2025 LGP Alumni Society's Executive Committee
At the Annual General Meeting, the membership elects the year's Executive.
- President:
Sandra Datars-Bere, MPA (2006)
Sandra is the City Manager for the City of London where she leads and oversees all administrative and operational functions of the City. She was previously the CAO for St. Thomas and Bruce Country and led the provision of social, housing, and long-term care services for the City of London for seven years. She has more than 33 years of public service experience, including 19 years with the Province of Ontario, where she began as an OPS Intern and later worked in many roles including as the Regional Director for the Ministries of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Community and Social Services/ Children and Youth Services. She holds a BA (Honours) in Psychology from Western, in addition to her MPA. Sandra is active in governance roles, having just been elected to a second term on the Boards of Directors of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA). She remains connected to Western, serving as an Executive Member of its Alumni Association, chairing its Legacy and Alumni Awards of Distinction Committees and recently completed a 3-year appointment to Western’s Senate.
- Vice-President:
Patrick Brault, MPA (2012)
Patrick has been with the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario, for over 12 years. He brings over 20 years of experience in government related positions and in Community Economic Development. Patrick came to Western to complete his MPA (2012) after starting his graduate studies at the National School of Public Administration (ENAP) in Montréal. He is currently finalizing his Economic Development Program certification. Over his career, he has held bilingual management positions in Québec and Ontario.
- Treasurer:
Kathy Deschamps, GDPA (2021)
Kathy brings over a decade of experience in the transportation industry, with a significant portion of her career spent in diverse roles within the City of Toronto's Transportation Services. Graduating from Mohawk College with an Advanced Diploma in Transportation Engineering Technology, Kathy has established a strong foundation in the field. Her dedication to professional development is evident through her attainment of the Certified Engineering Technologist designation with OACETT. Throughout her tenure at the City of Toronto, Kathy has consistently demonstrated her expertise and commitment to excellence in transportation-related projects. Her roles have encompassed various aspects of transportation management and planning, providing her with a comprehensive understanding of the complexities involved. In 2021, Kathy further expanded her knowledge and skill set by completing a Graduate Diploma in Public Administration from Western University. Currently pursuing her Master's in Public Administration, she remains dedicated to advancing her qualifications and staying abreast of the latest developments in the field. - Student Representatives:
Cori Dooling, MPA Student
Cori is a seasoned public servant with over a decade of experience in provincial and municipal government. She has spent the last 10 years working at the City of London in Emergency Management and Emergency Communications, currently overseeing the City’s Public Safety Radio System portfolio. Cori provides strategic advice, supervises consultants, and manages high-profile projects that support critical public safety initiatives.
She prides herself on leading with empathy, political acuity, and a collaborative, solutions-oriented mindset. Her leadership philosophy comes from Tina Fey: “Hire talented people and get out of their way”. She is a recipient of the City Manager’s Award for Collaboration, extending her inclusive, team player mindset in both her professional and private life, and is always willing to offer assistance or support.
Cori’s expertise extends beyond municipal operations—she has also contributed to academia as a Part-Time Faculty member at Fanshawe College and the Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management, where she developed curriculum and facilitated courses on emergency and incident management.
She is currently a part-time MPA student, graduating in 2025 and adding to her collection of Western degrees (BA in Political Science/American Studies, 2009). She also holds a Graduate Diploma in Emergency Management from Sheridan College and certifications in Emergency, Incident, Project, and Change Management.
An avid foodie and traveller, if you’re ever looking for your next best adventure, she’ll know a spot!
Joe Reid, GDPA Student
Joseph Reid is the Director of Transportation and Operations Services for the City of Belleville, Ontario. In this role, he oversees key municipal services including public transit, Road maintenance, Parks and Horticulture, Corporate Fleet. Some key initiatives recently that have been tasked include implementation of Automated Speed Enforcement, Transit Master Plan, and overseeing of the Transition of Recycling to a Producer Responsibility model and the dissolution of a joint municipal service board. He has been with the City of Belleville for 25 years. Currently enrolled in the GDPA and accepted into the MPA program starting in the fall of 2025, he is eager about the opportunities ahead both personally and professionally.
Reid holds several professional designations, including Certified Municipal Officer (CMO), Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP), Certified Road Supervisor Senior (CRS-S), Certified Engineering Technologist (CET), and Certified Municipal Manager II (CMM II).
Joe is a Past President of the Association of Ontario Road Supervisors and where he sits on the Board of Directors, and volunteers with Ontario Good Roads Association as a course Director and Instructor for the annual TJ Mahoney Road School where well over 500 municipal staff attend annually to be trained. His commitment to public service and infrastructure development has made him a respected leader in Ontario’s municipal sector.
