Staff and Board

General Rick Hillier joined the Canadian Forces in 1973. He then had a long career as a commanding officer. In 2000, he took command of NATO’s Stabilization Forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In 2003, he was appointed as Commander of the Army and of the NATO-led ISAF inKabul, Afghanistan, and promoted to his present rank and as the Chief of the Defence Staff in 2005. He retired in 2008.

Carolyn Patton is a Creative Strategist with Patton Communications and her expertise in merging creative thinking with strategic communications is sought after in both the private and public sectors. She has advanced the creative offerings of multiple corporations in Canada and Europe.
A granddaughter of a Great War veteran, she is honoured to serve with the Vimy Foundation. Carolyn is a recipient of the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.

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Kent is the Principal of KHS Consulting. He is a corporate affairs specialist with over 30 years’ experience, leading global and country teams in public affairs strategy and execution.

He is a founder and former Board Director of Tidal Health Solutions, a medical cannabis company. Kent has served as a Senior Director of Public Affairs and member of the executive team for Japan, Australia and Emerging Markets with Biogen, one of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical companies.

Kent has served as a board member of various organizations, including as Chair of Network Canada in London, UK, West Island Community Shares in Montreal and Chez Doris, a woman’s shelter in Montreal. He currently serves on the board of the Canadian International Council, Montreal chapter.

He holds a Bachelor of Public Relations and a Master’s degree in European Public Relations.

Steve Desgagne is Vice-President, Human Resources at Maple Leaf Foods Inc. He has a proven track-record of outstanding achievements in leading change and implementing comprehensive programs in large organizations. Prior to joining Maple Leaf Foods Inc., he held progressively senior leadership roles at Bell. He holds an MBA from UQAM.

Steve actively supports numerous philanthropic organizations and has also served on several boards of directors including BJM Montreal and the Chambre de commerce de l’Est de Montréal.  

He is also the proud father of Justine and Antoine.

Born in Montreal, Dan joined the Canadian Forces in 1998 and graduated in 2002 in civil engineering. Over the next 8 years, Dan deployed to Afghanistan and Sudan. Between 2010 and 2019, he completed his MBA and deployed with the UN as well as on several domestic operations. Dan now works with WSP Canada. He is also the Commanding Officer of 34 Combat Engineer Regiment.

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Chris Gray has worked in government and public affairs for 20 years. He has a long family history of military service, with his brother and father both serving 30 years in the RCAF. One of his proudest accomplishments to date was helping to secure $3M in Budget 2019 for the Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign, a charitable organization devoted to planting trees in remembrance of veterans.

Geoff grew up in Smith’s Cove, N.S. and now lives in Halifax.  He has enjoyed a 25-year career in the international seafood industry and has been Executive Director of the Lobster Council of Canada since inception in 2010. Geoff studied Military History at Acadia University. He has been a Governor of the Army Museum, Halifax Citadel and a member of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council in Halifax.

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Christopher Shannon has been a board member since the establishment of the Vimy Foundation. He chairs the foundation’s Education Committee. Mr. Shannon has had a distinguished career in education. Since 1999 he has led two of Quebec’s top independent schools - Lower Canada College (LCC) and StansteadCollege.  He believes deeply in connecting youth and the broader Canadian population to the importance of Canada’s WWI legacy.

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B. Montreal. Christopher earned a B.A. History (McGill); LL.B./J.D. (Osgoode Hall); Dip. B.S. (L.S.E.); and an M.A., History (U. London). Practised law in Vancouver and London (U.K.) and founded ZSA, Canada’s National Legal Recruitment firm, in 1997, of which he remains CEO. Christopher joined Vimy Foundation in 2006, becoming Chair in 2013, and spearheaded building of Vimy Education Centre in 2017 and Centennial Park in 2018 at Vimy, France.

Richard Williams is a former Commanding Officer of 22 Special Air Service Regiment, who served for 20 years in the British Military.

Awarded the Military Cross in Afghanistan, a Queens Commendation for Valuable Service in South America, and a Joint Commander’s Commendation in Bosnia, he is now a resident of Toronto. He is also an experienced mining industry executive, a leadership coach, and an innovation champion.

Deborah Wolfe, P.Eng., is a civil engineer licensed in the province of Ontario and is a former Military Engineer having served with the Canadian Armed Forces.

Today, she is the Executive Director, National Committee on Accreditation and Law Schools Programs with the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. Ms. Wolfe also leads the process to approve Canadian common law, law school programs.

Daniel Frajman is a partner at the Montreal law firm of Spiegel Sohmer Attorneys, where he has practiced since 1995 in the areas of not-for-profit/charity law, trusts,estates and estate planning, and in commercial law.  Daniel serves on several community boards and committees, is a past president of the Montreal branch of STEP, guest lectures at McGill University and enjoys speaking and writing in his field.

Andrew Beckett CD MD MSc FRCSC FACS is a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Canadian Medical Services, where he serves as a trauma surgeon and critical care physician.  He has served on multiple military missions overseas, including in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Africa and Iraq.  He is currently the chief of general surgery for the Canadian Forces, and the trauma advisor to the Surgeon General.