With over 3 decades of service in the career college sector, George Hood has a passion for helping students achieve their career goals. Enhancing the lives of others and creatively overcoming business challenges are what George considers his greatest rewards. With a long career in both education and business, he has spent most of his professional life dedicated to improving outcomes for students and modernizing the post-secondary education system.

After owning a successful business for 15 years George made a career change and began lecturing at a career college, then from 1991 to 2000 served as Director of Trebas Institute. The following year as President of the International Academy of Design he conceived and started the Toronto Film School.

For the past 17 years, as President of Herzing College, George oversaw the development of the Paralegal, Graphic Design and Immigration Consultant programs, along with other creative initiatives, including the acquisition of a skilled trades college.

Victor, President of Sprott Shaw College, is a strategic and operational leader with over 28 years of experience in the education sector who has held the position of President for some of the largest regulated career college providers in the country. In addition, he has held leadership and executive roles in numerous other sector groups and community associations such as the National Association of Career Colleges, the British Columbia Career College Association, and the Burnaby District Youth Soccer Association. Mr. Tesan remains both a coach and community volunteer to this day.

A graduate of both the public and private educational system in British Columbia, Mr. Tesan has a proven history of building successful and sustainable organizations where culture, values, and community engagement are at the forefront.

Stuart Bentley is the President and co-founder of triOS Corporation, the parent company of Eastern College, triOS College Business Technology Healthcare Inc. and Lifecycle Systems Corporation.

He has served on a number of private and public company’s board of directors and currently serves on the Board of AME Learning Inc., and the New Brunswick Association of Private Colleges and Universities (NBAPCU) and is the New Brunswick representative on the NACC board. He is also an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).

Natasha Brathwaite began her career at the elementary school level. She spent close to 10 years working in various positions at inner city elementary schools, but always with a focus on special education. She transitioned into adult education nine years ago, commencing her career in the private college sector.

With a passion for the field of education, Natasha is a licensed teacher and member of the Ontario College of Teachers.

She earned degrees specializing in educational technology, primary education and special education. Currently, she uses her experience and education in her role as a Special Projects Liaison for MaKami College Inc. where she creates corporate and government partnerships with the sole goal of improving the field of education.

Natasha sits on the Alberta Health Care Aide Program Education Advisory Committee, is a member of the Bonnie Doon Green Team, and is on the Edmonton‘s French Quarter Board of Directors. She also serves on the Board for the Alberta Association of Career Colleges representing Alberta on the national board.

Natasha is always looking for new and exciting initiatives in education and related fields to broaden her understanding and ability to affect change in the industry.

Michael McAllister has served on NACC’s Board since 2006 on and off as Chair and various positions. Michael taught at the University of Ottawa from 1993 to 1999 and received a Ph.D. in 1999.  He has also worked with Herzing College since 1999 and became the President of the Ottawa campus in 2003.  Michael was responsible for all operational aspects of both Herzing College in Ottawa and Collège Herzing in Montreal from 2012 to 2014.  Since that time, he has been focused on operations at both Herzing locations in Montréal.

Director of Salette College in Montreal since 1989, Ginette Gervais is particularly active in the vocational and technical training in Québec.  Member of the Advisory Commission of the Private Education of the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec from 2002 to 2009, member of the joint committee on Student Financial Aid since 1990 and has chaired the CCNS since 1992. 

Ginette has represented Québec on NACC’s Board since 2010, serving as the Chair from 2014-2015.

Jeremy Nichols has worked in the private career college sector for twelve years, and is the General Manager of Commercial Safety College, a leading training facility for the transportation and heavy equipment operation industries.

A graduate of Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, NS (B.Comm), Jeremy has also held positions in the healthcare sector and with the Government of Nova Scotia. Jeremy is the NACC Board representative for the Private Colleges Association of Nova Scotia.

Bio coming soon.

Prior to embarking on a new career in Private Vocational Education, James spent twenty-five years in the hospitality sector. Originally trained as a Chef, he has managed numerous restaurants, bars and nightclubs before leaving the sector in 1999.

In late 1999 James embarked on a new career in the world of healthcare, first as a Health Care Aide (PSW) before going into a management role as a Director of Support Services. In 2009 James was hired by the

Academy of Learning Winnipeg South as a Health Care Aide Instructor before being promoted to Director. It was while working with AOLC that he decided that adult education was his new true career calling.

