innovation leader around developing, delivering, managing, and evaluating programming using evidence-driven principles of continuous quality improvement. Before joining George Brown, Krista was Associate Dean of Research & Innovation at Humber College, held a variety of positions at Seneca College including faculty member in the School of English and Liberal Studies, and worked with numerous community organizations including Pathways to Education Canada and the YWCA of Greater Toronto. Krista is committed to working within an anti-oppression framework in support of equity deserving groups.

With extensive expertise in research ethics, Krista has spent many years actively engaged in policy and advocacy initiatives to establish and maintain high quality and standards for the governance and administration of research ethics provincially, nationally and internationally. She currently serves as a member of the Research Ethics Board at Michael Garron Hospital.

Krista holds a Doctorate in Leadership, Adult and Higher Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from Carleton University and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Global Development Studies from Queen’s University.

Email:krista.holmes@georgebrown.ca

Operations and Budget Manager

Rosalina Declaro

Rosalina has more than 10 years of experience in office administration, finance, accounting, and bookkeeping. She is a CPA from the Philippines, holds a B.Sc in Commerce, with a focus on accounting, from the University of Santo Tomas, and completed a Certificate in Computer Programming and Systems Analysis and Design from CICC-Japan. Since 2012, she has been the Budget and Operations Manager for the Office of Research and Innovation, where she oversees all departmental and research project budgets. Prior to joining the research and innovation team, Rosalina was a Controller at Traction Heavy Duty Truck Parts and a Managing Director at Rouge Hill Informatics.

Email:rdeclaro@georgebrown.ca

Senior Business Development Manager

Richard Derham

Richard is a creative leader who is passionate about education and has spent most of his career helping barriered populations gain more equitable access to employment. As the Senior Business Development Manager, he leverages new and existing relationships to grow high-impact Research & Innovation programs. Before coming to the college, Richard’s most recent role was with Opportunity For All Youth, a not for profit national coalition of Canada’s leading companies working together with community employment agencies and governments to connect youth with meaningful employment. Prior to working at O4AY, Richard was the Founder and President of TurnAround Couriers, a social purpose business in Toronto focussed on helping youth successfully enter the workforce. Richard worked as a commercial lawyer in England and France for six years, before receiving his MBA from INSEAD (France) in 1999. He is a licensed lawyer in Ontario and is bilingual in English and French.

Email :Richard.Derham@georgebrown.ca

Information Architect

Erin Jones

An expert in information management, Erin oversees the department’s information structures, ensuring that staff and stakeholders can easily store and use project-related data and information. In this capacity, she supervises data collection and reporting and is responsible for the design and maintenance of an IAGO custom project information database. Erin brings deep expertise in applied research, digital design, and information sciences to her work at George Brown College. She has a Masters of Information Studies, with a specialty in usability and human-computer interaction, from the University of Toronto. She also has 12 years of experience designing and executing research studies focused on online learning and 9 years of project management experience.

Areas of Expertise:Usability, and Human-Computer Interaction Information Management and Database Design; Interactive and User-Centred Design; Project Management; Research Study; Design and Execution

Email:ejones@georgebrown.ca

Knowledge Transfer Coordinator

Jillian Butler

As Knowledge Transfer Coordinator, Jillian oversees all ongoing outreach for the ORI, including divisional messaging, media production, press releases, funding proposals and marketing materials. Her career to date has explored a diverse range of media, spanning traditional outlets like print, advertising and publishing as well as emerging sectors like film, design, digital and social media. Jillian received an M.A. in Media Studies from York University in 2012, a B.A. (Hons) in English Literature from Memorial University, and a certificate in Graphic Design at George Brown College.

Areas of Expertise:graphic design, strategic communications, media production, creative problem solving, storytelling

Email:jbutler12@georgebrown.ca

Research Resource Coordinator

Alexis Lau

As Research Resource Coordinator, Alexis manages the on-boarding of research staff and project personnel. Throughout her career in business and human resources, Alexis has been committed to improving staff experiences and institutional effectiveness by streamlining processes, increasing efficiency and applying her person-focused soft skills. A lifelong learner, she graduated with Honours from the diploma program in Human Resources at George Brown College, will be graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce in Law and Business from Ryerson University in June 2020, and has taken a variety of continuing education courses – from industrial sewing to wine tasting – at George Brown.