- 2025 Conference Co-Chairs:
Morgan Calvert, MPA (2019)
Morgan has over 20 years of local government experience and is currently the CAO for the Township of Adelaide Metcalfe. Previously, he was Director of ITS including Special Projects at Middlesex County, leading initiatives in intergovernmental relations, community transportation, municipal modernization, and strategic planning. Morgan was also the MISA Ontario President, where he built partnerships aimed at driving innovation and efficiency.
Recognized for his contributions, Morgan has received several awards such as Western University’s LGP Alumni Award of Excellence and MISA Ontario’s Regena Lerke Distinguished Service Award. He holds an MPA’19 from Western University and has contributed to research on digital readiness and organizational transformation in Canadian local government.
Nicole Cooper, MPA (2010)
Nicole Cooper is currently the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Ajax, overseeing a range of portfolios and service areas including Technology and Innovation, Legislative Services, By-law Enforcement & Animal Control, Legal & Real Estate, and Customer Service. Nicole and her teams are known for innovations in service delivery through technology, particularly in the areas of data dashboarding and mapping, municipal elections, automation and digitization of manual processes, and customer-facing self service options. Nicole holds a Master of Public Administration and an Honours B.A. from Western University. Outside of work, Nicole spends her time running, golfing, skiing and keeping busy with two young children.
- Past-President:
Erin Britnell, MPA (2015)
Erin is currently the Manager of Corporate Performance and Strategy at the City of Guelph. Her team is responsible for oversight of the Strategic Plan, corporate performance reporting, business planning, the project management office and the continuous improvement office. Throughout her career, she has focused on enabling data-driven decision making, and improved municipal service delivery by building and leading high-performance teams and cross-corporate collaboration. Erin also holds a BA (Honours) in Political Science from the University of Guelph, a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration from Humber College and is a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt. Erin started her career as an AMCTO Municipal Management intern and has previously worked at the Niagara Region in various analyst roles and as a Senior Business Analyst, Manager of IT, and Director of Corporate Strategy and Innovation at the Town of Caledon.
- Directors-at-Large:
Spencer Sandor, MPA
Spencer is a Senior Advisor at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) where he leads files related to land use planning, resources, energy, and economic development. He previously spent a decade with the Ontario Public Service in various positions related to municipal affairs, primarily related to policy, governance, and capacity building.
Spencer is driven to help organizations deliver positive impacts to their communities. He has served as Director to many organizations including with the Institute of Public Administration’s Toronto Region where he currently leads public service awards programs. He is also a member of the Celiac Canada Federal Advocacy Committee, and the City of London’s Community Advisory Committee on Planning.
Spencer holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario’s Local Government Program. He also operates www.pinquest.com, showcasing lapel pins from municipalities across Canada as a vehicle to share stories about the history of each community.
Nina Lecic
Nina has worked in the municipal sector for over 15 years, including three municipalities of varying sizes, challenges, and budgets. Nina prides herself on working on innovative, change management solutions, and enjoys working with staff throughout corporations to determine practical, efficient solutions. Nina has served on the AMCTO Board of Directors, has obtained her CMO, AOMC and CMM III and is in the process of completing her Masters in Public Administration.
- Communications Director:
Rachel Yantha, MPA (2024)
Rachel Yantha graduated with a Master of Public Administration in 2024, following her undergraduate degree with an Honours B.A. in Political Science from Western University. She aspires to work in the municipal sector and views her role on the alumni board as a valuable opportunity to broaden her experience by working alongside local government experts. As a young professional, Rachel feels privileged to continue learning and contributing to the community that has been instrumental in shaping her career. - Secretary:
Kelly Sutton, MPA (2023)
After completing her GDPA in 2022, Kelly went on to complete her MPA in 2023 and was the recipient of the Andrew Sancton Academic Award for full-time student with the highest grade. She also holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Toronto Metropolitan University, Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation and Certified Municipal Manager (CMM) level three accreditation from the Ontario Municipal Management Institute. Kelly is the Manager of Strategic Planning and Corporate Performance Measures for the City of Vaughan, responsible for the term of council strategic plan, OKR business planning framework, corporate performance measures, and data analytics program. She has over 20 years of local government experience, including roles as Budget Analyst at York Regional Police and Manager, Business Planning and Performance Measurement (Corporate Operating Budget) at the Regional Municipality of York, prior to joining the City of Vaughan in 2020. - Director of the Local Government Program:
Joe Lyons, PhD
Joe Lyons became Director of the Local Government Program in July 2017. Having taught in the program since 2013, he has a strong appreciation for its unique and important role in training local government administrators. Joe is responsible for all academic aspects of the program, including its curriculum and admission and progression requirements.
LGP Alumni Society Constitution
The Constitution can be viewed here
