Skills Ontario announced on December 17 that it has appointed eight members to its board of directors, including three from the construction sector.

Joining the 17-member board are Andrew Pariser, vice-president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario; Bryan Arnold, president & chief executive officer of Eastern Construction Co. Ltd; and Clarice Ward, project manager, specialty contracts at Melloul-Blamey Construction Inc.

Other appointments include Mary Fuke of Skilled Trades Six Nations Polytechnic Inc., Michael Sherrard of Sherrard Kuzz LLP, Alex Hocevar of The Hocevar Group, Carlee Bannister of Deloitte Corporate Finance Inc., and Jody Lundrigan from the Centre for PTSD and Related Mental Health Conditions.

“Skills Ontario plays an essential role in filling the labour gap, and it is through the leadership of our board of directors and team members that we can continue to deliver on Skills Ontario’s mission to do so,” said incoming board chair Darryl Spector. “Our amazing slate of new directors brings a unique and invaluable mix of experiences and admirable competencies to Skills Ontario that empowers our critical work towards delivering on our mission of helping young Ontarians recognize their potential and explore their career paths.”

Departing the Skills Ontario board are four members: Cheryl Manuel of Deloitte, Jim Madder of Confederation College, Louie Leombruni of ArcelorMittal Corporate University, and William Chan of Western University.

“As a testimony to Skills Ontario’s legacy of delivering on our mandate, we have experienced incredible success—the organization is looking forward to continuing to inspire the next generation of skilled professionals,” said past-president Karen Creditor. “On behalf of the organization, thank you to Cheryl, Jim, Louie, and William for providing their time, expertise, and skills in leading us, and a warm welcome to our newly appointed directors. We’re thrilled to work together to meet our collective goals.”

“Thank you to Karen for her guidance, wisdom, and leadership during her term; we are delighted to have her staying on the board as past president. Karen’s expertise and experience are extremely valuable,” said Ian Howcroft, CEO of Skills Ontario. “I’d also like to extend a welcome to Darryl, as he moves on from the position of vice president/vice chair to president/chair. As a past Skills Ontario alumni coupled with Darryl’s experience in engaging with the skilled trades throughout his career, coupled with Paul Armstrong, COO of Mohawk College as the incoming vice president/chair, along with the incoming slate of new board members, Skills Ontario has a fantastic team leading us and I’m very excited to see the success to come.”