James is now a Community and Corporate Trainer for the Louis Riel Vocational College in Winnipeg. In this role James writes custom curriculum, delivers over 160 different one- and two-day workshop programs as well as other specialty and diploma programs. James travels extensively across Manitoba delivering to Metis, First Nations and Inuit participants and to the corporate community of Manitoba.

James is excited and enthusiastic about his new role with the Manitoba and National Association of Career Colleges and looks forward to working with his new colleagues on both the Provincial and National level.

Ed Stavnitzky is the co-founder and Administrator of Edge Academy, a Career College which has served students in the Region of Halton for over 20 years. Ed is a member of the Ontario College of Teachers and recently worked for over 12 years in the District School Board of Niagara as a Secondary School Principal. He has a Master’s Degree in Education in Organizational and Administrative Studies, and over 30 years of experience in both public and private education.

Ed has worked in four public school boards in Ontario. He spent the last seven years as the Principal of the Adult Education division of the DSBN. Ed worked part time for five years as both an online course developer and instructor for Queen’s University’s Faculty of Education and is currently a part time instructor with Brock University’s Faculty of Education.

In addition to recently joining the NACC Board of Directors, Ed is also serving on the Board of Directors of Career Colleges Ontario.

Craig Tucker is a senior executive specializing in the area of corporate communications, market development and strategy. Craig is the former Managing Partner of Group M5 where he helped to guide the organization and its employees through tremendous growth and development for fifteen years. Craig currently owns numerous business ventures including Crossbeam Education which owns a portfolio of companies including the franchise system of Keyin College, Learning Labs, and IDI.

Craig is extremely active in the Atlantic Canadian Business community where he lends considerable time guiding the Atlantic Canadian innovation Eco-System.

Craig brings over twenty-five years of business acumen from his past roles with Olivetti Systems and Network Canada where he received three consecutive Presidents’ Awards and as a former Board member with Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro (now Nalcor) where he was actively involved in the Lower Churchill file and Nalcor’s corporate restructuring. Craig also serves on numerous boards throughout Atlantic Canada.

Blair Chapman is Co-Owner and Campus Director of Saskatoon Business College (est.1907).  He has served on a number of boards and overseen various fundraising initiatives including Chair of Gold Medal Plates.  He currently serves on the Board of DTNYXE (Saskatoon) and is President of the Saskatchewan Association of Career Colleges.  Blair is proud to be a third generation educator in his family.  Blair’s grandfather, Fred Chapman, purchased SBC in 1951 and his father Barry successfully ran SBC for 35 yrs. and served as President of NACC.

Nadine Baladi is Vice-President at ILSC Education Group, leading up their Canadian Operations at Greystone College and ILSC Language Schools, with campuses located in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.  Nadine is passionate about quality programming, job outcomes and compliance, and puts the student-experience at the core of everything she does. Nadine also sits on the board of Career Colleges Ontario, and has served on various

Accreditation Commissions and other Association while living in the USA. Nadine has spent over 20 years in progressively senior roles, from Teaching to Academic Operations, in the International Education space. Her main passions are pathways to higher education, pathways to careers, student outcomes, skills training and the future of the workforce

Dean Tremain is a higher education leader with over 20 years professional experience in operational management focused on student life cycle, business development, customer relations, growth planning, strategic partnerships, sales and marketing. As Vice President – Enrollment, Marketing and Strategic Initiatives at Canadian Business College, Dean provides leadership for the Sales, Marketing and Careers Services departments, focused on growing results in sales metrics, lead generation and student outcomes.

Biography Coming Soon

Ramona Buda is the Chief Operating Officer of Summit2 Education, the parent company of Willis College and CBBC Career College. She is a goal-focused leader, with significant experience in post-secondary education.

One of Ramona’s first memories is playing with other children and pretending to be a teacher. While growing up she wanted to turn her passion for teaching into a career, life took an unexpected turn, as life often does. That’s when Ramona 

discovered that she has an entrepreneurial spirit and a continuous improvement mindset. Today, she feels the luckiest person to have been able to build a career by combining both of her passions: for education and business.