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 Woods, MPA Student
Vacant
- 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:
Vacant
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
