My Story

I am a 34-year resident of Markham’s Ward 1 having chosen Thornhill as the place I wanted to live after graduating from university. It’s here that I raised my family, operated a business and volunteered.

Markham is a well-managed city with great services and I am proud to live here, represent our community on Council, and work hard every day to make it better. For me, there has been no greater honour than serving you and our Thornhill community these past four years as your City of Markham Councillor.

My background includes being elected at age 26 as a Public School Trustee on the York Region District School Board where I served for six years. In addition, prior to the 2018 election I served:

• As a Board member and Chair, Planning & Finance Committee of the Markham Theatre
• As a member of Markham’s Heritage Committee
• As a member of the Parent Advisory Council of Thornhill Secondary School
• As a member of the citizen panel responsible for rewriting the Thornhill Heritage District Guidelines
• As an executive member of the Ward One South Resident’s Association
• As a member, from 2014 to 2019, of Markham’s Advisory Committee on Accessibility
• As a member of the Society for the Preservation of Historic Thornhill (SPOHT) since 1988

Since January 2017 I have been a member of The Heintzman House Board of Directors and served three years as Chair from 2018 to 2021. I count having coached hockey with the Thornhill Community Hockey League – playing at the Thornhill Community Centre and Clatworthy arenas – for six years, and sponsoring a team, as the highlight of my community involvement.

I began my career with Canadian Pacific Limited where I held a number of progressive management positions culminating in Senior Manager, Public Affairs with Canadian Pacific Railway. Before starting my own business in 1998, I served as Vice President with Canada’s largest independently owned public relations firm. Prior to that, I was Director of Corporate Communications in the Canadian office of one of the world’s largest public and government relations agencies.

For the past 24 years I have owned and operated my own Thornhill-based corporate communications consultancy, providing strategic communications counsel, advice and writing services to clients across a number of industries including retail, pharmaceuticals, technology, telecommunications, transportation, banking and renewable energy. I have written on a variety of subjects for “Special Editorial Reports” in The Globe & Mail. I am also a guest presenter for the “Introduction to Professional Practice” course at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) that introduces students to the practice of professional communications.

My 2018-22 Markham Council Committee Assignments

Standing Committees

• Markham Council
• General Committee
• Development Services Committee (Vice-Chair)
• Statutory Public Meetings (Chair)
• Budget
• Land, Building & Parks Construction (Chair)

Advisory and Statutory Boards and Committees

• Flato Markham Theatre Advisory Board
• German Mills Community Centre
• German Mills Meadow and Natural Habitat Liaison Committee (Chair)
• Heintzman House
• Heritage Markham (Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, Chair – 2021)
• Markham Enterprises Corporation
• Markham Fire Department Task Force
• Public Library Board
• Seniors Advisory Committee
• Markham, Unionville, Milliken and Thornhill Sub-Committees