Areas of Expertise:Human Resources | Risk and Compliance | Project Management

Email: arodziewicz@georgebrown.ca

Administrative Assistant

Baaba Lewis

Baaba has over ten years of experience providing administrative support in and around the educational sector and has considerable familiarity with the college infrastructure. Since 2008, she has supported all research and innovation activities, helping streamline applied research across the college. As the front line of Research and Innovation, Baaba is essential to managing its relationships with external and internal clients and stakeholders, as well as the coordination of meetings, events, workshops, and training. In 2005, Baaba graduated from Ryerson University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Also a community minded volunteer extraordinaire, Baaba was a George Brown College’s United Way Cabinet Members from 2010 to 2012 and has served as a volunteer at convocation ceremonies.

Areas of Expertise:Event Coordination | customer service focus | research ethics | administration | volunteer extraordinaire

Email:blewis@georgebrown.ca

Finance and Administrative Assistant

Victoria Trang

As finance and administrative assistant, Victoria supports the Office of Research and Innovation through activities such as processing payables and receivables, creating purchase orders, and generating financial reports. She also provides support to program managers, assisting with specific project-related financial inquiries. Previously, as a project analyst and administrative assistant, Victoria supervised and trained junior project analysts, performed market research, and served as a key liaison between software developers and clients. She is a graduate of George Brown College’s School of Management, where she obtained a diploma in Business.

Areas of Expertise:Microsoft Office, Communication, Organization, Critical Thinking, Attention to detail

Email:vtrang@georgebrown.ca

Manager, Industry Liaison and Business Development

Daniel Caunter

Daniel brings over 8 years of scope development and project management experience to George Brown, where he assists industry partners in smart building and fashion technology with all phases of scoping and project development in preparation for implementation. He is passionate about applying his business and project-related expertise to foster collaborative partnerships and support effective project planning and delivery. Before joining George Brown, Daniel worked with green and tech firms on projects in solar PV construction, energy efficiency programs, consumer packaged goods waste recycling, and customized software deployments. Daniel holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business (York University), a Graduate Diploma in Business and Environment (York University), and a BCOMM (Concordia University). He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Areas of Expertise:Scope Development, Project Management, Collaborative Partnerships, Sustainable Business

Email:Daniel.Caunter@georgebrown.ca

Manager, Industry Liaison & Business Development

Michelle Kienitz-Henderson

Currently on parental leave.
Michelle brings a value-chain approach to FIRSt, where she has supported hundreds of food entrepreneurs throughout the product development process. Her academic and professional careers have focused on primary agriculture, agri-food, and agri-technology and she even occasionally assists on her parents’ cash crop farm. With a BA in Social Development (University of Waterloo) and a MA in Political Science and International Development (University of Guelph), she uses her interdisciplinary background to bring creative and holistic solutions to clients and partnerships. Michelle enjoys eating food as much as she enjoys working in the industry and is deeply committed to growing the food value chain in Ontario and Canada and increasing opportunities for Canadian food & agri-food companies.

Email:Michelle.Kienitz@georgebrown.ca

Areas of Expertise:Food systems, Food Entrepreneurship, Relationship Management

Industry Liaison

Juan Jiang

Currently on leave.

Juan brings 10 years of experience to the Research and Innovation Office in both the public and private sector. Her previous work for the City of Toronto and the City of Vaughan includes engagements to secure sponsorships and grants, and promoting various city building projects for new public libraries and library renovations. She also has a background working in the construction and architecture industries in Canada and abroad, focusing on sales and marketing. Juan is a George Brown College alumni, holding an advanced diploma in Business Administration – Marketing, which complements a dual Bachelor of Business Management and Law.

:juan.jiang@georgebrown.ca

Senior Program Manager

Yuchen Sun

Yuchen Sun oversees the operations and growth of the GBC research programs. Since starting with the Office of Research and Innovation in 2013, Yuchen has established a track record of delivering successful applied research projects and programs in the Building Information Modeling, Building Science, and Mechanical Engineering fields. She provides expert support to industry partners and research staff, whether they are engaging in initial project scoping conversations, applying for funding, or executing a funded research project. Yuchen is a certified Project Management Professional and a MA Candidate in Education with the University of Central Michigan.

