Board of Advisors

Helen Cooper graduated from Queen’s with a B.Sc. in Chemistry and Mathematics, then worked for a year as a chemist at Procter & Gamble in Hamilton. With a yearning to see a wider world she signed up with CUSO for a two-year stint teaching in a girls’ boarding school in northern Tanzania. She then completed an M.Sc. at the London School of Economics in Econometrics. Upon her return to Kingston with two young children she was elected as a municipal councillor in 1980. She served as Kingston’s first woman mayor from 1988 to 1993, then began a three-year term as Chair of the Ontario Municipal Board. In the early ‘90s Helen served as President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario as well as a member of the Premier’s Council on Health Strategy and the Ontario Round Table on Environment and Economy. From 2001 to 2006 she was a member of the Advisory Council of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization. Since 2006 Helen has been a manager within the Ministry of Community and Social Services, mostly recently with program delivery for adult developmental services until her retirement at the end of 2014. She has subsequently indulged in a great deal of travel both in North America and abroad and is also pursuing a long-held goal of completing Route 66 in stages. Her current volunteer enthusiasms are the Queen’s School of Policy Studies where she is a Distinguished Fellow and Oasis Senior Supportive Living where she recently became president.

 Anne Fawcett is seasoned human resource and executive recruitment leader who served as Vice Chair and Senior Advisor for one of Canada's leading executive recruitment firm.

Her work encompassed both the private sector, publicly traded corporations, domestic and international, governments, crown corporations and NGO's who all benefit from her ability to spot and attract talent. Her present work includes volunteering in support of community and academic organizations that are involved in community resilience and advanced education.

She has published numerous articles in trade and general business media, and often speaks publicly on such subjects as the war for talent, board governance, leadership, and volunteerism.

Sean Finn was appointed Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services and Chief Legal Officer in December 2008. He is responsible for a wide array of legal, government, regulatory, public affairs, risk mitigation and security matters.

Mr. Finn joined CN in January 1994 and led the Company's corporate tax function while being involved extensively in CN's privatization in November 1995. He was appointed Treasurer and Principal Tax Counsel in August 1996, Vice-President, Treasurer and Principal Tax Counsel in January 2000, Senior Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary in December 2000, and Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary in February 2003. As Corporate Secretary, he is actively involved and responsible for CN's Corporate Governance Practices and the implementation of the CN Business Code of Conduct.

Prior to joining CN, Mr. Finn was the managing tax partner with the Montreal law firm Lavery, de Billy, where he was involved in domestic and international tax planning, cross-border financing, and corporate financing and reorganizations.

Mr. Finn graduated from the faculty of law of the University of Montreal in 1981 and completed a Masters degree in tax law at the University of Toronto in 1983.

He was admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1983. Mr. Finn was named Tax Lawyer of the Year 2000 by his peers. He is former Chairman of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (2006-2007) and of the Quebec Chamber of Commerce (2002- 2003). He was also the mayor of the City of Saint-Lambert, Quebec from 2005 to 2009. Mr. Finn was a lecturer for 20 years in tax legislation and policy for the masters in taxation at Université de Sherbrooke and for the graduate diploma in taxation at McGill University. He is currently a board member of the YMCA Foundation of Greater Montreal (since 2000), the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation and Chairman of the Corporate Campaign (since 2005), as well as Swimming Canada (since October 2008).

As managing principal and chair of the panel of experts of the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation, Graham Fox brings to the firm two decades of executive-level experience in the fields of politics, public policy, public affairs and government relations.

Prior to joining the firm, Graham spent ten years as President and CEO of the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP), Canada’s leading multidisciplinary think tank. He was a strategic policy adviser at the law firm of Fraser Milner Casgrain (now Dentons LLP), where he assisted clients in managing their relationships with government. Graham has also held senior positions in politics, including chief of staff to the leader of a federal political party, press secretary to a national leadership campaign and candidate in a provincial election.

A policy entrepreneur, Graham’s main research interests are federalism and intergovernmental affairs, democratic renewal and citizen engagement. He holds an undergraduate degree in history from Queen’s University, where he was a Loran scholar, and a master’s degree in political science from the London School of Economics. In the community, he is a director of the Parliamentary Centre and of Le Gesù – Centre de créativité, a creative arts space in Montreal’s Quartier des spectacles. He is also a member of the board of advisors of the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University.

A frequent media analyst in both English and French, he is the co-editor with Jennifer Ditchburn of The Harper Factor (2016), an analysis of the policy impact of Canada’s 22nd prime minister

Pamela Fralick is an experienced leader who has been fostering positive change in Canada’s health sector for decades. Throughout her career, Ms. Fralick has distinguished herself in a variety of senior roles. A convener and innovator, Ms. Fralick is one of Canada’s leading, compassionate voices in the health sector. As the President of Innovative Medicines Canada, Ms. Fralick leads the industry association for Canada’s innovative pharmaceutical companies, working with its members and communities to ensure Canadians have access to the medicines they need, when they need them.

Prior to joining Innovative Medicines Canada, Ms. Fralick was President and CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society, Canada’s largest health charity, where she oversaw a process of intense transformation, resulting in historic changes to the operational and governance structures of the organization.

Ms. Fralick previously served as president and CEO of the Canadian Healthcare Association (CHA), the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, the Collegium of Work and Learning and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. At each organization, Ms. Fralick led initiatives designed to enhance sustainability and improve outcomes for their members and stakeholders. Ms. Fralick has also held senior public service positions with Health Canada and the Department of National Defense.

