Selection Panel

Marie-Lison Fougère led a successful 32-year career within the Ontario Public Service, holding various senior-level positions and overseeing a range of public policy portfolios and ministries.

Throughout her professional journey, Fougère demonstrated outstanding knowledge and expertise as a public policy maker, notably in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. She spent many years in the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, where, as assistant deputy minister, she was responsible for a diverse range of policy files such as tuition, capital planning, credit transfer, skills training and apprenticeship.

She was first appointed deputy minister in 2015 and worked in this capacity until her retirement in March 2023. She served as deputy minister in different ministries, including Training, Colleges and Universities, Seniors’ Services and Accessibility, Long-Term Care, Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity and Francophone Affairs.

Fougère holds a bachelor’s degree from Dalhousie University and a master’s degree from York University. She is fluent in French, English and German.

Adrienne Galway is the president and CEO of the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer (ONCAT) and a distinguished senior leader in post-secondary education. Her career includes work in program development and quality assurance, public relations and communications, federal and provincial government relations and strategic partnerships.

Prior to joining ONCAT, Galway spent over 10 years serving in several senior positions at George Brown College, most recently as the associate vice-president of government and external relations. Before joining George Brown, she served as the senior advisor to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities and as the education policy advisor to the leader of the official opposition of the government of Ontario. She has taught political science, Canadian studies and education policy at the University of Toronto and the State University of New York at Buffalo and has extensive experience working with and serving on governance boards in the university, college and not-for-profit sectors. Galway holds a PhD in higher education from the University of Toronto.

Neil Hetherington is the CEO of Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank. Previously, he was the CEO of Habitat for Humanity in Toronto and New York City for 16 years. He holds degrees or certificates from Huron University, Seneca College, Harvard Business School, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and an MBA from Western University's Ivey Business School.

Hetherington was named one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 in 2005. He has received distinguished alumni awards from Huron University, Royal Saint George's College, Western University and Seneca College. He was awarded Queen Elizabeth's Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals in 2002 and 2012. In 2018, he received the Premier's Award for outstanding Ontario college graduates for excellence in business.

Mary Ito is a Canadian broadcast journalist who works in radio and podcasting. She currently hosts The CRAM Podcast, which highlights the innovative work of Canadian scientists and big thinkers. She also works at CBC Radio and is the former host of the CBC weekend morning show Fresh Air. Ito worked in television at TVOntario, Global Television and CFTO-TV. She volunteers with the children's charity Roots of Empathy, which runs school-based programs across Canada and in ten other countries.

Ashnoor Rahim joined the KW4 OHT as its inaugural executive director. With 25 years of experience in various health and care settings, including extensive work with seniors and marginalized populations, she is an executive focused on improving the overall health of Ontarians by creating coordinated and integrated delivery models that are focused on improving the health of the population. Rahim is committed to using evidence-based data and clinical best practices to support the overall health and well-being of the Kitchener, Waterloo and surrounding (KW4) communities.

As vice president and head of 2SLGBTQ+ & Black customer segments, TD Bank Group, Al Ramsay and his team design and execute innovative customer strategies which are considered leading edge within the financial industry across North America.

He has served on numerous work committees and boards championing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Currently, Ramsay is a board director of the Canadian Opera Company and Rainbow Railroad. He is also a member of Toronto Metropolitan University's alumni advisory committee and is a trusted advisor to the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

In 2022, he was honoured by the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention with the Lifetime Advocacy Award, the recipient of the Black on Bay Ball Trailblazer Award and named one of Canada's 100 Most Influential Black Canadians. In 2023, he was inducted into Sheridan College's Pilon School of Business Hall of Fame. And most recently, he was honoured with Toronto Metropolitan University's Alumni Awards of Distinction.

Melissa Young, chief executive officer and registrar, is a results-oriented change leader with over 30 years of experience in workforce development and the skilled trades. Her work has focused on promoting the trades, harmonizing apprenticeships and developing partnerships with First Nations communities, Indigenous groups, and labour and management and equity groups, influencing the national landscape for apprenticeship.

Before leading Skilled Trades Ontario, Young was the executive director of the National Electrical Trade Council (NETCO), an alliance of the Canadian Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to promote national Red Seal standards and safety in electrical skills training. From 2000 to 2009, she was the executive director of the Carpenters Training Centre of New Brunswick, where under her leadership the training institute grew more than tenfold. She was the inaugural regional coordinator for the Atlantic Apprenticeship Harmonization project led by the Council of Atlantic Premiers. This is one of many portfolios she held during her nine-year tenure with the apprenticeship division of the government of New Brunswick.

She was also appointed to the Government of Ontario’s Skilled Trades Panel, which consulted extensively and produced a report that informed the development of the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021, the landmark legislation that modernized Ontario’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system.