Areas of Expertise:Program Management, Project Management, Risk Management, Process Improvement, Grant Development & Administration

Email:ysun20@georgebrown.ca

Senior Manager, FIRSt

Dan Reilly

Dan oversees all project management at FIRSt. Since beginning work at George Brown over a decade ago, his strategic thinking skills, commitment to process improvement, and leadership capabilities have made him integral to the effective planning, execution, and closing of countless projects. Previously, Dan managed projects of all kinds, from statistical studies for the federal government to small-town music festivals. Dan graduated from George Brown College with an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration and was the recipient of the Project Management Award of Distinction. He now teaches in the School of Management, training the next generation of Project Managers. Outside of work, Dan has completed his Professional Fromager certification and can often be found at the Rogers Centre cheering on the Blue Jays.

Areas of Expertise:project management, strategic thinking, process improvement, team leadership

Email:dreilly@georgebrown.ca

Program Manager, Social Innovation

Dr. Eva Aboagye

Within the Office of Research and Innovation, Eva provides guidance on and management of research methods and budgets for researchers applying to or holding external research or social innovation grants. She has over twenty years of management experience in the postsecondary sector, seventeen of which focused on strategic planning, research and teaching in the Ontario College system. Previously, she held several positions at Centennial College including Senior Researcher at the Institute for Global Citizenship and Equity, Director of Policies Pathways and Grants, and Manager of the Strategic Institutional Planning. Eva has a PhD and an M Ed in Higher Education from the University of Toronto and a BA from the University of Ghana.

Areas of Expertise:Research, Program Management, Strategic Planning, Policy development, Equity and diversity

Email:Eva.Aboagye@georgebrown.ca

Program Manager, Fashion Exchange

Ana Cristina Gigli

Ana possesses a wealth of experience in risk management, project management, and data modelling and analysis, which she applies at the Fashion Exchange to track project progress and manage the project team to ensure successful delivery. Ana came to the research and innovation team from the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, where she performed data analysis to optimize fundraising efforts. She has also served as an Enterprise Risk Consultant at Santander Bank in São Paulo, Brazil. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Statistics and an MBA from the University of São Paulo and is also a graduate of the George Brown Project Management Postgraduate program.

Areas of Expertise:Project management, Data analytics, Risk management, CRM expertise

Email:AnaCristina.Gigli@georgebrown.ca

Business Development Manager, DCSE

Morgan Kierinkiewicz

Since 2013, Morgan has been managing projects focused in Digital Design, Healthcare, Food & Beverage, and Green Technology projects with the Office of Research and Innovation. Her current role is managing the Innovation Exchange within the School of Design, where she uses insights gained from these diverse industries to promote and support the exchange and its clients in achieving product dreams, improving the access and adoption of state of the art technology, and supporting community relationships. With expertise in strategic planning, grant management, and innovative thinking, she provides tailored solutions and practical support throughout all stages of a project’s life cycle. Morgan is a graduate of George Brown’s Business Administration Program, where she specialized in project management, and came to this role with seven years of project management experience spanning the sports entertainment, healthcare, and hospitality sectors.

Areas of Expertise:Project Management, Strategic Planning, Grant Management, Innovative Thinking

Email:mkierinkiewicz@georgebrown.ca

Program Manager

Arbab Khan

Arbab draws from his extensive project management and business development experience as well as his practical experience in the construction industry to provide expertise and guidance to partners seeking solutions to mechanical engineering and construction sector research and innovation challenges. Skilled in managing projects in the fields of advanced prototyping, robotics information technology, building automation, IoT, and software development, Arbab has helped multiple clients execute projects and achieve success in developing innovative processes and products. His background working for numerous organizations is complimented by his master’s degree in Project Management (NICMAR), his post-graduate certificates in Construction Management (Fanshawe College, President’s Honor Roll) and Building Information Modelling (George Brown College, Dean’s List), and his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering (Jamia Millia Islamia University).

Email:arbab.khan@georgebrown.ca

Project Manager, FIRSt

Nuvi Dhaliwal

Nuvi has been managing projects and grants within the Healthcare and Food and Beverage Industry for 7+ years. Before joining George Brown, Nuvi managed medical research grants for the Physicians’ Services Incorporated (PSI) Foundation, and worked for the Greenbelt Fund supporting and promoting increased demand for and access to local food in Ontario. Nuvi uses project management skills heavily at FIRSt to meet business objectives while upholding exceptional customer service in order to run the best operations possible and continuously engage in projects. Nuvi has a BA from University of Guelph. She continues to nurture her passion for food and beverage by taking classes in George Brown’s Wine, Culinary and Baking Arts program.