True to her commitment to the health and well-being of Canadians, Ms. Fralick has served on numerous prestigious boards and collaboratives across Canada. She was Chair of the Health Action Lobby (HEAL) and Co-chair the Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century (CCPH21). She has been active in many organizations as a senior volunteer, including the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Triathlon Canada and the International Triathlon Union. She is currently on the board of Outward Bound Canada (Past Chair) and Outward Bound International.

Ms. Fralick has a BA in French and psychology and an MA in developmental psychology from Carleton University, as well as a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Queen’s University. She also holds an ICD.D designation. She is trilingual – in English, French and German – and is an accomplished artist and athlete.

Michael Fraser, Vice-Principal (University Relations), joined Queen’s in May 2013 after more than 20 years of experience in the public affairs and communications field, including a variety of positions in both the federal and provincial governments. He has served as a chief of staff and senior communications advisor to federal cabinet ministers, members of parliament and a provincial premier, and has a wealth of experience in developing and executing strategic communications and issues management, stakeholder engagement and policy development. His portfolios have spanned government, public and media relations, and internal and external communications.

As VP (University Relations), Mr. Fraser oversees the Integrated Communications, Digital Strategy, and Government and Institutional Relations departments at Queen’s. This portfolio works to enhance the overall reputation of the university and supports its vision and academic mission in a variety of ways. It tells Queen’s stories through the Alumni Review and the Gazette, serves as a resource for members of the media, and strives to build Queen’s profile both nationally and internationally. The portfolio is also tasked with developing Queen’s name and reputation through the stewardship of relations with governments at all three levels, higher learning institutions, which includes a special emphasis on improving relations with the Kingston community.

Mr. Fraser holds a degree in Economics from Glendon College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto where he was also a junior fellow of Massey College. He lives in the near-campus neighbourhood with his wife Erica House (ArtSci’91), their two daughters, and their black Lab, Gracie.

Toby Fyfe is President and CEO of the Canada-based, not-for-profit Institute on Governance. He is focusing with his team on providing support to government institutions and leaders as they respond to the challenges of public sector governance in the 21st century.

Before assuming this role, he was Vice-President of the Learning Lab at the IOG where he led the IOG’s public sector leadership and capacity-building programs and courses providing tools for, and insights to, executives and officers at all levels of government.

He spent over twenty years with the government of Canada in central agencies (Privy Council Office, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat) and government departments. His last post was as Assistant Commissioner, Corporate Services at the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages.

Before he joined the Institute, he worked with the Commissioner of the RCMP on a change initiative.

Toby was an Adjunct Professor of Communication at the University of Ottawa and was editor-in-chief of Canadian Government Executive magazine for five years. He was a broadcaster with CBC radio and television for 17 years where he produced programs such as The House, Cross Country Checkup, and the first commercial-free version of Ottawa Morning.

He has an MA from the University of Ottawa and has attended the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education program.

During his extensive career in the Ontario Public Service, David Lindsay served as Deputy Minister in half a dozen portfolios including Energy and Infrastructure, Northern Development, Mines and Forestry, Natural Resources, and Tourism and Culture. He also served as the Principal Secretary and Chief of Staff to the Premier of Ontario from 1995 to 1997 and was President and CEO of the Ontario Jobs and Investment Board from 1997 to 1999.

As the founding President of the Ontario SuperBuild Corporation, Mr. Lindsay oversaw provincial government infrastructure planning from 1999 to 2003. He has also served as President and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities and President and CEO of Colleges Ontario.  

Over the past 25 years, Mr. Lindsay has served as a director on the boards of many government agencies, cultural and not-for-profit organizations, and private businesses including the Ontario Innovation Trust, Ontario Realty Corporation, the Public Policy Forum, and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. He is currently a Distinguished Fellow of the Queen's University School of Policy Studies, Vice Chair of Ontario Parks Board, and sits on the Ontario Greenbelt Foundation Board.

Nora Lobb is a Policy and Program Consultant who demonstrates her passion for user centred design and social entrepreneurship through her work in the addictions and mental health field. She has experience leading teams in the design, development and implementation of various policies and programs in the nonprofit sector. While living in Halifax, she completed a BA in Sociology with a focus on health, criminal justice, and intersectional gender studies.

Nora worked in Toronto as a Program Director and Supervisor at a nonprofit organization before returning to school for her MPA at Queen’s University. She spent the year co-founding an environmental tech start-up at the DuninDeshpande Queen's Innovation Centre and writing her Master’s Research Project on environmental policy. Her company, netzero, provides technological pathways for communities to track, understand and lower their carbon footprint.

Ian McCowan was appointed the Secretary to the Governor General on February 1, 2021. In that capacity he also serves as the Secretary General of the Order of Canada, the Order of Military Merit and the Order of Merit of the Police Forces.

Prior to his current role, Ian worked for nine years at the Privy Council Office (PCO). For six of those years he served as Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Governance) at PCO. Ian provided advice to the Prime Minister and to the Clerk of the Privy Council on a broad range of machinery of government and parliamentary issues. He also served during that time as the Deputy Minister to both the Government House Leader and the President of the Queen’s Privy Council. He was also responsible for leading the support of several cabinet committees.

Prior to that role, Ian served as the Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet (Communications) at PCO and as the policy Assistant Deputy Minister for the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). He began his career as a civil litigator at the Department of Justice. Ian has also held management positions with Justice – serving as the director of legal services for CSC and the Parks Canada Agency.

Ian has both a Bachelor of Laws (’91) and Commerce (’88) from Queen’s along with an LLM from Cambridge (’94).

• Warren Mabee, Director and Associate Dean, school of Policy Studies