Our Team - Shercon Associates Inc.

SENIOR CONSULTANT AND PRINCIPAL:

David Sheridan, B.Comm., M.A., Ed.D

Dr. David Sheridan is a seasoned corporate planner and an accomplished process facilitator and workshop leader. He has held a range of managerial positions in two major public sector organizations and has made many public presentations on management, education, governance and strategic planning.

David holds a Bachelor of Commerce (economics) from Carleton University, a Master of Arts (organizational behaviour) from York University and a Doctor of Education (administration and planning) from the University of Toronto. His 1998 doctoral thesis on public sector strategic planning broke new ground in research methodologies and won a major international planning award and a prestigious Canadian research award.

In the past 25 years, David Sheridan has operated an active consulting practice and has directly provided over 10,000 hours of on-site training and consultations to groups and organizations across Canada, the United States and in Asia. David also has a strong background in research and evaluation and has conducted many comprehensive needs assessments, program evaluations and internal and external opinion surveys. He has been the faculty lead for the Ontario Hospital Association's management education course in Applied Research Methods since 1989.

Although highly credentialed and well regarded in academic and professional circles, David is known for his practical, down-to-earth facilitation approach and his ability to relate to all levels of participants from many different fields.

ASSOCIATES:

Linda Gillespie, B.A. Hons.

Linda, through a career spanning over 15 years, has established a strong track record of facilitating the planning and implementation of strategic programs aligned to address organizations' priorities. Most recently at Nortel, Linda has been the senior HR leader to over 3,000 employees in Nortel's corporate groups globally. She proved herself to be a trusted partner to Nortel's senior executive team and was able from this position to drive numerous organizational, leadership and human resource programs required to manage through the significant change Nortel has faced over the past few years. Prior to her recent role as HR Leader, Linda's experience has included roles in business planning & development, marketing, training and customer research. Additionally, she has lived and worked in England, Singapore, Japan and Switzerland. As a result of her varied background and breadth of experiences, Linda has established herself as an adaptive, creative and yet pragmatic facilitator who can help organizations to leverage opportunities and deal with challenges that naturally result from periods of rapid change.

Linda has a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen's University.

Nick Sidoruk, B.A., M.A.

Nick Sidoruk has been conducting research projects in the health and social services field for more than 20 years. His clients have included social service agencies, district health councils, municipal governments, provincial Ministries, hospitals and universities. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from McMaster University and has completed post-graduate (empirical theory and methodology) studies at York University and the Institute for Behavioural Research.

Nick is Director of Research at Opinion Research Centre, a consulting firm based in Dundas, Ontario that he established originally in 1979 as Hamilton Opinion Research Centre Ltd. He is well known for his rigorous approach to research design and his ability to produce reliable and valid survey research instruments.

Nick has conducted program evaluations and impact studies for support, mentoring, youth outreach, affirmative action and health related programs, He has also taught research methods at the post secondary level both at McMaster University and Sheridan College.

Deb Ballak, SSW, M.P.A.

Deb holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario and has extensive experience in municipal social services and community development. She completed a major secondment with the Ministry of Community and Social Services involving a province-wide consultation process related to municipal services realignment. Deb is a Level Three Certified Municipal Manager.

Delores Burkart - Saskatchewan Associate

Delores is an experienced consultant well known in government and not-for-profit organizations across Saskatchewan. She has extensive training in governance related issues and has served on the Boards of several Saskatchewan Crown Corporations. She is former President of the Canadian Club of Saskatoon, the Saskatoon Branch of the Canadian Institute for International Affairs, former Board Vice President of the Saskatoon Red Cross Society and has served on the Boards of the Saskatoon United Way and the Saskatchewan Heart Centre.

Delores contributes her substantial expertise to governance, planning and organizational development projects within the firm's growing Western Canada client base.

Bonnie Fitzgerald - Web Consultant/Survey Development, ITfitz Virtual Services

Bonnie has over 15 years experience in graphic design and office management/administration and over 10 years experience designing and developing for the internet. Bonnie's experience includes design, illustration, editing, electronic layout, development and production of a wide range of materials, from web sites to interactive television systems, product manuals to corporate promotional materials. Bonnie has worked virtually with organizations across Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.

The firm has access to a large team of consultants, content specialists and resource people that are retained on a project specific basis.