Board of Directors Bios for 2021-2022 CAMERON ACKERBLADE Cameron Ackerblade is currently serving his second term and is Past President of the Board of Directors. He graduated from Durham College with an Accounting diploma in 2005. Cameron has been in the workplace supply business for most of his working career, the past five years as an Account Manager with Grand & Toy growing their brand in the Eastern GTA and Durham Region. Having lived and worked in Durham throughout most of his life, he has built many strong relationships within the community. Cameron actively participates in several committees of the Durham Region Lakeshore Chambers of Commerce/Boards of Trade, and volunteers with the Oshawa Seniors Community Centres. He has been a member of the board of the Oshawa Kicks Soccer Club, serving as Vice President and has participated in many community initiatives. CARRIE-ANNE ATKINS Carrie-Anne Atkins is currently serving her second term and is Vice president 1. CarrieAnne graduated from the Public Relations program in 1998 and is continuing her education at Athabasca University where she is working on a Bachelor of Professional Arts as a Communications Major. At present, Carrie-Anne is Manager of Corporate Relations for Ontario Power Generation – Pickering Nuclear Stakeholder Relations. She is involved in the community as a Vice-chair and Board Trustee for the Durham Community Foundation as well as a member of the Oshawa Chamber Commerce Government Relations Committee. In the past, Carrie-Anne served on the Whitby Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Committee and the Ajax Pickering Board of Trade Communications and Marketing Committee, as well as acting as a Board Trustee for both Victims Services of Durham Region and the Ajax-Pickering-Uxbridge United Way. RYAN CULLEN* Ryan Cullen is currently completing his first term and standing for re-election for a second term. He graduated from Durham College in 2017 from the Horticulture, Food and Farming program. While a student, Ryan worked at Bistro ’67 and served on the Board of Governors as the student representative. Upon graduation Ryan was hired full time and has spent the last 4 years as the Field Supervisor at W. Galen Weston Centre for Food, Whitby campus. He managed the greenhouse, gardens, arboretum and market garden with a team of horticulture work-study students. This past year, Ryan has taken on a new role as the Farm Manager for the Barrett Centre of Innovation for Sustainable Urban Agriculture. In this role, Ryan will work with DC colleagues to realize The Barrett Centre’s vision to become an internationally recognized hub of excellence in urban agricultural practices, research, education and training. In addition, to address some of society’s biggest challenges including food insecurity, access to safe and stable supplies of fresh food, and economic stability and regeneration of land for local food production. This includes building a dynamic new urban farm that will be developed as a community-based living lab in the coming years, replicating and scaling the successful farming operations already established at the college’s Whitby campus as a model for other urban farms. GABRIELLA DE SOUSA Gabriella De Sousa is currently serving her second term and is Vice president 2. Gabriella first graduated from the Electrical Engineering Technician program in 2015 then successfully completed all levels of the Durham College Advanced Elevating Device Mechanic program in 2017. She is in the process of completing the Teaching & Training Adults Certificate through the Centre for Professional and Part-time Learning. She was one of 15 women to participate in the inaugural all-women Elevating Device Mechanic preapprenticeship program that launched in the School of Skilled Trades, Apprenticeship & Renewable Technology in February of 2016. Gabriella gave a presentation about her experiences at DC in November 2018 at the Taste of the Trades event and was a guest speaker for DC Talks: Alumni Series in February 2019. Gabriella has also appeared in two separate articles in the February 2017 and 2021 edition of Elevator World magazine. She is currently working at Delta Elevator Co. Ltd. where she works as an Elevator Maintenance Mechanic. CASSIE-JEAN DILLON* Cassie-Jean Dillon is standing for election to serve her first term. Cassie-Jean is no stranger to the college as she has been a lifelong learner with Durham College since the 1980s. In 2018, she graduated from the Fitness and