Areas of Expertise:Project management Grant management in healthcare, agriculture, agri-food, and product development Relationship management

Email:Nuvdeep.Dhaliwal@georgebrown.ca

Program Manager, DCSE

Natalia Rogacki

Natalia has been managing projects and events with contagious enthusiasm for over 5 years. Highly motivated, she consistently strives to apply her strategic problem solving and communication skills to provide clients with the best possible solutions and experiences. Natalia’s background includes hospitality and event planning for George Brown’s Centre for Business and the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. She has is a graduate of the Business Administration, Project Management program at George Brown College and holds a BA from Carleton University.

Areas of Expertise:Project Management, Active Listening, Communication, Leadership

Email:nrogacki@georgebrown.ca

Finance and Admin Coordinator, FIRSt

Lorenza Carandang

Lorenza brings extensive experience in administration and managing operations to her position as Finance and Admin Coordinator at FIRSt. Her diverse skill set ranges from client management to financial and wealth management to investor and shareholder communications and budgeting. Prior to joining FIRSt, she worked at Kingsdale Shareholder Services and AIG Philippines. Her considerable history of office management ensures that our partners and projects are supported by streamlined operations and an efficient infrastructure. Lorenza has a B.Sc. degree in Business Administration from the University of the Philippines.

Areas of Expertise:Operations management and control, Financial management and budgeting, Administration and office management

Email:Lorenza.Carandang@georgebrown.ca

Lab Operations Manager

Candace Rambert

From learning family recipes to working in hotels around the world, Candace’s passion for food has been her driving force. With over 16 years of culinary and foodservice experience, she has proven skills in recipe and product development. Candace values building strong client relationships at FIRSt and has a proven track record of meeting the demands of FIRSt’s diverse and dynamic clients, who are often at the cutting edge of the foodservice and the consumer package goods industry. By collaborating with food scientists and culinary students at FIRSt, she applies her culinary and sensory science experience to meet the needs of FIRSt’s diverse clients to produce best-selling products. Her product roaster includes ready to drink beverages, sauces, healthy snacks and nutrition focused recipes which help in the recovery of certain medical conditions. Since starting her career at FIRSt, she has seen first-hand how innovation continues to push the boundaries when developing unique products, and how food continues to bring people together. Candace holds a B.A from the University of Windsor and is an alumnus of both the George Brown College (GBC) Culinary Management and Italian postgraduate programs. Candace is a member of the Research Chef Association is also a past recipient of the prestigious Ontario Hostelry Institute’s ‘Top 30 Under 30’ award.

See Candace’s projects.

Email:CRambert@georgebrown.ca

Food Science Technologist, FIRSt

Bruna Nastaro

Bruna Nastaro has combined her passion for food with a deep wealth of scientific knowledge with her career as a Food Scientist. Her career to date has a special focus on R&D of baked goods and healthy allergen free snacks in Brazil and Canada. During her B.Sc. (Food Science) at University of São Paulo, she worked mostly in projects based on the post-harvest conservation of fruit and vegetables.

Email:Bruna.Nastaro@georgebrown.ca

Areas of Expertise:Product development, Nutrition, Food analysis, Research and Development, Food Production

Lead Food Scientist, FIRSt

Pere Ramel

Pere Ramel joins FIRSt as a versatile food scientist with research and development experience in the food, cosmetics and natural health products industries. His career has applied industry experience and knowledge to the development of innovative products and solutions. He has extensive experience in product scale-up (bench to pilot to industrial scale), product analysis, quality systems design, and regulatory affairs. Pere has a PhD in Food Science from University of Guelph, Canada; MSc in Food Technology with specialization in Dairy Science and Technology from Wageningen University, The Netherlands; BSc in Food Technology from University of the Philippines.

Areas of Expertise:Food Product Development; Dairy Science and Technology; Lipids and Emulsions; Food Structure (Microscopy/Rheology); Cosmetics and Topical Natural Health Products Formulation

Email:Pere.Ramel@georgebrown.ca

Student Project Assistant

Melanie Melo

Melanie Melo is the Student Project Assistant for the Social Innovation and CCSIF portfolio. She has previously worked as a Project Coordinator at Worldcore Drapery Installers managing installation projects and finances. Melanie also volunteered at University of Toronto and St Michael’s Hospital, assisting in laboratory work in bioassay development and pancreatic cancer. She has an Honours Bachelors of Science in Life Science (University of Toronto) and is currently studying Business Administration Advanced Diploma in Project Management at George Brown College.

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